West Virginia § 20-2-12 Transportation of wildlife out of state; penalties

West Virginia Statutes

§ 20-2-12 — Transportation of wildlife out of state; penalties

West Virginia § 20-2-12

Ch. 20NATURAL RESOURCES

Art. 2WILDLIFE RESOURCES

This text of West Virginia § 20-2-12 (Transportation of wildlife out of state; penalties) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 20-2-12 (2026).

Text

(a)A person may not transport or have in his or her possession with the intention of transporting beyond the limits of the state any species of wildlife or any part thereof killed, taken, captured or caught within this state, except as provided in this section.

(1)A person legally entitled to hunt and fish in this state may take with him or her personally, when leaving the state, any wildlife that he or she has lawfully taken or killed, not exceeding, during the open season, the number that any person may lawfully possess.

(2)Licensed resident hunters and trappers and resident and nonresident fur dealers may transport beyond the limits of the state pelts of game and fur-bearing animals, fur-bearer parts, including carcasses for the making of lures and baits, carcass parts, including g

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(a) A person may not transport or have in his or her possession with the intention of transporting beyond the limits of the state any species of wildlife or any part thereof killed, taken, captured or caught within this state, except as provided in this section.

(1) A person legally entitled to hunt and fish in this state may take with him or her personally, when leaving the state, any wildlife that he or she has lawfully taken or killed, not exceeding, during the open season, the number that any person may lawfully possess.

(2) Licensed resident hunters and trappers and resident and nonresident fur dealers may transport beyond the limits of the state pelts of game and fur-bearing animals, fur-bearer parts, including carcasses for the making of lures and baits, carcass parts, including glands, skulls, claws, and bones, and fur-bearer urine taken during the legal season.

(3) A person may transport the hide, head, antlers and feet of a legally killed deer and the hide, head, skull, organs and feet of a legally killed black bear beyond the limits of the state.

(4) A person legally entitled to possess an animal according to §20-2-4 of this code may transport that animal, including the parts or urine of that animal, beyond the limits of the state.

(b) The director may promulgate rules in accordance with §29A-3-1 et seq. of this code dealing with the transportation and tagging of wildlife, parts, urine and skins.

(c) A person who violates this section by transporting or possessing with the intention of transporting beyond the limits of this state deer or wild boar shall be considered to have committed a separate offense for each animal so transported or possessed. This section does not apply to captive cervids regulated pursuant to §19-2H-1 et seq. of this code.

(d) A person violating this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $20 nor more than $300 or be confined in jail not less than 10 nor more than 60 days, or both.

(e) This section does not apply to persons legally entitled to propagate and sell wild animals, wild birds, fish, amphibians and other forms of aquatic life beyond the limits of the state.

Legislative History

2019 Reg. Sess., HB2521; 2015 Reg. Sess., SB237; 2014 Reg. Sess., HB4286; 2012 Reg. Sess., SB421; 2011 Reg. Sess., SB351; 2007 Reg. Sess., HB2840; 2006 Reg. Sess., SB496; 2004 Reg. Sess., HB3106; 1985 Reg. Sess., SB606; 1976 Reg. Sess., SB531; 1961 Reg. Sess., SB23