1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; regulating the harvesting of farmed cervidae on 
1.3 	licensed shooting preserves; requiring rulemaking;amending Minnesota Statutes 
1.4 	2006, section 17.452, subdivisions 4, 5, 8; proposing coding for new law in 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 17.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 17.452, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
1.8 		Subd. 4.Farmed cervidae are livestock. Farmed cervidae are livestock and are 
1.9 	not wild animals for purposes of game farm, hunting, or wildlife laws. Farmed cervidae 
1.10 	and their products are farm products and livestock for purposes of financial transactions 
1.11 	and collateral.

1.12 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 17.452, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
1.13 		Subd. 5.Raising farmed cervidae is an agricultural pursuit. Raising farmed 
1.14 	cervidae is agricultural production and an agricultural pursuit, which may include the sale 
1.15 	of farmed cervidae to a person for personal consumption. Personal consumption includes 
1.16 	the taking of farmed cervidae by firearms or archery on a licensed shooting preserve.

1.17 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 17.452, subdivision 8, is amended to read:
1.18 		Subd. 8.Slaughter. Farmed cervidae that are to be sold for meat purposes or sold to 
1.19 	be harvested by firearms or archery must be slaughtered and inspected in accordance with 
1.20 	chapters 31 and 31A or the United States Department of Agriculture voluntary program 
1.21 	for exotic animals, Code of Federal Regulations, title 9, part 352.

