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OPEN FIELDS DOCTRINE ALLOWS PA GAME CODE ENFORCEMENT
A Pennsylvania landowner was convicted for baiting bear after a tipster sent wildlife conservation officers to his hunting camp. The officers entered the camp several times despite "No Trespassing" signs, and found evidence of bear baiting, as well as DNA of the bear that was allegedly lawfully killed. The defendant argued that the Game Code provision allowing officers to enter property to enforce wildlife laws is an unconstitutional violation of his right to privacy. The court held that the "open fields" doctrine applies under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it "applies equally under the Constitution of this Commonwealth," such that the owner had no reasonable expectation of privacy from the officers' outdoor inspections on his land. Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania v. Russo, No.135 MAP 2005 (Pa.Supreme Ct., Nov. 20,
A Pennsylvania landowner was convicted for baiting bear after a tipster sent wildlife conservation officers to his hunting camp. The officers entered the camp several times despite "No Trespassing" signs, and found evidence of bear baiting, as well as DNA of the bear that was allegedly lawfully killed. The defendant argued that the Game Code provision allowing officers to enter property to enforce wildlife laws is an unconstitutional violation of his right to privacy. The court held that the "open fields" doctrine applies under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it "applies equally under the Constitution of this Commonwealth," such that the owner had no reasonable expectation of privacy from the officers' outdoor inspections on his land. Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania v. Russo, No.135 MAP 2005 (Pa.Supreme Ct., Nov. 20,