Maine Sunday Hunting Update

IMG-8313.jpgMaine is one of only two states in the US that has a complete ban on Sunday hunting. The Maine leadership team of the New England Chapter of BHA has been considering this issue and related Sunday hunting legislation. The result of this effort is the Statement on Sunday Hunting in Maine, which reviews the issues surrounding this controversial topic and provides recommendations on how Maine could provide Sunday hunting opportunities while addressing the concerns of Sunday hunting opponents.

There are three Sunday bunting bills currently referred to Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. LD 1033 An Act To Allow Sunday Hunting on Private Property with the Written Permission of the Landowner and LD 1054 An Act To Allow Hunting on Sundays with Written Consent on Private Property are nearly identical bills. 

Based on the concerns outlined in our statement we chose to testify neither for nor against the current form of these bills, but we encouraged the Committee and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to further explore opportunities for Sunday hunting by forming a working group. 

BHA supported LD 1212 An Act To Allow Sunday Hunting North of U.S. Route 2 from the New Hampshire Border to Bangor, North of Route 9 from Bangor to the Canadian Border and within That Portion of the White Mountain National Forest inside the State, but suggested amending the language to apply to unorganized territories to address concerns raised by private woodlot owners and farmers.  We encourage BHA members, other hunters, and non-hunters to review the rational for our position on these bills that is laid out in the statement below.

About New England BHA Chapter

New England BHA is a voice for the sporting community in New England that values solitude, silence, clean and free flowing rivers, and habitat for large, wide-ranging wildlife.

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