Private Acts of 1965 Chapter 132

SECTION 1. That all persons desiring to operate a private preserve for the propagation, breeding, raising and/or hunting of quail, turkey, pheasants, and/or all other forms of wildlife raised in captivity in Lewis County for a noncommercial purpose shall be entitled to operate such preserve and hunt pen-raised or farm-raised animals on such preserve upon complying with the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 2. That operators of private wildlife preserves in said county may raise in captivity quail, turkey, pheasants, and/or all other forms of wildlife and that all wildlife so raised in captivity shall be and remain the property of the operator of said private preserve but may only be hunted on said private preserve during the months of January, February, March, October, November and December of each year by the operator thereof and the operator's nonpaying guests provided each hunter holds a valid Tennessee hunting license.

SECTION 3. That an operator (which may be an individual, partnership, corporation or combination thereof) of a private wildlife preserve in said county for purposes other than commercial purposes (for which no charge is made to the persons hunting thereon) complying with the requirements hereinafter set out, need only secure an original license therefor from the Game and Fish Commission which shall set forth the approximate number of acres of land on which the preserve shall be operated plus the civil district of location in said county, and pay one fee of $10.00 therefor, which license shall be good as long as the operator and the use of the land comply with the requirements hereinafter set out. The requirements for the operation of a private wildlife preserve as set out in this paragraph shall be:

(a) Said preserve shall cover an area of at least 1,000 acres and not more than 10,000 acres of land.

(b) That said land must be owned, leased, or the use thereof otherwise controlled by the operator.

(c) That said land shall be devoted to the propagation, breeding, raising and feeding of wildlife raised thereon, the hunting thereof thereon, and other incidental use which encourages the aforementioned purposes and sustaining of said wildlife.

(d) That all persons hunting on said wildlife preserve shall hold a valid Tennessee hunting license.

(e) That no charge be made to any hunter for the privilege of hunting but all hunters thereon must have permission of the operator to hunt.

(f) That an annual fee of $10.00 shall be paid to the Game and Fish Commission which shall be due each July 1.

(g) That said operator shall, within the first twelve months of operation, release a minimum of one hundred (100) quail per one hundred (100) acres contained in said wildlife preserve.

(h) That said operator shall, after the first year, maintain on said preserve provisions for the raising of, and shall raise, quail with which to stock said preserve adequately.

SECTION 3. That if any provision of this Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act shall not be affected thereby, and it shall be conclusively presumed that the Legislature would have enacted the remainder of this Act without such unconstitutional provision.

SECTION 4. That this Act shall take effect from and after its passage, the public welfare requiring it.

Passed: March 17, 1965.