Sunday hunting on private property flies in the face of the outdoor heritage that the hunters in the state of Maine have collectively protected.

L.D. 1033, “An Act to Allow Sunday Hunting on Private Property with Written Permission of the Landowner,” limits the opportunities of non-land-owning hunters and prioritizes opportunities for land-owning hunters. This bill rejects the fact that all hunters, landowners or not, equally fund wildlife management and should therefore have the same equal rights of access.

Wildlife management has evolved over the last century with the common goal of preserving access to hunting, through habitat and species conservation. A core principle of The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the democracy of hunting. Government allocates access to wildlife for all regardless of “wealth, prestige, or land ownership.”

The revenue garnered from hunting and fishing licenses and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration act in 1937 (an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition) are the primary sources for funding wildlife management. All hunters through their participation have invested in the management of this publicly owned renewable resource. Current hunting regulations provide equitable opportunities for all hunters, unlike the proposals in L.D. 1033, which breaks this Maine hunting tradition.

Maine has come a long way from the extirpation of wildlife during the market hunting days. Over time, all hunters have made the commitment towards wildlife recovery and protecting hunting in Maine.

Certain landowners, and their chosen few, should not have more rights to the wildlife that all hunters equally cherish.

 

Trent Emery

Wayne

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