Legislation that would require hunters to report certain animals they have killed in an online portal has passed in the Mississippi House of Representatives.
House Bill 816 was authored by Rep. Ken Morgan, R-Morgantown, and passed by an overwhelming 79-29 vote on Tuesday. According to the bill’s text, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks would be required to develop an electronic harvest reporting system — especially for white-tailed deer.
Wildlife officials would also have the authority to establish a tagging and reporting program for turkeys.
“The harvest reporting program required by this section must be a system that is simple and usable by all sportsmen so as to promote compliance and accurate reporting,” a portion of the bill reads. “The program may include, but need not be limited to, means such as a mobile smartphone application, online web-based reporting, or other electronic or digital methods that promote ease of use by sportsmen.”
Per lawmakers behind the bill, the purpose is to collect data for wildlife resource conservation policy formulation and to promote sustainable hunting practices in Mississippi.
To incentivize hunters to report white-tailed deer, those in violation of the policy for the first time would be fined between $100 and $500. Subsequent offenses would incur a $500 to $1,000 fine.
Mississippi’s Senate will have the chance to review the bill. If it’s passed in that chamber unaltered, it will head to Governor Tate Reeves’ desk to be signed. If enacted, the new law would go into effect on July 1 of this year.
