Bill
HB 4748
HB 4748 bans interference with lawful hunting/fishing, creates criminal and civil remedies (including injunctive relief), targets drones/harassment, and revokes licenses.
Status and timeline
- Introduced: March 13, 2025 (Rep. Pat Outman).
- Passed both chambers and signed by the Governor: June 20, 2025.
- Effective date: September 1, 2025.
- Statutory location: Amends section 40112 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (1994 PA 451; MCL 324.40112).
Purpose
- To prohibit and create criminal and civil remedies for conduct that obstructs, interferes with, or intentionally impairs another person’s lawful taking of wild animals or fish. The text expands and clarifies types of prohibited conduct, including use of unmanned devices (e.g., drones, unmanned surface/submersible craft) and recording intended to harass.
Key provisions and prohibited conduct
- Makes it unlawful to intentionally or knowingly do any of the following to disrupt lawful taking:
- Drive or otherwise disturb animals/fish to disrupt a lawful taking.
- Block, impede, or harass someone lawfully hunting or fishing.
- Use natural or artificial stimuli (visual, aural, olfactory, gustatory, physical) or an unmanned vehicle/device that flies or operates on/under water to alter animal/fish behavior to hinder lawful taking.
- Erect barriers that deny ingress/egress to areas where lawful taking may occur (except barriers erected by an owner to prevent trespass on their property).
- Place oneself in another’s line of fire while they are lawfully taking wildlife.
- Tamper with or affect condition/placement of personal or public property intended for lawful taking to impair its usefulness.
- Enter or remain on private land without permission for the purpose of violating this section.
- Photograph, videotape, audiotape, or otherwise record a person lawfully taking animals/fish with the intent to harass them.
- Any other act intended to accomplish the same purpose.
Civil remedy
- A person aggrieved (or reasonably likely to be aggrieved) may petition a court for an injunction to stop ongoing or threatened illegal conduct under this section.
Penalties and licensing consequences
- First violation: misdemeanor — up to 93 days imprisonment, fine $500–$1,000, and costs of prosecution.
- Second or subsequent violation: misdemeanor — up to 1 year imprisonment, fine $1,000–$2,500, and costs.
- In addition to criminal penalties, any department permit or license authorizing the individual to take animals or fish must be revoked.
- Prosecution under this section does not preclude other criminal or civil actions.
Scope and exemptions
- The statute applies to individuals engaging in the listed conduct; it does not apply to peace officers performing lawful duties.
- Recording is prohibited only when done “with the intent to harass” — ordinary lawful recording without harassment intent is not expressly prohibited.
Who is affected
- Hunters and anglers (as potential victims of interference).
- Individuals who approach, film, use drones, or otherwise interact with persons engaged in lawful hunting/fishing — particularly protestors or drone operators acting with intent to disrupt or harass.
- Landowners and property users (barrier and trespass provisions).
- Department licensing (possible revocation) and courts (injunctive authority).
Practical impact
- Expands enforceable protections for people lawfully taking wildlife, explicitly addressing modern technologies (drones/unmanned devices) and harassment via recording.
- Provides both criminal penalties and a civil injunction remedy, plus license revocation, to deter interference.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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