Chap. 392.—An ACT to provide for the protection of wild water fowl in the
public waters of Back bay and its tributaries and North Landing river, and
along the shores thereof, in the county of Princess Anne, by prescribing the
manner in which same may be killed; by regulating the number of batteries,
sink boxes, mat blind rigs and other kindred devices which may be used on
said waters and along the shores thereof in hunting said water fowl; by
providing for the licensing of said batteries, sink boxes, mat blind rigs and
other kindred devices; and by providing for the licensing of certain blinds
on shore, at the option of the owners thereof. [H B 112]

Approved March 23, 1928

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That all exist-
ing laws with respect to the hunting, killing or pursuit of wild fowl
on the waters of Back bay and its tributaries, and North Landing
river, and the marshes adjacent thereto, and the shores bordering on
said bay, not in conflict with this act, shall remain in force as now exist-
ing.

2. That, whereas, it is necessary that more stringent regulations
for the protection of said water fowl in the aforesaid locality be
adopted, that every battery, sink box, mat blind rig or other kindred
device now permitted by law to be used in the hunting or pursuit of
wild water fowl, shall be licensed, and it shall be unlawful to shoot
from, use, tieout, or operate any of the above-enumerated devices or
any kindred device not licensed in accordance with the provisions of
this act.

3. The number of batteries or sink box rigs may be licensed under
this act shall not exceed fifty, and shall be limited to those actually
used and operated for the purpose of hunting wild water fowl during
the nineteen hundred and twenty-seven, and nineteen hundred and
twenty-eight, open season, but prior to January first, nineteen hundred
and twenty-eight, of that season. The number of mat blind rigs h-
censed under this act shall not exceed twenty-seven and shall be limited
to those actually used and operated for the purpose of hunting wild
water fowl during the nineteen hundred and twenty-seven and nine-
teen hundred and twenty-eight open season, but prior to January first,
nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, of that season.

4. The respective owners of the shores adjacent to the public
waters of Back bay, and its tributaries south of the south end of Big
Stinger island, and North Landing river shall be permitted to license
blinds along the shore owned by them, if they desire to do so, for the
purpose of securing the protection hereinafter provided, in accordance
with the following regulations :

(a) No person, firm or corporation, owning shore line bordering
on the public waters of that portion of said waterway known as Shipp’s
bay, shall be permitted to license more than four blinds along the
shore of the public waters.

(b) No person, firm or corporation, owning shore line bordering
on the public waters of that portion of said waterway known as Back
bay proper, or any of the other bays not enumerated, and adjacent
thereto, or in North Landing river shall be permitted to license more
than five blinds along the shore of the public waters.

Nothing in this act shall be construed as preventing the owner of
any shore line from shooting from any point thereon whether the
point occupied for shooting be licensed or not.

(c) No points shall be licensed north of a line drawn east and west
through the south end of Big Stinger island.

5. The license tax shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) per an-
num for each battery, sink box, mat blind rig and fifty dollars ($50.00)
per annum for each licensed blind on shore. Said license tax is hereby
imposed and the same shall be paid to the clerk of the circuit court ot
Princess Anne county on or before the first day of July in each and
every year, and a proper metal license plate or tag, designating the bat-
tery, sink box, mat blind rig or blind on shore, shall be issued by said
clerk in numerical order, and a record thereof kept by him, and said
license tag shall be attached in a conspicuous and easily observable
place on the rig so licensed. Said license tax shall be a special license
tax and in addition to the other license taxes for hunting or shooting
now prescribed by the State of Virginia.

6. The holders of the licenses first issued under this act shall have
the right to renew the same annually, but in the event that any license
for any floating device shall not be renewed for any year, it shall be
unlawful for the clerk to issue any license for the same or any other
floating device in lieu thereof until such year as the number of bat-
teries or sink box rigs licensed to July first, shall be less than twenty-
five and the number of mat blind rigs licensed to July first, shall be less
than eleven; whereupon, the clerk may issue additional licenses after
July first to bring up the total of batteries or sink box rigs licensed to
twenty-five, and mat blind rigs licensed to eleven. The owners of
licensed blinds on shore may renew the license for any blind for any
subsequent year, or license any different blind for any subsequent
year, so long as the total shore blinds hcensed do not exceed the number
hereinabove provided.

7. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons owning or oper-
ating any battery, sink box, mat blind rig or other floating device, or
any boat or tender used in connection therewith, to anchor, tie out, or
permit the same to lie within seven hundred yards of any licensed
blind, or of any blind on shore not licensed, which is at that time oc-
cupied by the owner or member of any club owning the same or guest
thereof for the bona fide purpose of shooting therefrom, except, that
the distance that said floating device shall be kept from blinds on shore
occupied as above set forth, in the waters north of the south end of
Big Stinger island, known as North bay, shall be two hundred yards.
It shall also be unlawful for the owner of any shore line, his em-
ployees or servants, to tie out, anchor or permit any boat to lie within
a like distance of any floating device lawfully used, to tie out decoys
without shooting over the same, or in any way to interfere with the
attraction of water fowl to, or the shooting from, any floating device
lawfully used. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to
boats being used solely for fishing.

8. After deducting the costs of such license plate or tag, which
shall be of metal, and of such size, shape and color as the clerk shall
prescribe, with serial numbers easily readable thereon, beginning at
one (1) for each kind of license desired, together with a fee of fifty
cents to be retained by the clerk, all funds collected under this act shall
be paid by said clerk, one-half to the treasurer of Princess Anne
county to be expended by the board of supervisors or any district road
commission of said county as provided by law, for the improvement,
maintenance or upkeep of roads in the magisterial district in said
county in which the applicant for said license shall state he desires to
principally use the device licensed, and one-half to the commission of
game and inland fisheries to be expended for its purposes in Princess
Anne county.

9. Any applicant for any license authorized under this act. shall
make application therefor in writing to the clerk of the circuit court
of Princess Anne county, stating the particular device for which the
license is desired and the magisterial district in which same will be
principally used; he shall also state under oath that said device was in
operation during the open season of nineteen hundred and twenty-
seven and nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, prior to January first,
nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, of that season, and licenses shall
be issued in the order in which application is made.

10. Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this act,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by fine of not less than
fifty dollars ($50.00) and not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00),
and each and every day that he shall violate the provisions hereof or
fail to comply therewith, shall constitute a separate offense. None of
the waters north of the north end of North bay shall be construed to be
tributaries of Back bay for the purposes of this act, and any waters
to the north of said North bay shall not come within the provision
hereof.

11. That any and all acts and parts of acts inconsistent or in con-
flict herewith are, to the extent of such inconsistency or conflict,
hereby repealed.