HB 938

Present law generally prohibits the use of bait for hunting wildlife. This bill creates two exceptions to the general prohibition against hunting with bait. First, this bill authorizes a person to hunt, chase, trap, kill, or take wildlife using properly shocked corn or stand ing crops of corn, wheat, or other grain or feed and grains scattered solely as a result of normal agricultural harvesting; and Second, this bill exempts from the general prohibition a person hunting whitetail deer or wild-appearing swine with the aid of bait on privately owned or leased lands if the person has purchased and is in possession of a valid bait privilege license issued by the TWRA. This bill authorizes TWRA to suspend the use of a baiting privilege and adopt rules to manage the feeding of w i ldlife populations on a county, regional, or statewide basis to prevent the spread of diseases among wildlife by announcing the suspension in a news release. ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 869, AS AMENDED. AME NDMENT #1 removes wild hogs from this bill so that the bait privilege license may only be used when hunting whitetail deer. This amendment specifies that a ll hunters in a hunting party who hunt over bait are required to purchase and have in their possessi on a deer bait privilege license. This amendment sets the initial fee for a deer bait privilege license at $50.00 for a resident and $100 for a non-resident. Th is amendment authorizes the fish and wildlife commission to adjusted the deer bait privileg e license fee and requires the commission to promulgate rules to implement this bill by August 1, 2026. This amendment removes this bill's authorization for person s to hunt, chase, trap, kill, or take wildlife using properly shocked corn or standing cr ops of corn, wheat, or other grain or feed and grains scattered solely as a result of normal agricultural harvesting. Present law specifies that three conditions must exist in order for the executive director of the TWRA to use otherwise prohibited means for the taking of animals to control rabies. One of the three conditions is that a n official quarantine by the county board of health has been established on all dogs, cats, and pets in the county . This amendment defines "pets"" to mean domesticated anim als normally maintained in or near the household of its owner ."