CHAPTER 484

AN ACT to require certain licenses to hunt certain game in certain
counties; to provide for collection and disposition of the
license fees; to prescribe penalties for violations of the pro-
visions of this act; and to repeal certain acts.

[S 324]

Approved April 7, 1950

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt bear, deer,
-or elk in the counties of Bland and Giles without first having ob-
tained a special stamp as herein provided, the fee therefor being
one dollar annually. The stamp shall be adhesively affixed to the
back of the current season’s hunting license issued such person
who shall cancel the same with his initials in ink.

§ 2. The money received from the sale of such special stamp
shall be paid to the county treasurer to the credit of a special fund,
and the net amount thereof, or so much as is necessary, shall be
used for the payment of damages to crops or livestock by deer,
bear or elk in the county, whenever such damage amounts to ten
dollars or more. Such payments shall be limited to the net amount
accruing in the special fund from the sales of such stamps in the
respective county during the license year in which the damage
occurred and any surplus remaining at the end of such year shall
remain in such fund and be used for the conservation of wild life
in the county under the direction of the board of supervisors. Any
person suffering such damages shall report it promptly to the game
warden of the county, who shall investigate the same at once. The
claim for damages shall be filed in duplicate under oath on forms
furnished by the clerk of the county. If the claimant and game
‘warden agree as to the amount of damage the game warden shall
approve the claim and forward it to the treasurer. If no such
agreement is reached between them the claim shall be submitted
to the arbitration of three persons of whom one shall be appointed
by the claimant, one by the game warden and the third by the
two so appointed. The award of the arbitrators shall be final and
binding.

§ 3. The special stamps herein provided for shall be obtained
from the clerk of the circuit court of the county. Any person vio-
lating the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction punished accordingly.

2. <Any acts or parts of acts imposing similar license require-
ments as to hunting bear, deer, or elk are hereby repealed, insofar
as they affect the counties of Bland and Giles.