Section 207:12-a Dog Training; Fee.
I. Any person who is licensed to hunt within the state may be issued a training permit for the training of bird dogs and trail or tree hounds during the closed season on any wildlife, except deer, moose, caribou, elk, lynx, cougar, bobcat, and turkey, upon application and the payment of a fee of $5. The executive director shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the period for the training of bear dogs. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph, field trials shall be permitted pursuant to RSA 207:13.
II. Permits issued pursuant to this section shall contain information pertaining to the breed of dogs to be trained, the township and location where training is to take place, the days of the week, and times in which training will take place. Members of a bona fide dog club who maintain and stock a specific area of club grounds for the training of dogs or conducting of field trials, and whose right to use said land for this purpose is derived through ownership, lease or club-land owner agreement, shall not be required to have a permit under this section but shall be required to meet the requirements for a breeder's license as provided in RSA 212:25.
III. Dogs being trained pursuant to this section shall be accompanied by the permittee. ""Accompanied'' for the purpose of this section shall mean that the permittee must be able to see or hear the dog, or both, or have reasonable knowledge of where the dog is hunting. Nothing in this section shall require that the dog be within sight at all times.
IV. Anyone violating a provision of this section shall be subject to the penalty provided for in RSA 207:46 and shall, in addition, have his license to hunt suspended for a period of one year; and the license to train dogs under the permit provided for in this section shall be suspended for a period of 3 years.
V. Any protected species accidentally killed during dog training under this section shall be turned over to the fish and game department intact within 48 hours of the time of taking.
VI. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the executive director of fish and game shall have the authority to issue special permits for the use of bear dogs to control agricultural and property damage.
Source. 1973, 410:1. 1975, 113:1. 1977, 94:1; 113:3. 1981, 498:8. 1985, 247:1. 1993, 234:1, 2. 1995, 59:2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996. 1996, 126:1, eff. Jan. 1, 1997.