Title 17 — Game and Fish
6 chapters · 154 sections in this title.
A.R.S. § 17-301 Times when wildlife may be taken; exceptions; methods of taking
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A. A person may take wildlife, except aquatic wildlife, only during daylight hours unless otherwise prescribed by the commission. A person shall not take any species of wildlife by the aid or with the use of a jacklight, other artificial light, or illegal device, except as provid…
A.R.S. § 17-301.01 Protection from wildlife
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A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, any person may take wildlife in self-defense or in defense of another person if it is immediately necessary to protect oneself or to protect the other person. B. A person shall notify the department within five days after taki…
A.R.S. § 17-302 Taking of bear or mountain lion for protection of property; report
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A. Other provisions of this title notwithstanding, a landowner or lessee, who is a livestock operator and who has recently had livestock attacked or killed by bear or mountain lion, may, if he complies with subsection B, lawfully exercise such measures as necessary to prevent fur…
A.R.S. § 17-302.01 Taking of wolves for protection of life or property
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[Repealed or reserved.]
A.R.S. § 17-303 Taking or driving wildlife from closed areas or while trespassing
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It is unlawful for any person: 1. Except by commission order, to enter on a game refuge or other area that is closed to hunting, trapping or fishing and take, drive or attempt to drive wildlife from such an area. 2. Without authorization from the landowner or lessee of private la…
A.R.S. § 17-304 Prohibition by landowner on hunting, fishing, trapping or guiding; trespassing; posting; requirements
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A. Landowners or lessees of private land who desire to prohibit hunting, fishing, trapping or guiding on their lands without their permission shall post such lands closed to hunting, fishing, trapping or guiding using notices or signboards. B. State or federal lands, including th…
A.R.S. § 17-305 Possession of other weapons while hunting; violation; classification
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A. The possession of legal weapons, devices, ammunition or magazines, which are not authorized to take wildlife, is not prohibited while hunting if the weapon or device is not used to take wildlife. B. Taking wildlife by using a weapon, device, ammunition or magazine that is not …
A.R.S. § 17-306 Importation, transportation, release or possession of live wildlife; violations; classification
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A. No person shall import or transport into this state or sell, trade or release within this state or have in the person's possession any live wildlife except as authorized by the commission or as defined in title 3, chapter 16. B. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly and wit…
A.R.S. § 17-307 Possession, storage, sale and gift of the carcass or parts thereof of wildlife
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A. The carcass or parts thereof of wildlife lawfully obtained in accordance with the provisions of this title and commission regulations may be possessed by the person taking such wildlife. B. The carcass or parts thereof of wildlife lawfully obtained may be placed in storage in …
A.R.S. § 17-308 Unlawful camping
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It is unlawful for a person to camp within one-fourth mile of a natural water hole containing water or a man-made watering facility containing water in such a place that wildlife or domestic stock will be denied access to the only reasonably available water.
A.R.S. § 17-309 Violations; classification
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A. Unless otherwise prescribed by this title, it is unlawful for a person to: 1. Violate any provision of this title or any rule adopted pursuant to this title. 2. Take, possess, transport, release, buy, sell or offer or expose for sale wildlife except as expressly permitted by t…
A.R.S. § 17-310 Agreement to appear in court
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Game rangers, wildlife managers, and other peace officers may take any person before a magistrate within the county in which an offense is committed for a violation of any provision of this title, but any person apprehended for violating any provision of this title punishable as …
A.R.S. § 17-311 Duty to report shooting accident resulting in injury or death; duty to give assistance; authority of officers
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A. Any person who, while taking wildlife, is involved in a shooting accident resulting in injury to another person shall render every possible assistance to the injured person, and if the accident is fatal, he shall immediately report the accident to the nearest law enforcement o…
A.R.S. § 17-312 Misuse of firearms
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A. It is unlawful for any person while taking wildlife, or while in any hunting area, to handle or discharge any firearm while intoxicated or in a careless or reckless manner or with wanton disregard for the safety of human life or property. B. Nothing in this section shall be co…
A.R.S. § 17-313 Disposition of fines, forfeitures and penalties; reports
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A. Fines, forfeitures and penalties collected for violations of this title shall be deposited, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, immediately by the officer collecting or receiving them in the wildlife theft prevention fund. B. The state treasurer shall notify the commission…
A.R.S. § 17-314 Illegally taking, wounding, killing or possessing wildlife; civil penalty; enforcement
