1900 Md. Laws 271-73

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That all existing laws for Somerset County, relating to wild fowl and game, birds and animals, be and the same are hereby repealed, and the following enacted in lieu thereof: Sec. 2. And be it enacted. That no person shall hunt for, shoot, catch or kill, in any manner, or have in possession, dead or alive, any partridge or quail, in said county, between the twentieth day of January and the twentieth day of November, or any woodcock, between the first day of January and the fifteenth day of June, or any dove, between the first day of January and the fifteenth day of August, or any wild duck, between the first day of April and the first day of October, or any wood or summer duck, between the first day of January and the first day of September, or any wild goose, between the first day of April and the first day of November, or any rabbit, between the first day of January and the tenth day of November, or any squirrel, between the first day of December and the first day of September, or any muskrat, between the fifteenth day of March and the fifteenth day of December, in each and every year; or any pheasant, within three years after the passage of this Act, under penalty of five dollars; for hunting with dog or gun any of the aforesaid game, birds or animals, within the foregoing prohibited periods, and under a penalty of the same amount for each of the aforesaid game, birds or animals, so shot, caught, killed or had in possession, within the above prohibited periods; provided, that it shall be lawful to bring into the said county any live game, birds or animals, and have the same in possession at any time for purposes of propagation. Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That no person shall at any time wilfully destroy, in said county, the eggs or nests of any of the game, birds or animals, mentioned in the foregoing section, under a penalty of five dollars for each, on every violation of this section. Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That no person shall trap, net or ensnare any partridge, quail, woodcock, pheasant or waterfowl, or have in possession any trap, net or snare, with the intent or purpose to capture or kill any such birds or waterfowl, so trapped, killed, netted or ensnared, and under a further penalty of twenty-five dollars for the having in possession any such traps, net or snare; and every such trap, net or snare shall be forfeited and destroyed. Sec. 5. And be it enacted, That no person shall trace, track or hunt for any partridge, quail, woodcock, pheasant, rabbit or other game which may be tracked in the snow, while the fields or woods are covered with snow sufficient to permit such tracking, and any person shall be found traversing woods or fields with dog or gun, while the same are covered with snow, as aforesaid, shall be deemed prima facie guilty of a violation of this section, and shall pay a fine of ten dollars upon conviction thereof. Sec. 6. And be it enacted, That no person shall hunt for, shoot at or kill from boats or from the shore, with light in the night time, any muskrat, or shall hunt for, shoot at or kill at night with lights any partridge, quail or wild duck, under a penalty of five dollars for every such muskrat, bird or duck so killed; and if at the trial it shall be proved that the person charged with hunting for, shooting at or the killing of the said game in the night time, was at or about the place where the shot was fired, and, that he had a gun in his possession on the night in question in the vicinity where such shooting occurred, either prior to, or at the time of, or after the shooting, such fact shall be deemed prima facie evidence of his having violated the provisions of this section, and the offender shall pay a fine of ten dollars therefor. Sec. 7. And be it enacted, That no person not a bona fide resident of Somerset county, unless invited by and accompanying some bona fide resident thereof, shall hunt for, shoot, catch or kill in any manner any of the game, birds or animals mentioned in the preceding sections, or any other wild game, within the limits of the said county, without first having obtained from the clerk of the court of said county a license permitting the person named in said license to hunt for, shoot or kill wild game in said county for one year from the date of the issue of said license; and the person named therein, or the party procuring such license, shall pay said clerk for such license the sum of nine dollars and fifty cents, and fifty cents to the clerk for his fee for issuing such licenses; and any non-resident violating the provisions of this section shall pay a fine of forty dollars for each and every offense. Sec. 8. And be it enacted, That no person, by day or night, shall navigate or paddle any open skiff, canoe, or open boat of any description on board of which may be any offensive weapon, gun, musket, fowling piece or pistol, within the region usually known as included from "Heam's Straight," in Somerset County, to the upper end of "Holland's Straits," within fifty yards of any blinds for shooting fowl, with intent to shoot or molest any wild fowl within the region aforesaid, under penalty of ten dollars for each and every offense; and the discovery of any of the aforesaid weapons in any of the boats aforesaid within fifty yards of any blind for shooting wild fowl within the region aforesaid, shall in all cases be deemed prima facie evidence of an intent to shoot or molest said wild fowls. Sec. 9. And be it enacted, That no person, corporation or company, shall at any time kill or expose for sale, transport or have in possession any partridge or quail or rabbit, dead or alive, for any purpose, except for consumption as food within Somerset County, or for propagating purposes, as hereinbefore provided for; nor kill, expose for sale, or have in possession any of the above-named game, with the intention of sending or transporting or having the same sent or transported beyond the limits of said county, under a penalty of not less than five nor more than twenty-five dollars for each and every violation of this section; provided, that nothing herein contained shall prevent the barter and sale of such game for home consumption only by and between residents of said county within the limits of said county. Sec. 10. And be it enacted, That it shall be unlawful to hunt for foxes, or pursue them with dogs between March 10th and November 1st in each and every year; and any person violating this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and be subject to a fine of not less than five and not more than twenty-five dollars for each and every offense. Sec. 11. And be it enacted, That all violations of the provisions of the various sections of this Act shall be deemed misdemeanors, and the fines and penalties imposed thereby shall be collected by prosecutions before any justice of the peace for Somerset County, with right of appeal to the Circuit Court thereof, and the defendant or defendants in such prosecutions, in default of the payment of said fines and penalties, shall be committed to jail for thirty days; and all fines collected by said court or any justice of the peace for said county, upon prosecutions as aforesaid, shall be paid in full to the party who informs against the offender or offenders and secures his or their conviction; but all money received by the clerk of the Circuit Court as license fees from non-residents shall be turned over to the school fund of said county. Sec. 12. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of any constable of said county, or game warden thereof, to arrest any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this Act. Sec. 13. And be it enacted, That this Act shall take effect from the date of its passage.