H. B. 4378
(By Delegates Fletcher, Williams, Stemple,
Yeager, Willison, Michael and Trump)
[Introduced February 3, 2000; referred to the
Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then
Finance.]
A BILL to amend article two, chapter twenty of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated section five-e,
relating to directing the director of the division of natural
resources to open the traditional firearms deer season on the
Saturday before Thanksgiving Day for West Virginia residents
only to hunt antlered deer.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter twenty of the code of West Virginia,
one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by
adding thereto a new section, designated section five-e, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 2. WILDLIFE RESOURCES.
§20-2-5e. Special opening day for firearms deer season.
The Legislature finds and declares that a large percentage of
its residents work Monday through Friday, and that the state's
public school system is normally open and operating on those same
days. Therefore, to afford students and workers across the state
an opportunity to deer hunt without missing a day of school or
work, the director shall extend the traditional firearms deer
season by opening the season on the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving
Day for antlered deer hunting only. This additional deer hunting
day is open to West Virginia residents only.
The director shall propose rules for legislative approval in
accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions of this
section.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to direct the Director of
the Division of Natural Resources to open the traditional firearms
deer season on the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day for West
Virginia residents only to hunt antlered deer.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.