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A. The commission may impose a civil penalty against any person for unlawfully taking, wounding, killing or possessing any of the following wildlife, or part thereof, to recover the following minimum sums: 1. For each turkey or javelina $ 500.00 2. For each bear, mountain lion, p…
A.R.S. § 17-315 Wildlife theft prevention fund; authorized expenditures
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A. The wildlife theft prevention fund is established consisting of: 1. Monies received from civil penalties pursuant to section 17-314. 2. Money received from donations to the fund. 3. Monies appropriated by the legislature for the purposes provided in this article. 4. Monies rec…
A.R.S. § 17-316 Interference with rights of hunters; classification; civil action; exceptions
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A. It is a class 2 misdemeanor for a person while in a hunting area to intentionally interfere with, prevent or disrupt the lawful taking of wildlife by: 1. Harassing, driving or disturbing any wildlife. 2. Blocking, obstructing or impeding, or attempting to block, obstruct or im…
A.R.S. § 17-317 Possession and containment of white amur; determination of closed aquatic system
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A. The commission shall establish a procedure by rule to permit the possession of certified triploid white amur (ctenopharyngodon idellus). B. The department shall evaluate potential sites for the stocking of certified triploid white amur in this state. These sites shall be in cl…
A.R.S. § 17-318 Disease assessment and treatment before importing wildlife and transporting big game
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A. The department shall test all cloven-hoofed wildlife it introduces or imports into this state, and all cloven-hoofed big game transported and released in this state for the purpose of creating new or expanding existing populations, for presence of diseases that can be transmit…
A.R.S. § 17-319 Big game animals; carcasses; possession and transportation; salvage permit; requirements; violation; classification
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A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, the carcass of a big game animal may be possessed and transported if a peace officer or an authorized employee of the department issues a big game salvage permit. A big game salvage permit is not transferable and may be issued…
A.R.S. § 17-320 Jaguar; protection; violations; classification; civil liability; exceptions
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A. Notwithstanding section 17-239 or any other provision of this title, if the secretary of the interior publishes in the federal register a determination for the removal of jaguar (felis onca) from the list as required under section 4(c) of the endangered species act of 1973, as…
A.R.S. § 17-331 License or proof of purchase required; violation of child support order
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A. Except as provided by this title, rules prescribed by the commission or commission order, a person shall not take any wildlife in this state without a valid license or a commission approved proof of purchase. The person shall carry the license or proof of purchase and produce …
A.R.S. § 17-332 Form and content of license; duplicate licenses; transfer of license prohibited; exceptions; refunds; period of validity; definitions
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A. Licenses and license materials shall be prepared by the department and may be furnished and charged to dealers that are authorized to issue licenses. Each license shall be issued in the name of the department and signed in a manner provided by rule adopted by the commission. W…
A.R.S. § 17-333 License classifications; fees; reduced fee and complimentary licenses; annual report; review
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B. The commission may temporarily reduce or waive any fee prescribed by rule under this title on the recommendation of the director. C. The commission may reduce the fees for licenses and issue complimentary licenses, including the following: 1. A complimentary license to a pione…
A.R.S. § 17-333.02 Trapping license; education; exemption
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A. A person applying for a trapping license must successfully complete a trapping education course conducted or approved by the department before being issued a trapping license. The department shall conduct or approve an educational course of instruction in responsible trapping …
A.R.S. § 17-334 Sale of licenses
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Hunting, fishing and other licenses shall be issued by such person as may be designated license dealers by the commission. The commission may suspend or revoke a dealer's license for failure to comply with rules specified by commission order.
A.R.S. § 17-335 Blind resident; fishing license exemption
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A blind resident may fish without a license and is entitled to the same privileges as the holder of a valid license.
A.R.S. § 17-335.01 Lifetime license and benefactor license
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B. A lifetime license, benefactor license and trout stamp may be denied or suspended pursuant to, and for the offenses described in, section 17-340. C. A lifetime license, benefactor license and trout stamp remain valid if the licensee subsequently resides outside this state, but…
A.R.S. § 17-337 Hunting and fishing licenses; armed forces members and spouses
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A member or the spouse of a member of the armed forces of the United States who is on active duty and stationed in this state for either permanent or temporary duty may purchase a resident license permitting the taking of wildlife.
A.R.S. § 17-337.01 Licenses for enrollees in the job corps
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Enrollees in the job corps created by the economic opportunity act of 1964, who are stationed within the state, shall be entitled to purchase a fishing license as provided by law for other residents of the state.
