Title 10, Title 10: Conservation and Development

§ 4572. Definitions (a) As used in this subchapter, a minor fish and wildlife violation means: (1) a violation of 10 V.S.A. § 4145 (violation of access and landing area rules); (2) a violation of 10 V.S.A. § 4251 (taking wild animals and fish without a license); (3) a violation o…

§ 4574. Procedure Minor fish and wildlife violations shall be heard by the Bureau and the procedure shall be as provided in 4 V.S.A. chapter 29. (Added 1995, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 10, eff. Sept. 1, 1996; amended 1997, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 7.)

§ 4575. Suspension for failure to pay In the case of failure to pay a penalty, the Judicial Bureau shall mail a notice to the defendant at the address in the complaint notifying the defendant that failure to pay or otherwise satisfy the penalty within 20 days of the notice will r…

§ 4576. Violation report; assessment of points The Bureau shall send a report of each finding of a minor fish and wildlife violation to the Commissioner of the Fish and Wildlife Department. Such a finding shall be prima facie evidence of a violation and shall result in assessment…

§ 4577. Reports The Court Administrator shall prepare audits, records, and reports relating to minor fish and wildlife complaints and violations. The Court Administrator shall also notify the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife of any violations which are uncontested or admitted or…

§ 4601. Taking fish; possession A person shall not take fish, except in accordance with this part and regulations of the Board, or possess a fish taken in violation of this part or regulations of the Board. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.)

§ 4602. Unintentional taking; return to water When a fish is unintentionally taken contrary to a provision of this part or of regulations of the Board, such fish shall be immediately liberated and returned to the water from whence taken, without unnecessary injury. The person so …

§ 4603. Catch limit; exception When it is unlawful to take more than a specified number of pounds of any fish in one legal day, the taking of one fish additional by a person having less than the number of pounds specified when taken shall not be regarded as a violation of the pro…

§ 4604. Ice fishing A person who holds a fishing license and a person who is allowed to take fish without such a license shall not take fish through the ice except in accordance with regulations of the Board. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.)

§ 4605. Placing fish in waters; fish importation permits (a) A person shall not introduce or attempt to introduce any fish into any waters except private ponds lacking access to other waters of the State without a permit issued by the Commissioner under this section or rules adop…

§ 4606. Taking fish by unlawful means (a) A person shall not take fish by means of explosives, or use explosives in any waters, or have the same in his or her possession upon any waters, the shores thereof, or islands therein, except for mining or mechanical purposes. (b) A perso…

§ 4607. Obstructing streams (a) A person shall not unless authorized by the Commissioner prevent the passing of fish in a stream or the outlet or inlet of a natural or artificial pond on a public stream, by means of a rack, screen, weir, or other obstruction, and shall comply wit…

§ 4609. Connecticut River; Lake Champlain (a) Persons holding a New Hampshire fishing license may take fish from the Connecticut River, provided the State of New Hampshire grants the same right to persons holding a Vermont fishing license. Such taking shall be only in accordance …

§ 4611. Sale of fish (a) A person shall not buy or sell a salmon, trout, lake trout, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, black bass, or any other fish specified by rule by the Board taken in this State, or imported from another state or country where sale of such fish is prohibi…

§ 4612. Fishing houses (a) The owner of a fishing house shall not place the fishing house or cause the same to be placed on the ice covering the waters of this State earlier than November 20 of any year, and then only if his or her name and residence address are permanently and l…

§ 4613. Fishing tournaments (a) No person or organization shall hold a fishing tournament on the waters of the State without first obtaining a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Tournaments held on the Connecticut River, excluding Moore and Comerford Reservoirs, tha…

§ 4614. Largest fish; roster (a) The Commissioner may maintain a roster of names of people who have caught the largest of each species of Vermont fish. The roster may include the size and weight of the fish, date and place caught, and any other relevant information. (b) No fish t…

§ 4615. Lead sinkers; sales prohibited It is unlawful to sell or offer for sale a lead sinker in the State of Vermont. In this section, “sinker” means any device which weighs one-half ounce or less and is attached to a fishing line for the purpose of sinking the line, and does no…

§ 4651. Authority The Governor is hereby authorized and directed to execute a Compact on behalf of the State of Vermont with the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service legally j…

§ 4652. Purposes—Article I The purpose of this Compact is to promote the restoration of Anadromous Atlantic salmon, hereinafter referred to as Atlantic salmon, in the Connecticut River basin by the development of a joint interstate program for stocking, protection, management, re…

§ 4653. Effective date—Article II This agreement shall become operative immediately whenever all of the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut have executed it in a form that is in accordance with the laws of the executing state and the Congress has give…

§ 4654. Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission—Article III Each state joining herein shall appoint two representatives to a commission hereby constituted and designated as the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission. One shall be the executive officer of the administra…

§ 4655. Duties; regulatory and enforcement powers; licenses—Article IV The duty of said Commission shall be to make inquiry and ascertain from time to time such methods, practices, circumstances, and conditions as may be disclosed for bringing about the restoration of Atlantic sa…

