Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 38, September 20, 2024
A. For the purposes of this Section, the
following definitions apply:
"Healthcare provider" means a person who is licensed to
practice by the federal government, any state, or U.S. territory with one of
the following credentials:
Medical Doctor,
Doctor of Osteopathy,
Doctor of Chiropractic,
Nurse Practitioner, or
Physician Assistant.
"Severe permanent disability" means one or more permanent
physical or mental disabilities resulting from amputation, arthritis, autism,
blindness, burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, intellectual
disability, muscular dystrophy, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological
disorders, paraplegia, pulmonary disorders, quadriplegia and other spinal cord
conditions, sickle cell anemia, and end stage renal disease or a combination of
permanent disabilities resulting in comparable substantial functional
limitations.
B. The
Challenged Hunter Access/Mobility Permit (CHAMP) allows a person with a severe
permanent disability to perform one or more of the following activities:
1. Discharge a firearm or other legal hunting
device from a motor vehicle if, under existing conditions:
a. The discharge is otherwise
lawful;
b. The motor vehicle is not
in motion;
c. The motor vehicle is
not on any road, as defined under A.R.S. §
17-101;
and
d. The motor vehicle's engine
is turned off.
2.
Discharge a firearm or other legal hunting device from a watercraft, as defined
under R12-4-501; provided the motor is turned off, the sail furled, or both;
and progress has ceased.
a. The watercraft may
be drifting as a result of current or wind, beached, moored, resting at anchor,
or propelled by paddle, oars, or pole.
b. A person may use a watercraft under power
to retrieve dead or wounded wildlife.
c. For the purposes of this subsection,
"watercraft" does not include a sinkbox.
3. Use off-road locations in a motor vehicle
if use is not in conflict with federal or state statutes or regulations or
local ordinances or regulations and the motor vehicle is used as a place to
wait for game. A person shall not use a motor vehicle to chase or pursue
game
4. Designate an assistant to
track and dispatch a wounded animal, and to retrieve the animal, in accordance
with the requirements of this Section.
C. The CHAMP holder shall comply with all
applicable regulatory requirements. A CHAMP does not exempt the permit holder
from any other applicable method of take or licensing requirement.
D. The CHAMP does not expire, unless:
1. The permit holder no longer meets the
criteria for obtaining the CHAMP, or
2. The Commission revokes the person's
hunting privileges under A.R.S. §
17-340.
A person whose CHAMP is revoked by the Commission may petition the Commission
for a rehearing as established under
R12-4-607.
E. An applicant for a CHAMP shall apply by
submitting an application to the Department. The application form is furnished
by the Department and is available from any Department office on the
Department's website. The CHAMP applicant shall provide all of the following
information on the application
1 The
applicant's:
a. Name;
b. Date of birth;
c. Physical description, to include the
applicant's eye color, hair color, height, and weight;
d. Department identification number, when
applicable;
e. Residency status;
f Mailing address, when
applicable;
g. Physical
address;
h. Telephone number, when
available; and
i. E-mail address,
when available;
2.
Affirmation that:
a. The applicant meets the
requirements of this Section, and
b. The information provided on the
application is true and accurate, and
3. Applicant's signature and date.
4. The certification portion of the
application shall be completed by a healthcare provider The healthcare provider
shall:
a. Certify the applicant is a person
with a severe permanent disability as defined under subsection (A),
and
b. Provide the healthcare
provider's:
i. Typed or printed
name,
ii. Business
address,
iii. Telephone number,
and
iv. Signature and
date;
F. In addition to the requirements listed
above, at the time of application an applicant who is applying for a CHAMP
shall pay the applicable fee required under
R12-4-102.
G. All
information and documentation provided by the applicant is subject to
Department verification.
H. The applicant
claiming a seve associated with obtaining the medical documentation,
re-evaluation of the information, or a second medical opinion.
I. The
Department shall deny a CHAMP when the applicant:
1. Fails to meet the criteria prescribed
under this Section,
2. Fails to
comply with the requirements of this Section, or
3. Provides false information during the
application process.
J. The Department shall
provide written notice to the applicant stating the reason for the denial. The
applicant may appeal the denial to the Commission as prescribed in A.R.S. Title
41, Chapter 6, Article 10.
K. When acting under
the authority of the CHAMP, the permit holder shall possess and exhibit the
permit upon request to any peace officer, including wildlife managers and game
rangers.
L. The CHAMP holder shall ensure the CHAMP vehicle
placard, issued with the CHAMP, is visibly displayed on the motor vehicle or
watercraft when in use.
M. The Department shall
provide a CHAMP holder with a dispatch permit that allows the CHAMP holder to
designate a licensed hunter as an assistant to:
1. Dispatch and retrieve an animal wounded by
the CHAMP holder, or
2. Retrieve
wildlife killed by the CHAMP holder
N. The CHAMP holder
shall:
1. Designate an assistant only after
the animal is wounded or killed.
2.
Ensure the designation on the dispatch permit is in ink and includes:
a. A description of the animal,
b. The assistant's name and valid Arizona
hunting license number,
c. The date
and time the animal was wounded or killed, and
3. Ensure compliance with all of the
following requirements:
a. The site where the
animal is wounded and the location from which tracking begins are marked so
they can be identified later
b. The
assistant possesses the dispatch permit and a valid hunting license while
tracking and dispatching the wounded animal. When acting under the authority of
the dispatch permit, the assistant shall possess and exhibit the dispatch
permit and hunting license upon request to any peace officer, including
wildlife managers and game rangers.
c. The CHAMP holder is in the field while the
assistant is tracking and dispatching the wounded animal.
d. The assistant does not transfer the
dispatch permit to anyone except that the dispatch permit may be transferred
back to the CHAMP holder.
e.
Dispatch is made by a method that is lawful for the take of the particular
animal in the particular season in accordance with requirements established
under
R12-4-304
and
R12-4-318.
f. The assistant attaches the dispatch permit
to the carcass of the animal and returns the carcass to the CHAMP holder, and
the tag of the CHAMP holder is affixed to the carcass.
g. If the assistant is unsuccessful in
locating and dispatching the wounded animal, the assistant returns the dispatch
permit to the CHAMP holder. The CHAMP holder shall strike the name and
authorization of the assistant from the dispatch
permit.
O. A dispatch permit
may not be reused when all spaces for designation of an assistant are filled or
the dispatch permit is attached to a carcass. The CHAMP holder may request
another dispatch permit from the Department if:
1. All spaces for assistants are
filled,
2. The dispatch permit is
lost, or
3. When the CHAMP holder
needs another dispatch permit for another big game hunt.
P. A
CHAMP holder shall not:
1. Transfer the permit
to another person, or
2. Allow
another person to use or possess the permit.
