Section 250-RICR-60-00-9.6 - DefinitionsA. For the purposes of these Regulations, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 1. "Antlerless deer" means deer having no antlers or antlers less than three inches (3") in length.2. "Archery equipment" means long bow, re-curve bow, compound bow or crossbow.3. "Archery proficiency testing" means demonstration of skill with archery equipment as prescribed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Valid for two (2) years.4. "Artificially propagated game bird" means any species of grouse, partridge, pheasant, quail, or chukar which is hunted for food or sport and has been bred, produced, caused to multiply, or reared in captivity.5. "Bearded turkey" means a wild turkey that carries a visible beard, i.e., a tuft of stiff filament-like feathers projecting outward and downward from the center of the chest.6. "Blank Gun" means any firearm designed to discharge only blank cartridges and is incapable of propelling any type of projectile.7. "Body-gripping trap" means a device that is designed to capture and kill an animal when two (2) rotating jaws close on either side of the animal's neck or chest.8. "Box trap" means any trigger operated device intended to restrain an animal by confinement in box or cage.9. "Carcass" means the dead body of an animal, or parts thereof, to include meat and internal organs, but not to include hide, bone or other inedible portions.10 "Conibear-type trap" means "conibear" model traps and similar body-gripping traps and devices.11. "Crossbow" means a bow and string that launches an arrow, mounted upon a stock, with a trigger unit that holds the string and limbs under tension until released.12. "Daily bag limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species or combination (aggregate) of species permitted to be taken by one (1) person in any one (1) day during the open season.13. "Daylight fluorescent orange" means the color orange having a dominant wavelength between five hundred ninety-five (595) and six hundred six (606) nanometers, an excitation purity not less than eighty-five percent (85%), and a lamination factor not less than forty percent (40%).14. "Deer" means Virginia white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and any other free ranging deer encountered in the natural environment.15. "Deer decoy" means a device that replicates the body and form of a deer and may be used for the purpose of attracting deer during hunting.16. "Deer hunting activity" means any activity in which a hunter is actively pursuing deer while carrying a firearm or archery device on the hunter's person. Tracking a wounded or un-recovered deer with a dog pursuant to § 9.7 of this Part herein is not considered deer hunting activity.17. "Driving deer" or "cooperative drive" means to pursue, drive, chase, or otherwise frighten or cause a deer to move in a direction toward a person or persons known to be waiting for deer.18. "Feeding" or "Baiting" means the act of using, placing, giving, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering any material, or any act to maintain the availability of such material, that attracts wildlife to feed on such material.19. "Field possession limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species or combination of species permitted to be possessed by one (1) person while in the field, in one's vehicle, boat, trailer or other means of transportation when traveling between the field and one's personal abode. This shall be equal to the daily bag or season limit where no daily bag limit is indicated.20. "Firearm" means any machine gun, rifle, shotgun, pistol, air rifle, air pistol, and "blank gun", "BB gun" or other instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, or which may readily be converted to expel a projectile21. "Foothold" means a trap equivalent to a leg-hold trap, as described in R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-8, including those foothold traps with padded or offset jaws.22. "Hunt" or "Hunting" means, shooting, killing and taking any wild animal regulated in this Chapter and, attempting to shoot, attempting to kill and attempting to take any wild animal regulated in this Chapter, whether such act results in taking or not.23. "Junior hunter" means any person twelve (12) to fourteen (14) years of age who possesses a hunter safety education certificate. Junior hunters may only hunt in the immediate company of an adult, twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who possesses a current Rhode Island hunting license.24. "Paraplegic" means an individual afflicted with paralysis of the lower half of the body with involvement of both legs.25. "Personal abode" means one's principal or ordinary home or dwelling place, as distinguished from one's temporary or transient place of abode or dwelling such as a hunting club, or any club house, cabin, tent or trailer house used as a hunting club, or any hotel, motel or rooming house used during a hunting, pleasure or business trip.26. "Possess" or "Possession" means to exercise dominion or control over any wild animal commencing at the time at which a decision is made not to return the wild animal to the immediate vicinity from which it was taken and lasting up until its ultimate disposition. The decision to possess or return the animal must be made at the first practical opportunity.27. "Possession limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species or combination of species permitted to be possessed by one (1) person at one (1) time.28. "Proficiency testing" means the measurable demonstration of skills with bows and arrows or use of firearms using a set of standards as determined by the hunter education program.29. "Public reservations" means any property under the care, control or custody of the Department of Environmental Management.30. "Season bag limit" means the maximum number of game of a single species permitted to be taken by one (1) person over the duration of the open season.31. "Species specific traps" means traps characterized by all of the following: triggering and restraining mechanisms are enclosed within housing; triggering and restraining mechanisms are only accessible through a single opening when set; the access opening does not exceed two inches (2") in diameter; the triggering mechanism can only be activated by a pulling force; has a swivel mounted anchoring system.32. "Take" or "Taking" means shooting, pursuing, hunting, fishing, killing, capturing, trapping, hooking, and netting any species of wildlife.33. "Tidal waters" means waters of the State extending from mean high water to the seaward limit of three (3) miles.34. "Translocation" means the transport and release of live wild animals from one (1) location to another.35. "Written permission" means annual written permission of the owner of the land for access during any current season.250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-60-00-9.6
Amended effective 7/31/2019
Amended effective 8/2/2020
Amended effective 7/31/2021
Amended Effective 11/17/2021
Amended effective 7/31/2022
Amended effective 6/28/2023
Amended effective 8/2/2023
Amended effective 8/8/2024