(A) In order to document the harvest of wild turkeys and to assist with the enforcement of seasons, methods of harvest, and bag limits, the department must implement an electronic harvest reporting system.
(B) A person who harvests a wild turkey must report the harvest to the electronic harvest reporting system as prescribed by the department. A harvest report must be submitted by midnight of the day a wild turkey is taken unless a person is incapable of accessing the reporting system, in which case a report must be submitted prior to the carcass leaving the person's possession.
(C) Upon completion of the harvest reporting process, a harvest report confirmation number will be provided by the department, which must be recorded by the person submitting the harvest report.
(D) The department must promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this section, including the methods of telephonic and electronic reporting, contents of the report, and recording and maintenance of the harvest report confirmation number.
(E) The department is prohibited from requesting or acquiring the geolocation data of a person submitting a harvest report through electronic means and from requesting a person to self-report location information to the harvest reporting system more specific than the county in which a turkey is harvested.
(F) There is no cost to a person for reporting a harvest, and the department may exempt the harvest reporting requirement for persons who harvest wild turkeys under specific conditions or department programs.
(G) A person who violates this section or provisions established by the department for electronic harvest reporting is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than twenty-five dollars.
HISTORY: 2019 Act No. 51 (S.575), Section 6, eff July 1, 2020.