LARRY WOODY
Main Street Media
The TWRA’s court case set a legal precedent. TWRA
The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court recently issued the same decision as Tennessee courts by ruling that game wardens cannot enter private property to check for game-law violations without the property owner’s consent or a warrant.
In 2020, state courts ruled the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s practice of conducting warrantless searches and surveillance on private property was unconstitutional and banned it.
Legal experts predicted the ruling set a precedent that would impact game-law enforcement nationwide. That was the case when a Pennsylvania court ruled against the state’s wildlife agency after wardens went onto a private hunting club’s property without a warrant to investigate suspected violations.
A Tennessee court issued the same ruling after a Benton County game warden secretly installed a camera on private property to record suspected hunting violations – and also captured unrelated private activity.
Tennessee, Pennsylvania and most other states had historically operated under the Open Fields Doctrine that granted game wardens wide leeway in conducting search and surveillance. Now a warden must have the property owner’s permission to go onto private property, and if denied, show cause in order to obtain a search warrant.
Art contest: The TWRA is sponsoring a Fish Art contest for youngsters K-12. The artwork must be of native Tennessee fish in their natural habitat.
Entry details are posted on the Wildlife Forever Art of Conservation website.
Bass input: The TWRA is inviting anglers’ input on its planned bass management program. The Agency regularly solicits comments and suggestions on fishing in general and now seeks suggestions about bass management in particular.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass are the state’s most popular sport-fishing species, and both are facing challenges caused by the inbreeding of non-native bass sub-species.
Information is available on tnwildlife.org.
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