Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0166 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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5	5	VT LEG #379823 v.1
6	6	H.166 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Bos-Lun of Westminster, Goldman of 2
8	8	Rockingham, Headrick of Burlington, Krasnow of South 3
9	9	Burlington, Logan of Burlington, Masland of Thetford, and 4
10	10	Torre of Moretown 5
11	11	Referred to Committee on 6
12	12	Date: 7
13	13	Subject: Fish and wildlife; game; hunting with dogs 8
14	14	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to establish 9
15	15	minimum requirements for hunting with dogs or training dogs to hunt. 10
16	16	An act relating to establishing requirements for hunting with dogs 11
17	17	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 12
18	18	Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. chapter 115 is amended to read: 13
19	19	CHAPTER 115. HUNTING WITH DOGS; MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 14
20	20	Subchapter 1. Definitions 15
21	21	§ 5000. DEFINITIONS 16
22	22	As used in this chapter: 17
23	23	(1) “Accompany” or “accompanied” means to be within hearing 18
24	24	distance or visual contact of a dog without the use of any visual or audio 19
25	25	enhancement devices and not more than 150 feet from the dogs at all times. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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29	29	VT LEG #379823 v.1
30	30	Electronic remote equipment does not qualify as and is not a substitute for 1
31	31	accompaniment. 2
32	32	(2) “At large” or “running at large” means a hunting dog is off the 3
33	33	owner’s property, not on-leash, and unaccompanied, unsupervised, or not in 4
34	34	the presence of the owner or permittee. 5
35	35	(3) “Attack” means that dogs used for hunting and pursuing black bears 6
36	36	and furbearers exhibit the following behaviors: chasing a person, a domestic 7
37	37	animal, or livestock in an aggressive manner and without provocation; 8
38	38	approaching a person, domestic pet, or domestic animal with the intent to 9
39	39	chase, bite, or cause injure; or behave in a way, alone or in a pack, that causes 10
40	40	a reasonable fear of injury or harm to a person, domestic pet, or domestic 11
41	41	animal. 12
42	42	(4) “Control of dog” or “control” means that while hunting and pursuing 13
43	43	black bears and furbearers with the aid of a dog, the owner or permittee shall 14
44	44	maintain visual contact with the dog; shall be able to hear the dogs at all times; 15
45	45	or shall have physical control over the dog with a leash or long lead. A dog is 16
46	46	only controlled on-leash or lead if the handler is physically capable of or able 17
47	47	to restrain the dog. Global positioning system collars or similar devices do not 18
48	48	meet the requirements of control under this section. 19
49	49	(5) “Domestic animal” has the same meaning as in 6 V.S.A. § 1151(2). 20
50	50	(6) “Domestic pet” has the same meaning as in section 4001 of this title. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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55	55	(7) “Fur-bearing species” or “furbearer” has the same meaning as in 1
56	56	section 4001 of this title. 2
57	57	(8) “In the presence of” means within hearing distance or visual contact 3
58	58	with the dogs under conditions that allow the handler to take immediate action 4
59	59	to control them. 5
60	60	(9) “Supervised” or “supervision” means that a person at all times 6
61	61	remains within visual sight or hearing distance of a dog, remains within 150 7
62	62	feet of the dog, and is physically able to control the dog. 8
63	63	Subchapter 2. Field Trials 9
64	64	§ 5001. HUNTING DOGS; FIELD TRAINING 10
65	65	(a) While accompanying the dog, a person may train a hunting dog to hunt 11
66	66	and pursue: 12
67	67	(1) bear during the period from June 1 to September 15 and then only 13
68	68	from sunrise to sunset; 14
69	69	(2) rabbits and game birds during the period from June 1 to the last 15
70	70	Saturday in September and then only from sunrise to sunset; 16
71	71	(3) raccoon during the period from June 1 through any time of day or 17
72	72	night on the day before the opening day of raccoon hunting season; and 18
73	73	(4) bobcat and fox during the period June 1 to March 15, except during 19
74	74	regular deer season as prescribed in section 4741 of this title. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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79	79	(b) The Commissioner may permit a person to train and condition a hunting 1
80	80	dog between the second Monday in March and June 1. The Board may adopt 2
81	81	rules as it considers necessary to control the training and conditioning of 3
82	82	hunting dogs. 4
83	83	(c) A person training a hunting dog under this section may possess a 5
84	84	handgun while training the hunting dog, provided that the person shall not take 6
85	85	game by any method while training the hunting dog. As used in this section, 7
