Title 10, Title 10: Conservation and Development

§ 4751. Swimming deer A person shall not take a deer that is swimming in any lake, pond, river, or other body of water. (Added 1973, No. 178 (Adj. Sess.), § 8.)

§ 4781. Big game; possession A person shall not possess big game taken by unlawful means or methods or taken in a closed season in violation of any provision of part 4 of this title or rules of the Board. Unless otherwise prohibited, a person may possess lawfully taken game durin…

§ 4782. Possession in cold storage of big game Any part of the carcass of big game legally taken may be possessed at any time in cans or in a cold storage locker or home freezer. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1985, No. 92, § 8.)

§ 4783. Purchase and sale of big game (a) A person shall not buy or sell big game or the meat of big game within the State except during the open season and for 20 days thereafter, provided that a person shall not sell the paws or internal organs of a black bear separate from the…

§ 4784. Transportation of big game A person shall not transport big game taken by unlawful means or methods or taken in a closed season in violation of any provision of part 4 of this title or rules of the Board. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1985, No. 92, …

§ 4786. Game suppers (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, game suppers may be held at any time by a church, volunteer fire department, rod and game club, or other nonprofit organization under permit issued by a fish and wildlife warden, the Commissioner, or a…

§ 4826. Taking deer damaging crops (a) A person, including an authorized member of the person’s family, an authorized regular on-premises employee, or an agent who holds a Vermont hunting license and who is designated by the person, may take, on land owned or occupied by the pers…

§ 4827. Black bear doing damage (a)(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection and in subsection 4827a(b) of this title, a person, an authorized member of the person’s family, or the person’s authorized regular on-premise employee may, after attempting reasonable…

§ 4827a. Feeding bear; prohibition (a) A person shall not knowingly feed a bear and shall not knowingly give, place, expose, deposit, distribute, or scatter any bait, food, or other edible material in a manner intended to lure a bear to feed except: (1) under a license or permit …

§ 4828. Taking of rabbit or fur-bearing animals by landowner; selectboard; certificate; penalty (a)(1) The provisions of law or rules of the Board relating to the taking of rabbits or fur-bearing animals shall not apply to: (A) an owner, the owner’s employee, tenant, or caretaker…

§ 4830. Regulations The State Fish and Wildlife Board shall adopt rules and regulations relating to application for reimbursement, examination by State fish and wildlife wardens of damage, and reimbursement therefor. (Added 1969, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 1983, No. 158 (…

§ 4831. Reimbursement Reimbursement under this subchapter shall be made by the State Treasurer, on the voucher of the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife, from money received by the State Treasurer under the provisions of this part. (Added 1969, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.)

§ 4832. Appeal A person who is denied reimbursement under this subchapter or who is dissatisfied with the amount of the reimbursement granted may appeal to the Superior Court of the county in which he or she resides. (Added 1969, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; amended 1971, No. 185 (…

§ 4833. Coyote Control Program The Commissioner shall develop a Coyote Control Program for implementation in those areas of the State where he or she has determined that predation by coyotes is posing a threat to domesticated animals, deer, and other wildlife. In no event shall t…

§ 4861. Fur-bearing animals; taking; possession (a) Fur-bearing animals shall not be taken except in accordance with the provisions of this part and of rules of the Board. The fur or skins of fur- bearing animals may be possessed at any time unless otherwise provided by this part…

§ 4863. Trapping tags; fees The Commissioner may fix a fee not to exceed $1.00 that shall be paid by the trapper to the game warden for each skin required to be tagged and marked by regulations of the Board and such fees shall be transmitted to the Commissioner who shall pay the …

§ 4864. Transporting beaver skins; confiscation Any beaver skins that may come into this State in the raw state from any other state or country shall have the official stamp, tag, or seal of the state or country in which such skins were taken. All beaver skins not tagged and mark…

§ 4902. Wild birds generally; no open season; exception (a) Wild birds, other than pigeons, shall not be taken, possessed, bought, or sold, at any time, except as provided by this part, rules of the Board, or orders of the Commissioner. (b) Harm or death of a migratory bird liste…

§ 4904. Use of light, snares, traps A person shall not take a bird with the aid of a jack or other light. A person shall not take a wild bird by trapping, netting, or snaring, or possess such a bird so taken, or set, place, or use, where birds may be taken, a net, trap, or snare …

§ 4905. Birds’ nests and eggs; destroying or robbing A person shall not take or willfully destroy the nests or eggs of wild birds, other than rock pigeons, house sparrows, or European starlings, except when necessary to protect buildings and the nests to be removed contain no egg…

§ 4907. Waterfowl blinds (a) A person shall not place a waterfowl blind or cause the same to be placed on or in the waters of the State earlier than the first Saturday of September of any year, and then only if the person’s name and address are permanently and legibly affixed the…

§ 4908. Youth turkey hunting weekend (a) The Saturday and Sunday prior to opening day of spring turkey season shall be youth turkey hunting weekend. (b) A person who is age 15 or under on the weekend of the hunt, who has successfully completed a hunter safety course, may take one…

§ 4909. Connecticut River zone A person holding a New Hampshire hunting license that allows taking of migratory waterfowl may take migratory waterfowl and coots from the Connecticut River zone, as defined by the Board, provided the State of New Hampshire grants the same right to …

