[Added 12-5-2018 by Ord.
No. 2018-34]
A.
The Township hereby establishes a Wildlife Management Program to
allow archery hunting of deer on certain Township-owned properties.
B.
The Wildlife Management Program shall be overseen by the Township
Council.
C.
The Municipal Clerk and Police Department shall be responsible for reviewing all applications for accuracy of information supplied and for compliance with the requirements set forth in Chapter 74 and conducting the lottery drawing.
D.
The Township Council shall be responsible for identifying which Township-owned
properties should be included or removed from the Wildlife Management
Program as well as the number of permits per property allowed. A resolution
indicating which Township-owned properties are included in the Wildlife
Management Program shall be adopted by the Township Council whenever
changes have occurred to the list of Township-owned properties included
in the Wildlife Management Program.
E.
The Chief of Police, or his designee, shall investigate any violations
committed by hunters participating in the Wildlife Management Program.
After the investigation, the Chief of Police, or his designee, shall
determine if additional penalties are warranted, which may include,
but are not limited to, suspension of hunting privileges within the
program, which may be in addition to any penalties imposed by the
courts for any offense of which they are found guilty.
The Township hereby establishes a Wildlife Management Program
Lottery to award permits by a lottery drawing to allow archery hunting
of deer on certain Township-owned properties. The number of permits
and/or the properties which may be archery hunted pursuant to this
section and all rules and regulations and codes of conduct shall be
designated by resolution of the Township Council.
A.
There shall be no unauthorized hunting on any property owned by the
Township of Robbinsville.
B.
Only hunters awarded permits through the lottery drawing shall be
permitted to archery hunt on their designated Township-owned property.
C.
Hunters shall be in possession of their permits while hunting on
a property owned by the Township of Robbinsville.
D.
Permits shall only be valid during the applicable state-approved
archery deer hunting season, as said date may be amended from time
to time by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Fish
and Game Council.
E.
Permits shall only be valid for a period of one year beginning on
the date of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife deer fall
bow hunting season.
F.
All junior applicants must adhere to the restrictions set forth by
resolution to this ordinance.
[Amended 4-24-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-8]
All rules and regulations set forth here within shall be adhered
to by all hunters while hunting within the Township of Robbinsville.
Failure to comply with these rules and regulations may result in prosecution
and suspension of current and future permits.
A.
All hunters shall adhere to all New Jersey State laws, New Jersey
Division of Fish and Wildlife Regulations (Title 23), and Robbinsville
Township ordinances while hunting within Robbinsville Township.
B.
All hunters are required to immediately report any violation of New
Jersey State laws, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Regulations,
and Robbinsville Township ordinances committed or observed, while
on property within the Township of Robbinsville, to the police, New
Jersey Conservation Officers, and the Wildlife Management Advisory
Committee.
C.
All hunters shall possess valid hunting licenses and permits for
the areas and seasons that they will be hunting in.
D.
Permits are designated for archery hunting only on properties owned
by the Township of Robbinsville. It is the responsibility of the hunter
to ensure that they are legally allowed on the properties they are
hunting on.
E.
All hunters must be in possession of their permits while hunting
on property owned by Robbinsville Township.
F.
Hunters may hunt on Township property on the days designated by the
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife as archery hunting season.
During the archery hunting season, applicants may be on site hunting
no earlier than 30 minutes before sunrise and no later than 30 minutes
after sunset.
G.
All hunters must adhere to all safety zones as designated by the
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
H.
All hunters are responsible to ensure that they are discharging their
bow and arrow in a safe manner as defined by the New Jersey Division
of Fish and Wildlife Hunter Education Program for archery.
I.
Prior to any hunting activities taking place, all hunters shall attend
the Township mandatory hunting orientation for work assignments to
post warning signs along the borders of the designated Township properties
with Township-approved and -provided signs. All assigned properties
must be posted prior to the onset of any hunting activities.
J.
All vehicles utilized by permittees shall be parked in designated
areas and shall leave the designated vehicle placard on their dash
so that it is clearly visible to authorities.
K.
Hunters must adhere to all bag limits designated by the New Jersey
Division of Fish and Wildlife.
L.
Any hunting equipment, including, but not limited to, tree stands,
feeders, trail cameras, hunting blinds, hunting platforms, or any
other equipment utilized by a hunter to aide in the harvesting or
observation of game that is left afield shall have the hunter's permit
number clearly marked on it and viewable from the ground.
M.
Use of bait or any other form of attractant shall be permitted. However,
an identifying sign or placard must be left in the immediate area
with the hunter's permit number.
N.
Permanent tree stands are strictly prohibited. Hunting equipment
may be set up 30 days before the start of the hunting season. All
hunting equipment must be removed within 30 days after the end of
the hunting season, unless the hunter is eligible and intends to retain
the same parcel for the following hunting season.
[Amended 10-15-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-28]
O.
Any elevated hunting platforms left afield must be made inaccessible
to prevent the unauthorized use. If the elevated platform is unable
to be rendered inaccessible, then the hunter must display a sign prohibiting
the use by unauthorized people.
P.
All hunters utilizing a tree stand or elevated platform must use
a safety harness.
Q.
There shall be no littering or disposing of carcasses on Township
property.
R.
Use or possession of alcoholic beverages or smoking while on Township
property is prohibited.
S.
Target practice on Township property is strictly prohibited.
T.
Hunters may be subjected to random inspections by the police or New
Jersey Conservation Officers while afield, to ensure strict compliance
with all New Jersey State laws, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
Regulations (Title 23), and Robbinsville Township ordinances while
hunting on any property owned by the Township of Robbinsville.
U.
If the property has standing crops on them, the hunter is prohibited
from making unnecessary crop damage to prevent disputes with the farmer
who is leasing the property.
A.
An applicant who is awarded a permit pursuant to this section, and
his or her alternate, must comply with all applicable laws, regulations,
ordinances and wildlife management program rules, as same may be amended
from time to time.
B.
Failure of an applicant, or his or her alternate, to comply with
any applicable laws, regulations, ordinances and rules, regulations
and codes of conduct may result in suspension of any awarded permit
for that year and may further result in a temporary or permanent disqualification
of the applicant and/or his or her alternate from further participation
in the Robbinsville Township Wildlife Management Program based on
the review of the police.
This article shall be enforced by the Division of the Police
and/or Code Enforcement Officer.
Any person(s) who violates the provisions of this article, shall be subject to the general penalties as set forth in Chapter 1, Article II, of the Code of the Township of Robbinsville and have their permit suspended as well as temporary or permanent disqualification of the applicant from further participation in the program.
