West Virginia Code 20-2-62 – Persons exempt from obtaining hunting and fishing licenses; qualification
Any person who has been a prisoner of war, was honorably discharged from the military forces and is a resident of this state may take, or catch by angling, fish of the kind lawfully permitted to be taken or caught and may hunt or trap wild birds or wild quadrupeds lawfully permitted to be hunted or trapped without procuring a fishing license, hunting license or trapping permit. The person, while taking or catching fish or hunting or trapping wild birds or wild quadrupeds for which he would otherwise be required to have a fishing license, hunting license or trapping permit, shall carry written evidence in the form of a record of separation, a letter from one of the military forces of the United States, or such other evidence as the director of the department of natural resources requires by rule that satisfies the eligibility criteria established by this section.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 20-2-62
- Director: means the Director of the Division of Natural Resources. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Hunt: means to pursue, chase, catch or take any wild birds or wild animals. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Person: except as otherwise defined elsewhere in this chapter, means the plural "persons" and shall include individuals, partnerships, corporations or other legal entities. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Resident: means any person who is a citizen of the United States and who has been a domiciled resident of the State of West Virginia for a period of thirty consecutive days or more immediately prior to the date of his or her application for license or permit. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Take: means to hunt, shoot, pursue, lure, kill, destroy, catch, capture, keep in captivity, gig, spear, trap, ensnare, wound or injure any wildlife, or attempt to do so. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
- Wild birds: shall include all birds other than: (a) Domestic poultry &mdash. See West Virginia Code 20-1-2
For purposes of this section, the term "prisoner of war" means any member of the Armed Forces of the United States, including the United States coast guard and National Guard, who was held by any hostile force with which the United States was actually engaged in armed conflict during any period of the incarceration; or any person, military or civilian, assigned to duty on the U.S.S. Pueblo who was captured by the military forces of North Korea on the January 23, 1968, and thereafter held prisoner. Notwithstanding any provision in this section, a prisoner of war shall not include any person who, at any time, voluntarily, knowingly and without duress, gave aid to or collaborated with or in any manner served any such hostile force.