§ 26-16 — Public hunting and fishing lands and waters.

The commissioner is authorized to acquire for the use of the state, by gift, lease, purchase or agreement, fishing, hunting, trapping or shooting rights or privileges on any land or water in this state, with necessary rights of ingress thereto and egress therefrom, or, with the approval of the Governor, to purchase land or water for the purposes of such rights or privileges. The commissioner may, by regulation, open or close any of such land or waters for the purpose of regulating hunting, shooting, trapping, fishing, dog training, field dog trials or other public use. The commissioner may, by regulation, govern and prescribe the maximum number of persons or boats that may use such land or waters and may require that a permit be obtained from the commissioner or his agent to enter upon such land or waters for the purposes described in this section, and said commissioner may further require that such permit be returned to him or his agent with an accurate report of all fish or wildlife taken under such permit. The commissioner may, by regulation, govern and prescribe the use of such lands and waters, the open and closed seasons, the method of taking, the legal length and the daily creel or bag limits for all species of fish and wildlife thereon. He may furnish or supply at a reasonable fee, on such lands or waters, boats or other facilities for use by fishermen or hunters. Portions of such lands and waters may be posted by the commissioner as a closed area and, when they are so posted, no person shall enter thereon for the purpose of hunting, shooting, trapping, fishing, dog training, field dog trials or other public use, and no person shall allow any dog in his charge to enter upon such land or water. No person over the age of sixteen years shall fish, hunt or trap on such land or water without a license; provided the owner in fee of any land or water who conveys to the state fishing, hunting, trapping or shooting rights by gift, lease or agreement, or the wife or husband of such owner, or his lineal descendants, may sport fish, hunt or trap on such land or water during the prescribed open seasons without a license. The owner of any such land or waters shall not be liable for any injury to any person who may be thereon for the purpose of hunting, fishing or trapping. Any person who violates any regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall have committed an infraction and may pay the fine by mail or plead not guilty under the provisions of section 51-164n.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 4855; 1949, 1953, S. 2449d; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 219; P.A. 82-255, S. 2.) History: 1971 act replaced references to board of fisheries and game with references to commissioner and department of environmental protection; P.A. 82-255 deleted prior provisions re fine and revocation of permit and re power of environmental protection departments officers to make arrests and serve process, inserting new provisions establishing violations as infractions. History of section. 148 C. 618. Clear intent board could acquire, by purchase, whatever land or water was needed for hunting and fishing purposes and ingress and egress. Id., 619. Construction of statute to restrict power to acquisition of access to nonnavigable inland lakes, ponds, streams and hunting grounds, as distinguished from access to navigable streams and rivers and the coast line, would thwart obvious purpose. Id., 620. Parking of automobiles held incidental to use of property as access. Id., 621. No formality prescribed for approval by Governor. Id., 623.