Bill
SSB 1078
Defines group hunting and party hunting for deer; residents may use both under NRC rules, nonresidents only group hunting. Violations are a $35 simple misdemeanor.
Status and timeline
- Introduced: February 4, 2025
- Committees: Referred to Natural Resources and Environment; Subcommittee recommended passage (Feb 5, 2025)
- Committee action: Report approved February 24, 2025, renumbered as SF 422
What the bill would do
- Purpose: Clarify and expand permissible deer hunting practices among multiple hunters and establish penalties for violations.
- Core change: Introduces two distinct hunting practices—group hunting and party hunting—and sets rules for who may engage in each.
Key provisions
- Group hunting
- Definition: More than one hunter hunting deer on the same parcel of land, either cooperating or independently, using only the tag issued to the hunter who actually took the deer.
- Eligibility: Allowed for both resident and nonresident hunters.
- Party hunting
- Definition: More than one hunter sharing the total number of tags possessed by the hunters and allowing any hunter to use any tag on any deer taken by a member of the party.
- Exclusion: Does not include group hunting.
- Eligibility: Allowed for resident hunters subject to rules adopted by the Natural Resource Commission.
- Nonresident prohibition: Nonresident hunters shall not engage in party hunting.
- Current law context (as described in the bill): Under existing rules, party hunting is allowed for residents during the first and second regular gun seasons and the January antlerless deer season. The bill updates that framework by introducing the new structure and eligibility limitations.
Penalties
- Violations: A person who violates the bill commits a simple misdemeanor.
- Penalty amount: Punishable by a scheduled fine of $35.
Who is affected
- Deer hunters:
- Residents may participate in both group hunting and party hunting (subject to commission rules for party hunting).
- Nonresidents may participate in group hunting but are prohibited from party hunting.
- Regulatory body: Natural Resource Commission would adopt the rules governing party hunting.
Implementation and impact considerations
- The bill codifies definitions and processes for two hunting modalities, potentially increasing flexibility for hunters while restricting nonresidents from certain coordinated hunting practices.
- It assigns enforcement via a simple misdemeanor with a relatively modest fine, signaling an emphasis on compliance and education alongside penalties.
- The commission would play a central role in establishing the specific rules for party hunting among residents.
Note: The bill’s language clarifies changes to how group and party hunting would operate compared with current practice, including the status of nonresident participation and the new penalty framework.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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