§ 4910. Enforcement discretion For purposes of migratory bird protection in this title, the Commissioner has authority to exercise enforcement discretion, including refraining from taking any enforcement action for the incidental take of migratory birds. Enforcement, if any, shal…

§ 4921. Definitions As used in this subchapter: (1) “Covered wild animal” means an animal that is a big game animal, game quadruped, game bird, fur-bearing animal, or crow. (2) “Process” or “processed” means the act of slaughtering or butchering a covered wild animal for its edib…

§ 4922. Retrieval of covered wild animals A person shall not intentionally or knowingly kill a covered wild animal and intentionally or knowingly fail to make a reasonable effort to retrieve the covered wild animal and use the covered wild animal as provided under this subchapter…

§ 4923. Use of covered wild animal (a) A person who retrieves a lawfully taken covered wild animal, or a person to whom the lawfully taken covered wild animal is transferred, shall retain the animal in the person’s possession until it is processed as food; processed for its fur, …

§ 4924. Exceptions The requirements of sections 4922 and 4923 of this title shall not apply: (1) when the failure to retrieve, the failure to salvage, or the failure to retain the covered wild animal is beyond the control of the person due to: (A) theft of the covered wild animal…

§ 4925. Disposal A person shall not place, leave, dump, or abandon the carcass or parts of a covered wild animal: (1) along or upon a public right-of-way or highway; (2) upon a private property posted in accordance with section 4710 or 5201 of this title without permission of the…

§ 5001. Hunting dogs; field training (a) While accompanying the dog, a person may train a hunting dog to hunt and pursue: (1) bear during the period from June 1 to September 15 and then only from sunrise to sunset; (2) rabbits and game birds during the period from June 1 to the l…

§ 5002. Hunting dogs; field trials; fee The Commissioner may issue permits to organized groups to hold field trials for hunting dogs. Persons seeking a permit shall submit an application to the Commissioner as prescribed by the Commissioner and shall pay a fee of $50.00. (Added 1…

§ 5003. Retrieving dogs; field trials The Commissioner may issue a license to any responsible person or field trial group to hold a field trial for retrieving dogs, or bird dogs, with game birds that have been propagated or legally acquired and released on the day of the trial on…

§ 5004. Retriever field trials; fee The Commissioner may issue permits which shall authorize a holder or authorized designee to take all of the birds released by the holder of the permit or designee on the day the trial is in progress. Persons seeking a permit shall submit an app…

§ 5006. Exemption; hunting license Any person who participates in a trial under the provisions of sections 5002-5004 of this title shall not be required to have a hunting license. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1983, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 13,…

§ 5007. Hunting black bear with dogs (a) No person shall pursue black bear with the aid of dogs, either for training or taking purposes, without a permit issued by the Commissioner. The number of permits issued to nonresidents in any given year shall not exceed 10 percent of the …

§ 5008. Hunting coyote with aid of dogs; permit (a) No person shall pursue coyote with the aid of dogs, either for training or taking purposes, without a permit issued by the Commissioner. (1) The Commissioner may deny any permit at the Commissioner’s discretion. The Commissioner…

§ 5009. Pursuing coyote with aid of dogs; landowner permission (a) A person shall not release a dog onto land posted in accordance with section 5201 of this title for the purpose of pursuing coyote with the aid of dogs unless the dog owner or handler of the hunting dog has obtain…

§ 5101. Fish and wildlife; restrictions (a) A person shall not: (1) Transport fish or wildlife taken by another except in the presence of the person who took that fish or wildlife. (2) Transport fish or wildlife during the closed season for the taking of that fish or wildlife. (3…

§ 5102. Common carrier A person while engaged in the business of a common carrier shall not transport as owner fish or game, or receive for transportation or transport fish or game protected by law unless accompanied by the owner thereof and tagged or marked as provided by law, e…

§ 5103. Marking for transportation Fish, wildlife, and fur-bearing animals, or a package containing the same, if placed in the custody of a common carrier, shall have affixed thereto a tag plainly marked with the name of the consignor and consignee, the kind and number of such ga…

§ 5104. Carcass of deer; fish and game imported from without United States or raised on propagation farms (a) The carcass of a deer taken by a resident or by a person as provided in sections 5201 and 5202 of this title, when open to view, may be transported during the time specif…

§ 5105. Conditions precedent to acceptance for transportation A person required to have a license, as provided in section 4251 of this title, who takes fish or wild animals under such a license, if he or she places such fish or wild animals in the custody of a person acting as a …

§ 5106. Duties of carriers (a) A person acting as a common carrier so receiving fish or wild animals for shipment shall indorse in ink on the back of the license under which same is to be shipped the name of the station from which the shipment is made, the destination, and the nu…

§ 5201. Notices; posting (a)(1) An owner, or a person having the exclusive right to take game upon land or the waters thereon, who desires to protect his or her land or private pond or propagation farm over which he or she has exclusive control may maintain notices stating that: …

§ 5202. Private ponds, stocking The Commissioner may, at his or her discretion, stock a private pond that allows some charitable or nonprofit organizations to use the area at no charge. In that case, the owner may prohibit the taking of fish or game by the general public under se…

§ 5204. Poaching; private preserves (a) A person who, without the written consent of the owner or person having the exclusive right to take fish or wild animals, takes fish, game, or other animals or carries or possesses a firearm, bow and arrow, or wild animal trap in private pr…