86	86	“handgun” means a pistol or revolver that will expel a projectile by the action 8
87	87	of an explosive. 9
88	88	§ 5002. HUNTING DOGS; FIELD TRIALS; FEE 10
89	89	The Commissioner may issue permits to organized groups to hold field 11
90	90	trials for hunting dogs. Persons seeking a permit shall submit an application to 12
91	91	the Commissioner as prescribed by the Commissioner and shall pay a fee of 13
92	92	$50.00. 14
93	93	§ 5003. RETRIEVING DOGS; FIELD TRIALS 15
94	94	The Commissioner may issue a license to any responsible person or field 16
95	95	trial group to hold a field trial for retrieving dogs, or bird dogs, with game 17
96	96	birds that have been propagated or legally acquired and released on the day of 18
97	97	the trial on premises owned or controlled by the individual or group 19
98	98	conducting the same, and shot for such purposes during daylight hours. Such 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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103	103	trials shall be held under the supervision of the Department of Fish and 1
104	104	Wildlife. 2
105	105	§ 5004. RETRIEVER FIELD TRIALS; FEE 3
106	106	The Commissioner may issue permits which shall authorize a holder or 4
107	107	authorized designee to take all of the birds released by the holder of the permit 5
108	108	or designee on the day the trial is in progress. Persons seeking a permit shall 6
109	109	submit an application to the Commissioner as prescribed by the Commissioner, 7
110	110	and shall pay a fee of $50.00. 8
111	111	§ 5006. EXEMPTION; HUNTING LICENSE 9
112	112	Any person who participates in a trial under the provisions of sections 10
113	113	5002–5004 of this title shall not be required to have a hunting license. 11
114	114	Subchapter 3. Hunting Bear or Coyote with Dogs 12
115	115	§ 5007. HUNTING BLACK BEAR WITH DOGS 13
116	116	(a) No person shall pursue black bear with the aid of dogs, either for 14
117	117	training or taking purposes, without a permit issued by the Commissioner. A 15
118	118	Vermont resident shall not pursue black bear with the aid of dogs for training 16
119	119	purposes without a permit issued by the Commissioner. The number of take 17
120	120	permits issued to nonresidents in any given year shall not exceed 10 percent of 18
121	121	the number of take permits issued to residents in the preceding year. The 19
122	122	Commissioner shall establish a process for determining which nonresidents are 20
123	123	to receive a take permit if there are more nonresident applicants than 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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128	128	nonresident permits. A nonresident may train dogs to hunt bear only while 1
129	129	training season is in effect in the nonresident’s home state and subject to the 2
130	130	laws and regulations of this State. 3
131	131	(b) Permits will be issued to residents for a fee of $50.00. 4
132	132	(c) Application fees The application fee for nonresidents a nonresident take 5
133	133	permit shall be $10.00 with a nonresident take permit fee of $200.00 for 6
134	134	successful applicants. 7
135	135	§ 5008. HUNTING COYOTE WITH AID OF DOGS; PERMIT 8
136	136	(a) No person shall pursue coyote with the aid of dogs, either for training or 9
137	137	taking purposes, without a permit issued by the Commissioner. A Vermont 10
138	138	resident shall not pursue coyote with the aid of dogs for training purposes 11
139	139	without a permit issued by the Commissioner. 12
140	140	(1) The Commissioner may deny any permit at the Commissioner’s 13
141	141	discretion. The Commissioner shall not issue more than 100 permits annually. 14
142	142	(2) The number of take permits that the Commissioner issues to 15
143	143	nonresidents in any given year shall not exceed 10 percent of the number of 16
144	144	take permits issued to residents in the preceding year. The Commissioner shall 17
145	145	establish a process and standards for determining which nonresidents are to 18
146	146	receive a take permit, including who will receive a take permit if there are 19
147	147	more nonresident applicants than nonresident permits. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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152	152	(3) A nonresident may train dogs to pursue coyote only while the 1
153	153	training season is in effect in the nonresident’s home state and subject to the 2
154	154	requirements of this part and rules adopted under this part. [Repealed.] 3
155	155	(b)(1) The Commissioner shall issue permits under this section to a resident 4
156	156	for a fee of $50.00. 5
157	157	(2) The application fee for a nonresident take permit issued under this 6
158	158	section shall be $10.00, and the fee for a nonresident take permit issued under 7
159	159	this section shall be $200.00 for a successful applicant. 8
160	160	§ 5009. PURSUING COYOTE WITH AID OF DOGS; LANDOWNER 9
161	161	PERMISSION 10
162	162	(a) A person shall not release a dog onto land posted in accordance with 11
