(a) Subject to valid existing rights, Department-managed lands shall be open to access and use for recreational hunting except as limited by the Department for reasons of public safety, fish or wildlife management, or homeland security or as otherwise limited by law. (b) The Department shall exercise its authority, consistent with subsection (a), in a manner to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities, to the extent authorized by State law. The Department is not required to give preference to hunting over other uses of Department-managed lands or over land or water management priorities established by Department regulations or State law. (c) Department land management decisions and actions may not, to the greatest practical extent, result in any net loss of habitat available for hunting opportunities on Department-managed lands that exists on the effective date of this Act. (d) By October 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to the General Assembly a written report describing: (1) the acreage administered by the Department that has been closed during the previous year to recreational hunting and the reasons for the closures; and (2) the acreage administered by the Department that, in order to comply with subsection (c), was opened to recreational hunting to compensate for those acreage closed under paragraph (1). has been closed during the previous year to recreational hunting and the reasons for the closures; and in order to comply with subsection (c), was opened to recreational hunting to compensate for those acreage closed under paragraph (1).
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