(a.1) (1)The board may by rule or regulation restrict the feeding, baiting, or hunting of feral hogs upon, over, around, or near feed or bait in any county wherein there is a documented occurrence of a communicable disease in deer and in any county adjoining such county. Such restriction may be imposed in such county and any adjoining county for a period of up to and including one year and may be extended for additional periods of up to and including two years each upon documentation that the communicable disease is still present in deer in such county. No person shall feed, bait, or hunt feral hogs in violation of any restriction imposed pursuant to this paragraph.
The department shall give notice of such restriction by mail or electronic means to each person holding a current license to hunt whose last known address is within a restricted county. The department may place or designate the placement of signs and markers so as to give notice of such restriction.
(a.2)Nothing in this Code section shall prohibit any person from placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering any corn, wheat, or other grains, salts, apples, or other feed or bait so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement for feral hogs; provided, however, that any such lure, attraction, or enticement shall not be placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered so as to cause hunting any species of wildlife on any adjoining property to be prohibited under this Code section.
(Code 1981, §27-3-24, enacted by Ga. L. 1984, p. 568, § 3; Ga. L. 2009, p. 48, § 2/SB 111; Ga. L. 2011, p. 249, § 2/HB 277; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1352, § 8/HB 475; Ga. L. 2019, p. 808, § 6/SB 72.)
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, rewrote subsection (a.2), which read: "It shall be unlawful for any person to place, expose, deposit, distribute, or scatter any corn, wheat, or other grains, salts, apples, or other feed or bait so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement for feral hogs within 50 yards of any property ownership boundary."
Code Commission notes.- Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1986, "subsection" was substituted for "Code section" in paragraph (a)(2).
Editor's notes.- Ga. L. 2015, p. 1352, § 1/HB 475, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Feral Hog Control Act.'"
Ga. L. 2015, p. 1352, § 2/HB 475, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "The General Assembly finds that feral hogs are an invasive species in Georgia and are detrimental to the natural resources and agricultural production of the state. Feral hogs cause significant damage to crops and wildlife habitat. In addition, as carriers of communicable diseases, feral hogs pose a health risk to humans, livestock, companion animals, pets, and native wildlife."
Law reviews.- For article on the 2011 amendment of this Code section, see 28 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 181 (2011). For article, "Game and Fish: Wildlife Generally," see 28 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 181 (2011).