113-272.4. Collection licenses.

(a) In the interest of the orderly and efficient conservation of wildlife resources, the Wildlife Resources Commission may provide for the licensing of qualified individuals to take any of the wildlife resources of the State under a collection license that may serve in lieu of any other license required in this Article. This license authorizes incidental transportation and possession of the wildlife resources necessary to implement the authorized purposes of the taking, but the Wildlife Resources Commission in its discretion may additionally impose permit requirements under subsection (d) below and G.S. 113-274.

(b) The Wildlife Resources Commission may delegate to the Executive Director the authority to impose time limits during which the license is valid and restrictions as to what may be taken and method of taking and possession, in the interests of conservation objectives. The Executive Director through his responsible agents must determine whether a particular license applicant meets the standards and qualifications for licensees set by the Wildlife Resources Commission. Methods of taking under a collection license need not be restricted to those applicable to ordinary hunting, trapping, or fishing, but the licensee must observe the restrictions as to taking, transportation, and possession imposed by the Executive Director upon the granting of the license.

(c) When a more limited duration period is not set by the Executive Director in implementing the rules of the Wildlife Resources Commission, collection licenses are valid from January 1 through December 31 in any year. This license is issued upon payment of five dollars ($5.00), but the Wildlife Resources Commission may provide for issuance without charge to licensees who represent educational or scientific institutions or some governmental agency.

(d) As necessary, the Executive Director may administratively impose on licensees under this section restrictions upon individuals taking, transporting, or possessing under the license which will permit ready identification and control of those involved in the interest of efficient administration of laws pertaining to wildlife resources. Restrictions may include requirements as to record keeping, tagging, marking packages, cages, or containers and exhibition of additional limited-purpose and limited-time permits that may be issued without charge to cover particular activities and other actions that may be administratively required in the reasonable implementation of the objectives of this Subchapter.

(e) If the Executive Director deems it administratively appropriate and convenient to do so, in the interests of simplifying the administration of licensing requirements, he may grant particular licensees under this section the privilege of utilizing assistants in taking, transporting, or possessing wildlife resources who themselves are not licensed. Any assistants so taking, transporting, or possessing wildlife resources must have readily available for inspection a written authorization from the licensee to engage in the activity in question. The written authorization must contain information administratively required by the Executive Director, and a copy of the authorization must be placed in the mail addressed to the Executive Director or his designated agent before any assistant acts under the authorization. In his discretion the Executive Director may refuse to issue, refuse to renew, or revoke the privilege conferred in this subsection. If this is done, each individual engaged in taking, transporting, or possessing wildlife resources under this section must meet all applicable licensing and permit requirements.