H.B. 559 Summary

• Expands Sunday hunting of wild animals and upland game birds with firearms on private landowner property and public state-managed hunting lands, subject to Wildlife Resources Commission rules.

• Removes the prohibition on Sunday hunting of migratory birds, allowing the Wildlife Resources Commission to authorize such hunting through proclamation or rules after March 1, 2018, subject to specified restrictions.

• Maintains restrictions on all Sunday hunting including prohibition between 9:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M., within 500 yards of places of religious worship, and prohibits using firearms to hunt deer chased by dogs on Sunday.

• Requires counties seeking to prohibit Sunday hunting to obtain approval through a county-wide referendum before such ordinances become effective, with several conditions including county-wide applicability.

• Wildlife Resources Commission must complete a study examining biological, resource management, economic, and social impacts of Sunday migratory bird hunting and submit findings by March 1, 2018.