Session of 2000
         
HOUSE BILL No. 2974
         
By Committee on Agriculture
         
2-10
         

  9             AN  ACT concerning wildlife; relating to big game permits; purchase, sale
10             and transfer thereof; report of property damage; amending K.S.A.
11             1999 Supp. 32-937 and repealing the existing section.
12      
13       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14             Section  1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 32-937 is hereby amended to read as
15       follows: 32-937. (a) When used in this section:
16             (1) "Landowner" means a resident owner of farm or ranch land of
17       80 acres or more located in the state of Kansas.
18             (2) "Tenant" means an individual who is actively engaged in the ag-
19       ricultural operation of 80 acres or more of Kansas farm or ranch land for
20       the purpose of producing agricultural commodities or livestock and who:
21       (A) Has a substantial financial investment in the production of agricultural
22       commodities or livestock on such farm or ranch land and the potential to
23       realize substantial financial benefit from such production; or (B) is a bona
24       fide manager having an overall responsibility to direct, supervise and con-
25       duct such agricultural operation and has the potential to realize substan-
26       tial benefit from such production in the form of salary, shares of such
27       production or some other economic incentive based upon such
28       production.
29             (3) "Regular season" means a statewide big game hunting season au-
30       thorized annually which may include one or more seasons restricted to
31       specific types of equipment.
32             (4) "Special season" means a big game hunting season in addition to
33       a regular season authorized on an irregular basis or at different times of
34       the year other than the regular season.
35             (5) "General permit" means a big game hunting permit available to
36       Kansas residents not applying for big game permits as a landowner or
37       tenant.
38             (6) "Nonresident landowner" means a nonresident of the state of
39       Kansas who owns farm or ranch land of 80 acres or more which is located
40       in the state of Kansas.
41             (7) "Nonresident permit" means a big game hunting permit available
42       to individuals who are not Kansas residents.
43             (b) Except as otherwise provided by law or rules and regulations of


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  1       the secretary and in addition to any other license, permit or stamp re-
  2       quired by law or rules and regulations of the secretary, a valid big game
  3       permit and game tags are required to take any big game in this state.
  4             (c) The fee for big game permits and game tags shall be the amount
  5       prescribed pursuant to K.S.A. 32-988, and amendments thereto.
  6             (d) A big game permit and game tags are valid throughout the state
  7       or such portion thereof as provided by rules and regulations adopted by
  8       the secretary in accordance with K.S.A. 32-805 and amendments thereto.
  9             (e) Unless otherwise provided by law or rules and regulations of the
10       secretary, a big game permit and game tags are valid from the date of
11       issuance and shall expire at the end of the season for which issued.
12             (f) The secretary may adopt, in accordance with K.S.A. 32-805, and
13       amendments thereto, rules and regulations for each regular or special big
14       game hunting season and for each management unit regarding big game
15       permits and game tags. The secretary is hereby authorized to issue big
16       game permits and game tags pertaining to the taking of big game. Sep-
17       arate big game permits and game tags may be issued for each species of
18       big game. No big game permits or game tags shall be issued until the
19       secretary has established, by rules and regulations adopted in accordance
20       with K.S.A. 32-805, and amendments thereto, a regular or special big
21       game hunting season.
22             (g) The secretary may authorize, by rule and regulation adopted in
23       accordance with K.S.A. 32-805, and amendments thereto, landowner or
24       tenant hunt-on-your-own-land big game permits. Such permits and ap-
25       plications may contain provisions and restrictions as prescribed by rule
26       and regulation adopted by the secretary in accordance with K.S.A. 32-
27       805, and amendments thereto.
28             (h) The secretary may authorize, by rule and regulation adopted in
29       accordance with K.S.A. 32-805 and amendments thereto, special land-
30       owner or tenant hunt-on-your-own-land deer permits. Such special per-
31       mits shall not be issued to landowners or tenants in possession of a hunt-
32       on-your-own-land deer permit as authorized in subsection (g). The special
33       permits shall be transferable, with or without compensation, to any im-
34       mediate family member of the landowner or tenant person, whether or
35       not a Kansas resident, or the permit may be retained for use by the
36       landowner or tenant. The special permits shall be transferable through
37       the secretary at the request of the landowner or tenant and by paying the
38       required fee for a general deer permit. The special permits and applica-
39       tions may contain provisions and restrictions as prescribed by rule and
40       regulation adopted by the secretary in accordance with K.S.A. 32-805 and
41       amendments thereto. For the purposes of this subsection, "member of
42       the immediate family" means lineal or collateral ascendants or descen-
43       dants, and their spouses.


