Hunting license

A hunting license is a regulatory or legal mechanism to control recreational and sports hunting.

In the United States, Regulation of hunting is primarily performed by the state law; additional regulations are imposed through United States (Federal) environmental law regarding migratory birds (such as ducks and geese) and endangered species.

Like many licenses, a hunting license is considered a privilege granted by the government, rather than a constitutional right under the Second Amendment.

As a a general rule, unprotected pest species are not subject to a hunting license. Such so-called vermin may be hunted without a license, or may even be the subject of a bounty paid to the hunter. This is especially true for predatory carnivores such as coyotes and wolf. Also, practice or sport shooting with a clay target does not require a license.

Situation in the United States

State licenses

Each state has different standards and paperwork requirements for getting a hunting license. These includes the areas, time periods, harvesting techniques, distinctions between species, and a hunting safety course. Hunting big game typically requires a tag for each animal harvested. Tags must be purchased in addition to the hunting license, and the number of tags issued to an individual is typically limited. In cases where there are more prospective hunters than the quota for that species, tags are usually assigned by lottery. Tags may be further restricted to a specific area or wildlife management unit. These include Alaska , California , Florida, Georgia , Illinois , Louisiana , Ohio , Tennessee , Texas , and Virginia.

Some states require a prospective big game hunter take a several-hour course about safety, often termed sportsman education.

Such jurisdictions also may limit the privilege of getting a hunting license to adults, and to teenagers fourteen years of age or older.

Several United States and Canadian provinces have joined in an Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC) to control interstate hunting and to punish violators of differing laws.

Federal licenses

Federal law requires the purchase of a duck stamp in order to shoot migratory ducks. They are regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

United States law also mandates strict limits on the hunting ("taking") of endangered species. The U.S. is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Bush Administration proposed lifting some restrictions in 2005 (for antelopes), as did the Norwegian Government (for wolves) in the same year.

Exemptions

Both Federal and State exempt the following:

1. Pest species, as noted above.
2. Native Americans based on Indian treaties
3. Specific statutes, such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act and eagle feather laws (see below}
4. Alaskan Native laws
5. Active service menbers of the military often get free licences
6. Sports hunting for targets.

The Eagle Feather Law

The eagle feather law, (Title 50 Part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations), stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. Native Americans and non-Native Americans frequently contest the value and validity of the eagle feather law, charging that the law is laden with discriminatory racial preferences and infringes on tribal sovereignty. The law does not allow Native Americans to give eagle feathers to non-Native Americans, a common modern and traditional practice. Many non-Native Americans have been adopted into Native American families, made tribal members and given eagle feathers.

Externalsources

• New York Outdoorsman Central web site]
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation