Chap. 287.—An ACT to authorize and provide for the licensing, establishment,
and regulation of shooting preserves and for the releasing, shooting, posses-
sion, and use of upland game birds and animals thereon. [H B 227]

Approved March 26, 1936

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, as follows :

Section 1. The Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries is
hereby authorized to issue licenses for shooting preserves when, in
the judgment of the Commission, operations under such licenses will
result in a net increase in the supply of upland game birds and
animals in the Commonwealth, and will otherwise be in the public
interest. A fee of five dollars shall be collected for each such license,
when the area for which the license is granted is of five hundred
acres or less, and an additional fee of five dollars shall be collected
for each additional five hundred acres or fraction thereof. All license
fees collected under this act shall be credited to the game protection
fund. All such licenses shall expire on June thirtieth of each year.

Section 2. No license shall be granted unless the applicant shall
own or have under lease the areas for which the license is desired.
Boundaries of the area licensed shall be clearly defined by at least
one strand of wire (or by a fence clearly recognizable as such) and
by such posting as shall be prescribed by the Commission.

Section 3. The applicant shall develop the lands to be licensed
as a shooting preserve so as to meet such requirements as the Com-
mission may make; release such game birds and animals as may
be designated by the Commission; and comply with such other pro-
visions as the Commission may deem advisable to promote wild life.

Section 4. (a) Until the requirements specified by the Com-
mission have been fulfilled by the applicant to the satisfaction of the
Commission and certified to and accepted by the Commission, it shall
be unlawful to shoot, attempt to shoot, or to take otherwise any
game of the species licensed under this act on premises so licensed,
but when said requirements shall have been certified and accepted by
the Commission, and when such persons are otherwise lawfully
entitled to hunt game, the licensee and such other persons as he may
designate, because of payment of fees or otherwise, may hunt on the
licensed premises, and shoot, have in possession, transport and dis-
pose of by gift any game birds or animals of the species licensed,
provided that the number of such birds or animals so shot, possessed,
transported or disposed of by gift shall not exceed the bag or posses-
sion limits stated in the rules governing the shooting preserve. Game
birds or animals not covered by the shooting preserve license may
be taken and possessed by the licensee or his guests as otherwise
provided by State law or regulation.

(b) A full record covering each item of game shot on the licensed
premises shall be kept by the licensee or his designated agent, and a
copy of this record under oath shall be filed with the Commission
within fifteen days after the close of the hunting season, and no
license shall be renewed until such record for the preceding year
shall have been filed with and accepted by the Commission.
(c) No shot game of the species named in the license shall be
removed from the said licensed premises until there has been securely
attached to said game a metallic seal, the type and design of which
shall be designated by the Commission, and such seal shall remain
attached to said game until it is finally prepared for consumption.
Such seals shall be supplied by the Commission at a cost of five
cents each.

Section 5. The length of the hunting season on such preserves
and the size of the bag limit shall be in accordance with the general
law.

Section 6, The Commission is authorized to make such rules as
shall be necessary to carry out the intents and purposes of this act,
which rules shall be effective ten days after written notice has been
sent to each holder of a shooting preserve license.

Section 7. Any shooting preserve license may be revoked by the
Commission upon evidence that the provisions of the contract entered
into by the license holder are being violated.

Section 8. Any person violating any of the above provisions shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be
punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars for each
offense, or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not
exceeding thirty days, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the
discretion of the court.

Section 9. It shall be unlawful for any person to trespass on a
licensed shooting preserve. Any person convicted of such trespass shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less
than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars, or by
imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding sixty
days, either or both, at the discretion of the court; and shall be
responsible for all damage. Owners or keepers of dogs trespassing
on preserves shall be responsible for all damage done by such dogs.