Bill > SB115

This bill removes the prohibition on shooting mourning doves within specific areas, allowing for their hunting on highways or other public rights-of-way under certain conditions, including when they are located within the boundaries of the right-of-way or in flight over private land if they originated from or were flying over the right-of-way. The bill amends an existing law, § 41-9-1.1, which currently exempts fishing, trapping, or hunting on highways and public rights-of-way from certain restrictions, but specifically excluded mourning doves from being taken. The changes involve deleting the phrase ", except mourning dove," from the descriptions of hunting small game, thereby permitting the shooting of mourning doves in these specified situations. Importantly, the bill retains existing safety zones, meaning firearms cannot be discharged within 660 feet of an occupied dwelling, church, or schoolhouse, or livestock, unless authorized by the owner or with written permission, and violations remain a Class 2 misdemeanor with potential hunting privilege revocation.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/26431