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  1             (i) In addition to other means of sale, application for hunt-on-your-
  2       own-land permits made pursuant to subsections (g) and (h) shall be made
  3       available by the secretary through an internet website.
  4             (j) Fifty percent of the big game permits authorized for a regular
  5       season in any management unit shall be issued to landowners or tenants,
  6       provided that a limited number of big game permits have been authorized
  7       and landowner or tenant hunt-on-your-own-land big game permits for
  8       that unit have not been authorized. A landowner or tenant is not eligible
  9       to apply for a big game permit as a landowner or as a tenant in a man-
10       agement unit other than the unit or units which includes such landowner's
11       or tenant's land. Any big game permits not issued to landowners or ten-
12       ants within the time period prescribed by rule and regulation may be
13       issued without regard to the 50% limitation.
14             (j) (k) Members of the immediate family who are domiciled with a
15       landowner or tenant may apply for a big game permit as a landowner or
16       as a tenant, but the total number of permits issued to a landowner or
17       tenant and a landowner's or tenant's immediate family shall not exceed
18       one permit for each 80 acres owned by such landowner or operated by
19       such tenant. The secretary may require proof of ownership or tenancy
20       from individuals applying for a big game permit as a landowner or as a
21       tenant.
22             (k) (l) The secretary may issue permits for deer or turkey to nonres-
23       ident landowners, but any such permit shall be restricted to hunting only
24       on lands owned by the nonresident landowner.
25             (l) (m) The secretary may issue turkey hunting permits to nonresi-
26       dents in turkey management units with unlimited turkey hunting permits
27       available.
28             (m) (n) The secretary may issue deer hunting permits to nonresi-
29       dents, subject to the following limitations:
30             (1) The total number of nonresident deer firearm permits of each
31       type specified by rules and regulations that may be issued for a deer
32       season in a management unit shall not exceed 5% of the total number of
33       resident deer firearm permits of such type authorized for such season in
34       such management unit; and
35             (2) the total number of nonresident deer archery permits of each type
36       specified by rules and regulations that may be issued for a deer season in
37       a management unit shall not exceed 5% of the total number of resident
38       deer archery permits of such type authorized for such season in such
39       management unit.
40             Nonresident deer archery permits may be restricted to a particular deer
41       species without regard to resident deer archery permit species restric-
42       tions, or lack thereof.
43             If an unlimited number of resident deer permits is authorized for a


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  1       deer season or management unit, the percentage limitations of subsec-
  2       tions (m)(1) and (m)(2) (n)(1) and (n)(2) shall be based upon the total
  3       number of resident firearm permits and the total number of archery per-
  4       mits, respectively, issued in the management unit during the most recent
  5       preceding similar season. If in a management unit there are an unlimited
  6       number of game tags available to residents, the secretary, in the secre-
  7       tary's discretion and in accordance with rules and regulations, may au-
  8       thorize the issuance of an unlimited number of deer tags for such unit to
  9       nonresidents.
10             (n) (o) Any nonresident deer hunting permits authorized under sub-
11       section (m) (n) that remain unissued due to an insufficient number of
12       nonresident applications as of a deadline determined by the secretary,
13       shall be made available to residents.
14             (o) (p) No big game permit issued to a person under 14 years of age
15       shall be valid until such person reaches 14 years of age, except that a
16       person who is 12 years or 13 years of age and has been issued a certificate
17       of completion of an approved hunter education course may be issued: (1)
18       A deer archery permit if the person submits to the secretary evidence,
19       satisfactory to the secretary, of completion of a bow hunting safety edu-
20       cation course; or (2) a wild turkey firearm permit. Such deer archery
21       permit or turkey firearm permit shall be valid only while the individual
22       is hunting under the immediate supervision of an adult who is 21 years
23       of age or older.
24             (p) (q) A big game permit shall state the species, number and sex of
25       the big game which may be killed by the permittee. The secretary may
26       furnish an informational card with any big game permit and, at the con-
27       clusion of the open season, each permittee receiving such card shall re-
28       turn the card to the department, giving such information as is called for
29       on the card.
30             (q) (r) The permittee shall permanently affix the game tag to the
31       carcass of any big game immediately after killing and thereafter, if re-
32       quired by rules and regulations, the permittee shall immediately take such
33       killed game to a check station as required in the rules and regulations,
34       where a check station tag shall be affixed to the game carcass if the kill
35       is legal. The tags shall remain affixed until the carcass is consumed or
36       processed for storage.
37             (r) (s) The provisions of this section do not apply to big game animals
38       sold in surplus property disposal sales of department exhibit herds or big
39       game animals legally taken outside this state.
40             New Sec.  2. The secretary of wildlife and parks shall establish a toll-
41       free 800 number for landowners and tenants to report any property dam-
42       age caused by deer. 
43       Sec.  3. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 32-937 is hereby repealed.


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  1        Sec.  4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
  2       publication in the statute book.