1.22 	Sec. 4. [17.4521] CERVIDAE SHOOTING PRESERVES.
2.1 		Subdivision 1.Fees for shooting preserves. (a) The fee for a cervidae shooting 
2.2 	preserve license is $5,000 for the original application and $2,500 for the annual license.
2.3 	(b) Shooting preserve licenses issued under this subdivision expire on the last day 
2.4 	of March. The annual renewal fee for a license is $2,500.
2.5 		Subd. 2.Shooting preserve application. The commissioner of natural resources 
2.6 	may license up to ten cervidae shooting preserves in the state. An application for a 
2.7 	cervidae shooting preserve license must be filed with the commissioner. The application 
2.8 	must include a legal description of the shooting preserve land, the number of acres, the 
2.9 	species to be harvested, and other necessary information prescribed by the commissioner.
2.10 		Subd. 3.Licenses. A person may not operate a cervidae shooting preserve without a 
2.11 	license. The commissioner of natural resources may issue a license to operate a cervidae 
2.12 	shooting preserve if the commissioner determines that it is in the public interest and that 
2.13 	there will not be an adverse effect on wild cervidae populations. Shooting preserves may 
2.14 	be located in all parts of the state as determined by the commissioner. The commissioner 
2.15 	or the commissioner's designee must perform a site inspection before a license may be 
2.16 	issued. The commissioner shall either grant or deny the request for a shooting preserve 
2.17 	license within 60 days of the date the initial completed application was received or within 
2.18 	30 days of a request for license renewal.
2.19 		Subd. 4.Financial responsibility. (a) No license may be issued, maintained, or 
2.20 	renewed unless the applicant demonstrates proof of financial responsibility according to 
2.21 	this subdivision. The minimum requirement for proof of financial responsibility may 
2.22 	be given by filing:
2.23 	(1) a certificate that there is in effect for the license period a policy of liability 
2.24 	insurance that is issued by an insurance company authorized to conduct business in this 
2.25 	state and that provides at least $100,000 of coverage for bodily injury and $10,000 of 
2.26 	coverage for injury to or destruction of property of others;
2.27 	(2) a surety bond issued by a surety company authorized to conduct business in this 
2.28 	state with minimum coverages as provided in clause (1); or
2.29 	(3) a certificate of the commissioner of finance that the applicant has deposited with 
2.30 	the commissioner of finance $100,000 in cash or securities.
2.31 	(b) The commissioner of natural resources shall immediately suspend the license of 
2.32 	a licensee who fails to maintain the required insurance or bond.
2.33 		Subd. 5.Game available. Game that may be released and harvested in a licensed 
2.34 	cervidae shooting preserve must be specified in the license and are limited to species 
2.35 	raised as farmed cervidae under section 17.452. Only farmed cervidae from herds in the 
3.1 	accredited program of the Board of Animal Health may be transported to and released 
3.2 	in a licensed cervidae shooting preserve.
3.3 		Subd. 6.Location; size of preserve. A shooting preserve must be separated from 
3.4 	any farmed cervidae breeding pens or pastures by a minimum distance established by the 
3.5 	commissioner of natural resources. A shooting preserve must contain not less than two 
3.6 	nor more than two contiguous acres, including any water area.
3.7 		Subd. 7.Posting of boundaries. The boundaries of a shooting preserve must be 
3.8 	clearly posted in a manner prescribed by the commissioner of natural resources. The 
3.9 	operator must post signs around the entire perimeter of the preserve at intervals not 
3.10 	to exceed 500 feet.
3.11 		Subd. 8.Removal of wild cervidae. All wild cervidae must be removed from the 
3.12 	shooting preserve property at the owner's expense prior to final issuance of the shooting 
3.13 	preserve license.
3.14 		Subd. 9.Revocation of license. The commissioner of natural resources may revoke 
3.15 	a shooting preserve license if the licensee or persons authorized to hunt in the shooting 
3.16 	preserve have been convicted of a violation under this section. After revocation, a new 
3.17 	license may be issued at the discretion of the commissioner.
3.18 		Subd. 10.Hunting license not required. A hunting license is not required to hunt 
3.19 	authorized species of cervidae on a licensed shooting preserve.
3.20 		Subd. 11.Season. (a) The open season for harvesting in a shooting preserve is 
3.21 	September 1 through December 31.
3.22 	(b) The commissioner of natural resources may restrict the open season after 
3.23 	receiving a complaint, holding a public hearing, and finding that the population of a 
3.24 	particular species of wild cervidae is harmed by harvesting in the shooting preserve.
3.25 		Subd. 12.Weapons limitations. A person may take farmed cervidae on a shooting 
3.26 	preserve by archery or firearms and only in a manner permitted under the state's game 
3.27 	and fish laws.
3.28 		Subd. 13.Licensee may establish restrictions. A shooting preserve licensee is 
3.29 	responsible for determining who is allowed to harvest in the preserve. In each preserve, the 
3.30 	licensee may establish the charge for taking cervidae, the shooting hours, and restrictions 
3.31 	on the age, sex, and number of each species that may be taken by the hunter. These 
3.32 	provisions may not conflict with this section and may not be less restrictive than any rule.
3.33 		Subd. 14.Marking harvested cervidae. Harvested cervidae must be marked or 
3.34 	identified by the shooting preserve operator in a manner prescribed by the commissioner 
3.35 	of natural resources. The commissioner may issue the tags or other markings at a cost 
4.1 	not to exceed $25 each. The marking must remain attached on the cervidae while the 
4.2 	cervidae is transported.
4.3 		Subd. 15.Animal processing. Animals harvested by firearms or archery at a 
4.4 	shooting preserve must be processed for human consumption according to section 17.452, 
4.5 	subdivision 8. If the individual does not want to take possession of the harvested meat, 
4.6 	then the processed meat shall be donated to the Second Harvest Heartland food program.
4.7 		Subd. 16.Record keeping. A shooting preserve must maintain a registration book 
4.8 	listing the names, addresses, and hunting license numbers, if applicable, of all patrons of 
4.9 	the shooting preserve, the date when they harvested, the amount and species of cervidae 
4.10 	taken, and the tag numbers or other markings affixed to each animal. A shooting preserve 
4.11 	must keep records of the number of each species raised and purchased and the date and 
4.12 	number of each species released. An annual report shall be made to the commissioner of 
4.13 	natural resources by the date herd registration is required. The records must be open to 
4.14 	inspection by the commissioner at all reasonable times.
4.15 		Subd. 17.Rulemaking. The commissioner of natural resources shall adopt rules to 
4.16 	implement this section, including:
4.17 	(1) rules related to fencing and enclosures for shooting preserves; and
4.18 	(2) rules to identify cervidae in shooting preserves by permanent tattoo, electronic 
4.19 	implant, or other means.