§ 20-14-7 — § 20-14-7. Prohibited methods of taking.

§ 20-14-7. Prohibited methods of taking.

(a) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take, upland or migratory game birds over any area that has been baited. For the purposes of this section a "baited area� is that on which salt, corn, wheat, or other grains have been scattered to lure, attract, or entice those birds to, on, or over, where hunters are attempting to take them and shall not be construed to include areas where corn, wheat, or other grains are scattered as the result of normal agricultural operations.

(b) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take migratory game birds by the use or aid of live birds as decoys.

(c) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take wild birds by the use of an electronically amplified recording of bird calls or sounds. However, this provision does not apply to crows.

(d) No person shall take, kill, or destroy any wild bird by means of any trap, snare, net, spring, crossbow, rifle, pistol, fishhook, poison, drug, explosive, or stupefying substance, nor shall any person construct, set, maintain, or repair any of these devices for the purpose of taking, killing, or destroying wild birds, except that a crossbow may be used to harvest wild turkeys in accordance with regulations established by the department of environmental management.

(e) No person shall shoot, or attempt to shoot, migratory game birds by means other than a shotgun of size ten (10) gauge or smaller, capable of holding three (3) or fewer shells, or a long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, crossbow, and compound bow) and arrow.

Legislative History

P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 1987, ch. 612, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 18; P.L. 2024, ch. 454, § 1, effective June 29, 2024; P.L. 2024, ch. 455, § 1, effective June 29, 2024.