(a) Any person holding a valid hunting license issued as provided for under section 26-27 is authorized to train hunting dogs in the field during any closed season, except during any period when the woods and fields are closed by proclamation issued by the commissioner because of forest fire hazard, under regulations issued by the commissioner.

(b) Said commissioner may authorize the establishment and operation of regulated hunting dog-training areas and may issue to any person holding a private shooting preserve permit, as provided for under section 26-48, or to any established game breeder holding a game breeder's license, as provided for under section 26-40, or to any person holding a commercial kennel license, as provided for under section 22-342, a permit, which shall expire on June thirtieth next after issuance and for which a fee of eighteen dollars shall be charged, authorizing the liberation of artificially propagated game birds and pigeons, legally possessed and suitably tagged with tags furnished by the commissioner, for which a reasonable fee may be charged, and the subsequent shooting of such game birds and pigeons by persons authorized by any such permittee, in connection with the training of hunting dogs only, at any time, including Sunday; provided permission to shoot on Sunday on the area specified in the permit shall have the approval of the proper authorities of the town or towns in which such dog-training area is located and shall apply only to the period from sunrise to sunset.

(c) A hunting license shall be required of all persons authorized by any such permittee to train any dog on any such regulated dog-training area, whether or not birds are to be shot.

(d) The commissioner may, by regulation, govern and prescribe the size and the location of any such dog-training area, the number of birds that may be released in ratio to the number of participants or the number of dogs being trained, the method of liberation and retrapping of pen-raised birds, the species, sex and condition of such birds that may be liberated and shot, the method of tagging such birds, the posting of such area and the method of reporting all such activities.

(e) Any such permit may be revoked at any time by the commissioner for a violation of any provision of this section or any regulation issued by the commissioner under the provisions of this section, for a period of not more than one year.

(f) Any person who violates any provision of this section or any regulation issued by the commissioner hereunder shall be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars.

(1949 Rev., S. 4857; 1957, P.A. 487, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 398, S. 9; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 245; P.A. 73-21, S. 1, 2; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3, S. 5, 21; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1, S. 93; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 453; P.A. 10-3, S. 43.)

History: 1959 act required that fees be deposited in general fund rather than game fund in Subsec. (b); 1971 act transferred power to close woods and fields because of forest fire hazard from governor to environmental protection commissioner and replaced references to board of fisheries and game with references to commissioner; P.A. 73-21 specified that commissioner has power to regulate “retrapping of pen raised birds” under Subsec. (d); Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3 amended Subsec. (b) to increase the permit fee for hunting dog training from $5 to $10 and to delete a provision requiring fees received under this section to be deposited in the general fund; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1 increased permit fee to $14 in Subsec. (b), effective January 1, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (b) by increasing fee from $14 to $28; P.A. 10-3 amended Subsec. (b) by reducing fee from $28 to $18, effective April 14, 2010.