§ 4656. Officers; office; and reimbursement for travel—Article V The Commission shall elect from its number a Chair and a Vice Chair and at its pleasure may remove such officers. Said Commission shall adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of its business. At such time as fu…

§ 4657. Employment and compensation of personnel—Article VI At such time as funds are available, the Commission may employ and discharge at its pleasure such personnel as may be required to carry out the provisions of this Compact and shall fix and determine their duties, qualifi…

§ 4658. Technical committee—Article VII There shall be established a Technical Committee to consist of one fishery biologist from each of the signatory states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to act in an advisory capacity to the Commi…

§ 4659. Majority vote—Article VIII No action shall be taken by the Commission in regard to its general affairs except by affirmative vote of a majority of members present at any meeting. No recommendation or allotment of grant funds shall be made by the Commission except by the a…

§ 4660. Absence of representation—Article IX Continued absence of representation or of any representative on the Commission from any party hereto shall be brought to the attention of the governor thereof. (Added 1979, No. 89 (Adj. Sess.).)

§ 4661. Annual appropriation—Article X The states signatory hereto agree to make an annual appropriation to the initial support of the Commission in the amount of $1,000.00 from the Fish and Wildlife Fund for each of the first three years that this Compact is in effect. (Added 19…

§ 4662. Records; examination of accounts—Article XI The Commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements and shall report to the governor and the legislature of each state party to this Compact on or before the tenth day of January of each year, setting f…

§ 4701. Use of gun, bow and arrow, and crossbow; legal day; dogs (a) Unless otherwise provided by statute, a person shall not take game except with: (1) a gun fired at arm’s length; (2) a bow and arrow; or (3) a crossbow as authorized by the rules of the Board. (b) A person shall…

§ 4702. Use of light A person shall not intentionally throw or cast the rays of a spotlight, jack, or other artificial light on any highway, or any field, woodland, or forest, in order to spot, locate, take, or attempt to take, spot, or locate any wild animal. However, a light ma…

§ 4703. Use of set guns; recovery for damage A person shall not at any time set or use any device, the object of which is to discharge a firearm for the purpose of taking any wild animal. A person violating this section shall be liable for twice the amount of damage caused by his…

§ 4704. Use of machine guns and autoloading rifles (a) A person engaged in hunting for wild animals shall not use, carry, or have in the person’s possession: (1) a machine gun of any kind or description; or (2) an autoloading rifle with a magazine capacity of over six cartridges,…

§ 4705. Shooting from motor vehicles or aircraft; shooting from or across highway; permit (a) A person shall not take or attempt to take a wild animal by shooting from a motor vehicle, motorboat, airplane, snowmobile, or other motor-propelled craft or any vehicle drawn by a motor…

§ 4706. Snaring animals A person shall not take an animal by snaring nor shall he or she possess a snare with intent to use the same. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961.)

§ 4707. Traps; notice A person who intends to set a trap for any animal on the property of another shall, prior to setting the trap, notify the owner of the property of his or her intention to set the trap and of the prospective location of the trap. The owner of the property may…

§ 4708. Interference with hunting, fishing, or trapping (a) A person shall not intentionally interfere with the lawful taking of fish or wild animals by: (1) tampering with traps, nets, bait, firearms, or any other thing used for hunting, trapping, or fishing; (2) placing himself…

§ 4709. Transport, importation, possession, and stocking of wild animals; possession of wild boar or feral swine (a) A person shall not bring into, transport into, transport within, transport through, or possess in the State any live wild bird or animal of any kind, including rep…

§ 4710. Safety zone; shooting prohibited (a) A person may on land owned or occupied by him or her and within 500 feet of any occupied dwelling house, residence, or other building or camp occupied by human beings, or any barn, stable, or other building used in connection therewith…

§ 4712. Tracking of injured wildlife (a) The Commissioner may certify an individual to use a dog on a leash to track injured wild animals. The certificate shall be valid for five years from date of issuance. The Commissioner shall establish the following by rule: (1) procedures f…

§ 4713. Tree stands; ground blinds (a) No person shall build, erect, maintain, use, or occupy a permanent or portable tree stand or ground blind for any purpose on any private land in Vermont without landowner permission. (b) A person building, erecting, or maintaining a tree sta…

§ 4714. Importation and possession of animals for hunting (a) A person shall not import or possess any live animal for the purpose of taking by hunting unless the Commissioner has issued the person an importation and possession permit. The Fish and Wildlife Board shall adopt rule…

§ 4715. Remote-control hunting (a) As used in this section: (1) “Captive animal” includes an animal that has been brought into and kept in captivity for the purpose of taking it, and any increase of such animal. (2) “Remote-control hunting” means the use of a computer, any device…

§ 4716. Coyote-hunting competitions; prohibition (a) As used in this section, “coyote-hunting competition” means a contest in which people compete in the capturing or taking of coyotes for a prize. (b) A person shall not hold or conduct a coyote-hunting competition in the State. …

§ 4742a. Youth deer hunting weekend (a) The Board shall designate by rule a youth deer hunting weekend prior to opening day of the regular deer season. (b) A person who is 15 years of age or under on the weekend of the hunt and who has successfully completed a hunter safety cours…