Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 250 - Department of Environmental Management › Chapter 60 - Fish and Wildlife › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 9 - R.I. Hunting and Trapping Regulations for the 2023 - 2024 and 2024 - 2025 Seasons › Section 250-RICR-60-00-9.6 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. For the purposes of these Regulations, the
				  following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Antlerless deer" means deer having no
				  antlers or antlers less than three inches (3") in length.
2. "Archery equipment" means long bow,
				  re-curve bow, compound bow or crossbow.
3. "Archery proficiency testing" means
				  demonstration of skill with archery equipment as prescribed by the Division of
				  Fish and Wildlife. Valid for two (2) years.
4. "Artificially propagated game bird" means
				  any species of grouse, partridge, pheasant, quail, or chukar which is hunted
				  for food or sport and has been bred, produced, caused to multiply, or reared in
				  captivity.
5. "Bearded turkey"
				  means a wild turkey that carries a visible beard, i.e., a tuft of stiff
				  filament-like feathers projecting outward and downward from the center of the
				  chest.
6. "Blank Gun" means any
				  firearm designed to discharge only blank cartridges and is incapable of
				  propelling any type of projectile.
7. "Body-gripping trap" means a device that
				  is designed to capture and kill an animal when two (2) rotating jaws close on
				  either side of the animal's neck or chest.
8. "Box trap" means any trigger operated
				  device intended to restrain an animal by confinement in box or cage.
9. "Carcass" means the dead body of an
				  animal, or parts thereof, to include meat and internal organs, but not to
				  include hide, bone or other inedible portions.
10. "Conibear-type trap" means "conibear" model traps and similar
				  body-gripping traps and devices.
11. "Crossbow" means a bow and string that
				  launches an arrow, mounted upon a stock, with a trigger unit that holds the
				  string and limbs under tension until released.
12. "Daily bag limit" means the maximum
				  number of game of a single species or combination (aggregate) of species
				  permitted to be taken by one (1) person in any one (1) day during the open
				  season.
13. "Daylight fluorescent
				  orange" means the color orange having a dominant wavelength between five
				  hundred ninety-five (595) and six hundred six (606) nanometers, an excitation
				  purity not less than eighty-five percent (85%), and a lamination factor not
				  less than forty percent (40%).
14.
				  "Deer" means Virginia white-tailed deer (
Odocoileus
				  virginianus
) and any other free ranging deer encountered in the
				  natural environment.
15. "Deer
				  decoy" means a device that replicates the body and form of a deer and may be
				  used for the purpose of attracting deer during hunting.
16. "Deer hunting activity" means any
				  activity in which a hunter is actively pursuing deer while carrying a firearm
				  or archery device on the hunter's person. Tracking a wounded or un-recovered
				  deer with a dog pursuant to Section
				  9.7 herein is not considered
				  deer hunting activity.
17. "Driving
				  deer" or "cooperative drive" means to pursue, drive, chase, or otherwise
				  frighten or cause a deer to move in a direction toward a person or persons
				  known to be waiting for deer.
18.
				  "Feeding" or "Baiting" means the act of using, placing, giving, exposing,
				  depositing, distributing, or scattering any material, or any act to maintain
				  the availability of such material, that attracts wildlife to feed on such
				  material.
19. "Field possession
				  limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species or combination of
				  species permitted to be possessed by one (1) person while in the field, in
				  one's vehicle, boat, trailer or other means of transportation when traveling
				  between the field and one's personal abode. This shall be equal to the daily
				  bag or season limit where no daily bag limit is indicated.
20. "Firearm" means any machine gun, rifle,
				  shotgun, pistol, air rifle, air pistol, and "blank gun", "BB gun" or other
				  instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, or which may
				  readily be converted to expel a projectile
21. "Foothold" means a trap equivalent to a
				  leg-hold trap, as described in R.I. Gen. Laws §
											20-16-8, including those foothold
				  traps with padded or offset jaws.
22. "Junior hunter" means any person twelve
				  (12) to fourteen (14) years of age who possesses a hunter safety education
				  certificate. Junior hunters may only hunt in the immediate company of an adult,
				  twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who possesses a current Rhode Island
				  hunting license.
23. "Paraplegic"
				  means an individual afflicted with paralysis of the lower half of the body with
				  involvement of both legs.
24.
				  "Personal abode" means one's principal or ordinary home or dwelling place, as
				  distinguished from one's temporary or transient place of abode or dwelling such
				  as a hunting club, or any club house, cabin, tent or trailer house used as a
				  hunting club, or any hotel, motel or rooming house used during a hunting,
				  pleasure or business trip.
25.
				  "Possess" or "Possession" means to exercise dominion or control over any wild
				  animal commencing at the time at which a decision is made not to return the
				  wild animal to the immediate vicinity from which it was taken and lasting up
				  until its ultimate disposition. The decision to possess or return the animal
				  must be made at the first practical opportunity.
26. "Possession limit" means the maximum
				  number of game of a single species or combination of species permitted to be
				  possessed by one (1) person at one (1) time.
27. "Proficiency testing" means the
				  measurable demonstration of skills with bows and arrows or use of firearms
				  using a set of standards as determined by the hunter education
				  program.
28. "Public reservations"
				  means any property under the care, control or custody of the Department of
				  Environmental Management.
29.
				  "Season bag limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species
				  permitted to be taken by one (1) person over the duration of the open
				  season.
30. "Species specific
				  traps" means traps characterized by all of the following: triggering and
				  restraining mechanisms are enclosed within housing; triggering and restraining
				  mechanisms are only accessible through a single opening when set; the access
				  opening does not exceed two inches (2") in diameter; the triggering mechanism
				  can only be activated by a pulling force; has a swivel mounted anchoring
				  system.
31. "Tidal waters" means
				  waters of the State extending from mean high water to the seaward limit of
				  three (3) miles.
32.
				  "Translocation" means the transport and release of live wild animals from one
				  (1) location to another.
33.
				  "Written permission" means annual written permission of the owner of the land
				  for access during any current season.