---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to use of dog and/or drones for tracking or locating mortally wounded deer, elk, turkey, wild boar or bear"
description: "Relating to use of dog and/or drones for tracking or locating mortally wounded deer, elk, turkey, wild boar or bear"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 2043"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2043 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Natural Resources"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkhammer"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 49
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-12"
last_action: "2025-07-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/82938f0d-750e-4f38-8ef4-f54a9a3ff327"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2043&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "56e6c4cd2c9f1a168b50cf62040e47592d5e0ff1c5f6067b374a4ec7d77ba40e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia HB 2043 (2025) — Relating to use of dog and/or drones for tracking or locating mortally wounded deer, elk, turkey, wild boar or bear

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)
2. **Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20sub2.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)
3. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20sub%20eng.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)
4. **Engrossed Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20sub2%20eng.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)
5. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20sub2%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)
6. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2043%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2043)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **88–10** (pass) · lower
- SUB2 HFA VANCE 3-24 #1 — **38–58** (fail) · lower
- Passage — **33–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Burkhammer — primary (person)
- Horst — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-02-12** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-02-12** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-12** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-02-12** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-13** To House Agriculture, Commerce and Tourism `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-21** Markup Discussion
- **2025-02-21** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-05** Markup Discussion
- **2025-03-10** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-11** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-12** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-12** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-13** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-13** Postponed on 3rd reading, Special Calendar, until 3/14/2025
- **2025-03-14** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-14** Committed to Rules on 3rd reading
- **2025-03-14** To House Rules `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-20** By substitute, do pass
- **2025-03-20** By substitute for substitute, do pass
- **2025-03-21** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-21** Postponed on 2nd reading, Special Calendar, until 3/24/2025
- **2025-03-24** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-24** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2025-03-24** Amendment rejected (Roll No. 177) `amendment-failure`
- **2025-03-25** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-25** Passed House (Roll No. 181) `passage`
- **2025-03-25** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-03-29** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-03-29** Committee reference dispensed
- **2025-03-29** Immediate consideration
- **2025-03-29** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-31** On 2nd reading
- **2025-03-31** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-01** On 3rd reading
- **2025-04-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-01** Passed Senate (Roll No. 274) `passage`
- **2025-04-01** Communicated to House
- **2025-04-01** Completed legislative action
- **2025-04-02** House received Senate message
- **2025-04-03** To Governor 4/3/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-03** To Governor 4/3/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-03** To Governor 4/3/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-08** Approved by Governor 4/8/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-08** Approved by Governor 4/8/2025 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-08** Approved by Governor 4/8/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-07-30** Chapter 115, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/82938f0d-750e-4f38-8ef4-f54a9a3ff327`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).