West Virginia Code § 20-3-3

Establishment of wildlife areas; leasing lands therefor
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The director shall establish and maintain wildlife areas on lands purchased, leased or given
for this purpose. Upon such state-owned or leased lands under its administration, or lands
purchased from departmental funds for the establishment of wildlife areas, or upon lands
purchased in cooperation with any agency of the federal government or leased therefrom or
managed cooperatively therewith, the director shall regulate public huntinge, chasing for
sport, shooting, and limit the number of wildlife, which may be taken from such areas open
to public shooting in any year. The director may establish special open rseasons on any such
lands, and may close any such areas, or parts thereof, to public shooting.
It shall be unlawful at any time to hunt, pursue or molest in any manner, any animals, birds
or fowls on that section of any wildlife area designated as witldlife refuge, except that any
legally constituted enforcement officer, or other person designated by the director, may
hunt, pursue, catch and kill in any manner predatory animals and predatory birds thereon.
On the boundary of each state wildlife refuge, therle shall be posted in conspicuous places,
not more than one hundred and fifty yards apasrt, notices bearing the following words:"State
wildlife refuge -- hunting is unlawful," and such other information or rules and regulations as
the director may deem advisable. On the boundary line of any such wildlife area which has
been established as a public shootingg ground, the director shall have posted in conspicuous
places, not more than one hundred and fifty yards apart, notices bearing the following
words:"Public shooting groundes," together with information as to when hunting is legal on
such tract.
The director shall also have the power to lease lands for this purpose for not less than ten-
year periods, the rental price thereof not to be more than the amount of the annual property
taxes on such land, and in no event to exceed 10¢ per acre per annum.
The director may, with the consent of the owner, set apart any tract of land in the state as a
wildWlife area. When such lands have been set apart, the director shall manage them in the
same manner and for the same purpose as wildlife areas owned by the state. Such lands not
owned by the state and now operated by the director as wildlife areas shall, at the expiration
of the agreement, be reorganized as wildlife areas or be discontinued.

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