[§199-8]  Inspection; exhibit upon demand; penalty.  (a)  Notwithstanding section 199-7, any conservation and resources enforcement officer of the department of land and natural resources upon whom the board of land and natural resources has conferred police powers may, in the performance of the officer's official duties, stop and temporarily detain any person who the officer reasonably believes is, or recently has been, engaged in hunting or fishing.  During this brief detention, the officer, upon lawful demand, may inspect any license, permit, stamp, tag, or other documentation required for hunting or the taking of aquatic resources, as well as any game or aquatic life in the person's possession, including the contents of any receptacle or container of any kind that could reasonably be used to carry the regulated game or aquatic life, and any equipment, article, or device capable of taking the game or aquatic life, while reasonably proximate to the respective hunting or fishing area, to determine whether the person is in compliance with any provision of title 12 and any rules adopted thereunder regulating hunting or aquatic life and conservation of wildlife or aquatic resources.  Unless otherwise allowable under section 183D-25, upon probable cause, or incident to arrest, the officer shall not inspect the clothing upon the person who is subject to a natural resource inspection related to hunting or fishing, nor shall the officer inspect the contents of any receptacle or container that could not reasonably be used to carry game or aquatic life.

     (b)  Any inspection shall be conducted within a reasonable distance from the environment in which the hunting or fishing took place and shall not include vehicular inspections beyond a reasonable distance unless upon probable cause or failure to heed a demand to stop when requested to submit to an administrative inspection for title 12 resources or equipment used for the capture or take of wildlife or aquatic resources as used in hunting or fishing.  Inspections shall be conducted by any person authorized by the department of land and natural resources to enforce title 12 and any rule adopted thereunder.

     (c)  For violations of this section, the administrative fines shall be as follows:

     (1)  For a first violation, a fine of not more than $1,000;

     (2)  For a second violation within five years of a previous violation, a fine of not more than $2,000; and

     (3)  For a third or subsequent violation within five years of a previous violation, a fine of not more than $3,000.

     (d)  For the purposes of this section:

     "Fishing" means the taking of any regulated aquatic life, as defined in section 187A-1.

     "Game" or "wildlife" includes any animal parts thereof. [L 2021, c 47, §2]