A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the retrieval of killed or wounded deer using a single dog on a leash.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 113‑291.1 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(k)	If a hunter kills or wounds a deer during the hunting hours authorized by subsection (a) of this section, the hunter may use a handheld light and a single dog on a leash to assist the hunter in retrieving the dead or wounded deer, and may dispatch a wounded deer using only a .22‑caliber rimfire pistol or a weapon otherwise legal for that hunting season. Pursuit and retrieval under this subsection may occur after the hunting hours provided for in subsection (a) of this section if necessary, but such pursuit and retrieval may not be accomplished using a motor vehicle.
For purposes of this section, the term "dispatch" means the quick and humane killing of a wounded animal to prevent further suffering through infection, starvation, or other distress in the wild."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2011.