A.R.S. § 17-338 Remission of fees from sale of licenses and permits; violation; classification
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A. License dealers shall transmit to the department all license and permit fees collected and furnish such information as the commission prescribes by rule. The failure to transmit these fees within thirty days after the deadline the commission prescribes by rule is cause to canc…
A.R.S. § 17-339 Reports and returns by license dealers; noncompliance; classification
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A. Each license dealer shall by January 10, or on demand of the commission or department, return to the department: 1. All duplicate stubs, unused licenses, permits and big game tags. 2. All due and unremitted license and permit fees collected. 3. A full and complete report of th…
A.R.S. § 17-340 Revocation, suspension and denial of privilege of taking wildlife; civil penalty; notice; violation; classification
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A. On conviction, on entering a deferred prosecution agreement or after adjudication as a delinquent juvenile as defined in section 8-201 and in addition to other penalties prescribed by this title, the commission, after a public hearing, may revoke or suspend a license issued to…
A.R.S. § 17-341 Violation; classification
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A. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly purchase, apply for, accept, obtain or use, by fraud or misrepresentation a license, permit, tag or stamp to take wildlife and a license or permit so obtained is void and of no effect from the date of issuance thereof. B. Any person who…
A.R.S. § 17-342 Colorado river special use permit
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A. A person taking fish or amphibians for purposes other than for profit from or while on a boat or other floating device on all waters of the Colorado river south of the Nevada-Arizona boundary shall have in his possession a valid angling or fishing license issued by either the …
A.R.S. § 17-343 Reciprocal sale of licenses and special use permits
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The Arizona game and fish department and the California department of fish and game may enter into a reciprocal agreement to handle licenses and special use permits of either state and issue them to their authorized dealers. Arizona shall by April 30 of each year make an audit re…
A.R.S. § 17-344 Period of validity of special permits
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Arizona-Colorado river special use permits and California-Colorado river special use permits shall be valid from January 1 to December 31, inclusive, or as the commission prescribes by rule or order.
A.R.S. § 17-345 Surcharges; purposes
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In addition to any other fees, the commission may impose and collect: 1. A surcharge on a license, permit, tag and stamp as the commission prescribes by rule. Monies collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be segregated from other fees and deposited in the conservation develop…
A.R.S. § 17-346 Special big game license tags
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In addition to any license tags issued under section 17-333, the commission may issue special big game license tags in the name of an incorporated nonprofit organization that is dedicated to wildlife conservation. No more than three special big game license tags may be issued for…
A.R.S. § 17-361 Trappers; licensing; restrictions; duties; reports
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A. The holder of a trapping license, may trap predatory, nongame, and fur-bearing mammals under such restrictions as the commission may specify. B. All traps shall be plainly identified with the name, address, or registered number of the owner, and such markings of identification…
A.R.S. § 17-362 Guide license; violations; annual report
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A. A person shall not act as a guide without first satisfying the director of the person's qualifications and without having procured a guide license. A person who is under eighteen years of age shall not be issued a guide license. B. If a licensed guide fails to comply with this…
A.R.S. § 17-363 Practice of taxidermy; registration required; rules; register; revocation; suspension; civil penalty
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A. A person shall not engage in the business of a taxidermist for hire until that person registers with the department. The department shall adopt rules to allow a person to register pursuant to this section. B. A taxidermist shall: 1. Keep a register of the names and addresses o…
A.R.S. § 17-364 Fur dealer's license; records; reports
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A. No person shall engage in the business of buying for resale any specimen of predatory, nongame and fur-bearing mammals taken within this state without obtaining a fur dealer's license. B. A fur dealer shall keep a record of the date, number and species of all pelts or furs rec…
A.R.S. § 17-371 Transportation, possession and sale of wildlife and wildlife parts
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A. A person may transport in his possession his legally taken wildlife, or may authorize the transportation of his legally taken big game, provided such big game or any part thereof has attached thereto a valid transportation permit issued by the department. Such wildlife shall b…
A.R.S. § 17-372 Shipment by common carrier
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A. A common carrier shall not transport any wildlife except as provided for under this title or title 3, chapter 16. B. Wildlife may be shipped during the open season, or within five days thereafter, but such shipment shall not exceed the possession limit for any one species and …
A.R.S. § 17-373 Storage; exception
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A. Commercial food establishments processing or storing wildlife shall stamp all packages containing such wildlife with a stamp furnished by the department and such packages shall be marked with the date received or processed. The operator of such establishment shall keep a recor…