163	163	section 5201 of this title for the purpose of pursuing coyote with the aid of 12
164	164	dogs unless the dog owner or handler of the hunting dog has obtained a 13
165	165	courtesy permission card from the landowner or landowner’s agent allowing 14
166	166	the pursuit of coyote with the aid of dogs on the land. 15
167	167	(b) A person shall not release onto land a dog for the purpose of pursuing 16
168	168	coyote with the aid of dogs if in the previous 365 days a dog had been 17
169	169	previously found on the land, and the dog owner, a handler of the dog, or a 18
170	170	person participating in the hunt has been personally informed by law 19
171	171	enforcement that hunting dogs are not permitted on the property. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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176	176	(c)(1) For a first offense, a person who violates this section shall have 1
177	177	committed a minor fish and wildlife violation and shall be assessed a five-point 2
178	178	violation under subdivision 4502(b)(1) of this title. 3
179	179	(2) For a second or subsequent violation of this section, a person shall 4
180	180	be assessed a 10-point violation under subdivision 4502(b)(2) of this title and 5
181	181	shall be fined under section 4515 of this title. [Repealed.] 6
182	182	Subchapter 4. General Requirements; Access to Land 7
183	183	§ 5021. SUPERVISION AND CONTROL OF DOGS; TRAINING AND 8
184	184	HUNTING 9
185	185	(a) A person shall not use a dog of any breed or sex at any time for the 10
186	186	purpose of hunting or training the dog to hunt a black bear or fur-bearing 11
187	187	species unless the person has direct supervision of the dog. 12
188	188	(b) A person using a dog for hunting or training to pursue black bears or 13
189	189	fur-bearing species shall supervise and control the dog by maintaining visual or 14
190	190	auditory contact with the dog at all times. 15
191	191	§ 5022. LANDOWNER PERMISSION 16
192	192	(a) A person shall not allow dogs used for hunting or training of any 17
193	193	species to run at large on private property where pets or domestic animals are 18
194	194	kept or pastured without prior written permission of the owner of the property. 19
195	195	(b) A person using dogs for hunting or training to pursue black bears or fur-20
196	196	bearing species on private property shall obtain written permission from the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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201	201	property owner or lawful occupant before releasing the dogs on the private 1
202	202	property. 2
203	203	(c) The written permission required under this section shall be carried by 3
204	204	the person hunting or training with dogs at all times while engaged in the 4
205	205	activity and shall be presented upon request by law enforcement or a game 5
206	206	warden. 6
207	207	§ 5023. COLLAR REQUIREMENTS AND NOTIFICATION 7
208	208	(a) A person shall not hunt or train a dog on black bears or fur-bearing 8
209	209	species unless the dog has a collar with a functioning global positioning system 9
210	210	tracker that legibly provides the name, telephone number, and address of the 10
211	211	owner of the dog or the permittee authorized to use the dog. 11
212	212	(b) A person who owns dogs to hunt or train black bear or fur-bearing 12
213	213	species or a person permitted to use dogs to hunt or train shall notify the town 13
214	214	in which the dogs will be used to hunt or train of the breeds and number of 14
215	215	dogs to be used, the proposed location of training or hunting, and the days and 15
216	216	times when training or hunting will occur. 16
217	217	§ 5024. DAMAGE TO PROPERTY 17
218	218	A person shall not, while training, pursuing, or hunting black bears or fur-18
219	219	bearing species with dogs, enter upon the land of another or damage any 19
220	220	private property without prior written permission of the property owner. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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225	225	§ 5025. SIGNAGE 1
226	226	(a) When pursuing black bears and furbearers with dogs, the owner of the 2
227	227	dogs or the person permitted to use the dogs shall post signs along roadways 3
228	228	and on the property where the dogs are present that read “Caution Hunting 4
229	229	Dogs.” The signs shall be a minimum of 12 inches by 12 inches and shall be 5
230	230	printed with blaze orange letters on a yellow background. The signs shall be 6
231	231	posted at least 40 inches above the ground and shall be placed at intervals not 7
232	232	exceeding 1,000 feet apart. 8
233	233	(b) The owner of the dogs or the person permitted to use the dogs shall bear 9
234	234	the cost and maintenance of signs and shall not block driveways, intersections, 10
235	235	or rights of way with the signs. A person shall not post the signs required by 11
236	236	this section on private roads or private property without prior permission of the 12
237	237	property owner. 13
238	238	§ 5026. REPORTING OF INCIDENTS, INJURIES, OR ATTACKS 14
239	239	(a) A person hunting black bears or fur-bearing species with dogs or 15
240	240	training dogs to pursue black bears or fur-bearing species shall immediately 16
241	241	report to a game warden or law enforcement any incident when the dogs injure 17
242	242	or attack a person, domestic pet, or domestic animal. 18
243	243	(b) A report required under subsection (a) of this section shall include: 19
244	244	(1) the date, time, and location of the incident; and 20
245	245	(2) the names and contact information of all parties involved. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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250	250	§ 5027. NONRESIDENT RESTRICTIONS ON TRAINING 1
251	251	A nonresident of Vermont shall not train dogs to hunt black bears or fur-2
252	252	bearing species during training season. 3
253	253	§ 5028. DAMAGES 4
254	254	The owner of dogs used to hunt black bear of fur-bearing species or the 5
255	255	person permitted to use dogs to hunt black bear or fur-bearing species shall be 6
256	256	liable for all damages to animals or people caused by hunting the dogs the 7
257	257	owner or person is required to supervise. If the owner of a dog or person 8
258	258	authorized to use a dog damages animals or people a second or subsequent 9
259	259	time while hunting bear or fur-bearing species with the dogs, the owner or the 10
260	260	dogs or the person authorized to use the dogs shall permittees shall be liable 11
261	261	for double the amount of the damages. 12
262	262	Sec. 2. 10 V.S.A. § 4502 is amended to read: 13
263	263	§ 4502. UNIFORM POINT SYSTEM; REVOCATION OF LICENSE 14
264	264	(a) A uniform point system that assigns points to those convicted of a 15
265	265	violation of a provision of this part is established. The conviction report from 16
266	266	the court shall be prima facie evidence of the points assessed. In addition to 17
267	267	other penalties assessed for violation of fish and wildlife statutes, the 18
268	268	Commissioner shall suspend licenses issued under this part that are held by a 19
269	269	person who has accumulated 10 or more points in accordance with the 20
270	270	provisions of subsection (c) of this section. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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275	275	(b) A person violating provisions of this part shall receive points for 1
276	276	convictions in accordance with the following schedule (all sections are in this 2
277	277	title of the Vermont Statutes Annotated): 3
278	278	(1) Except for biological collection violations determined to be nonpoint 4
279	279	violations under the rules of the Board, five points shall be assessed for any 5
280	280	violation of statutes or rules adopted under this part except those listed in 6
281	281	subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection. 7
282	282	(2) Ten points shall be assessed for: 8
283	283	* * * 9
284	284	(TT) § 4716. Participating in a coyote-hunting competition. 10
285	285	(UU) chapter 115, subchapter 4. Violating requirements for hunting 11
286	286	or training with dogs. 12
287	287	(3) Twenty points shall be assessed for: 13
288	288	(A) § 4192. General powers and duties; failure to obey warden 14
289	289	* * * 15
290	290	(4) In addition to other points assessed under this subsection, a person 16
291	291	shall be assessed one point for each fish, bird, animal, or pelt possessed, taken, 17
292	292	transported, bought, or sold in excess of the limits established in statutes or 18
293	293	rules adopted under this part. 19
294	294	(c) Licenses shall be suspended as follows: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.166
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299	299	(1) For 10 to 14 points accumulated in five years—a one-year 1
300	300	suspension. 2
301	301	(2) For 15 to 19 points accumulated in five years—a two-year 3
302	302	suspension. 4
303	303	(3) For 20 or more points accumulated in five years—a three-year 5
304	304	suspension. 6
305	305	* * * 7
306	306	Sec. 3. 10 V.S.A. § 4712(a) is amended to read: 8
307	307	(a) The Commissioner may certify an individual to use a dog on a leash to 9
308	308	track injured wild animals, consistent with the requirements of chapter 115, 10
309	309	subchapter 4 of this title. The certificate shall be valid for five years from date 11
310	310	of issuance. The Commissioner shall establish the following by rule: 12
311	311	(1) procedures for issuing a certificate under this section; 13
312	312	(2) qualifications required for certification under this section; 14
313	313	(3) privileges granted to a person holding a certificate under this section. 15
314	314	Sec. 4. REPEAL OF FISH AND WILDLIFE BOARD RULES 16
315	315	10 V.S.A. App. §§ 3.1 (definition of supervise), 3.6 (definition of control of 17
316	316	dogs), and 4.20.7 (land owner permission requirements) are repealed. 18
317	317	Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 19
318	318	This act shall take effect on passage. 20