Batten down the hatches, safe the anchor element and canine down all doorways, rig for heavy climate! The Maine State Legislature is again in session. The Legislative Paperwork (proposed legal guidelines) are working their means by means of the “democratic equipment” with a vengeance.
V. Paul Reynolds, Outdoor Columnist
The unanswerable query is all the time on our lips: Will these new legal guidelines really enhance our lives, or just make issues extra sophisticated and life much less free?
Within the slender scope of fish and wildlife legal guidelines alone, there are sufficient new proposed legal guidelines to fill a ebook.
For instance, listed here are a number of that stand out:
1. Known as the 100 yard archery invoice, this one, not in contrast to the firearms regulation, would prohibit looking with a bow inside 100 yards of a dwelling. Phrase is that the invoice as framed would exempt bow observe and bow hunters within the Expanded Archery Zone for deer.
2. Hunters 65 and older would routinely get an any-deer (doe) allow.
3. A invoice that might set up a two-bear restrict for all statewide bear hunters.
4. A invoice that might permit all profitable turkey hunters to tag their harvest electronically on-line. No journeys to the tagging station required.
5. A invoice that might remove the moose allow possibility that enables licensed lodges to outright buy moose looking permits for some purchasers.
6. A invoice that might have legalized deer baiting throughout the deer season.
After all, these payments are all in numerous levels of the legislative course of — some received’t even get out of committee, or make it to the ground for a vote. Some will turn into regulation.
Invoice No. 6 above caught my consideration. Sponsored by Rep. Peter Lyford of Eddington, the supporting rationale was that it leveled the taking part in area for hunters who didn’t personal land or area for deer feeding plots. Fascinating situation. Of the 50 states, solely 22 permit deer baiting. New Hampshire permits some deer baiting by particular permits. Not one of the remaining New England states allow deer baiting.
Undecided the place you come down on this situation. There are professionals and cons. At press time, it appeared that the invoice wouldn’t go muster with the Fish and Wildlife Legislative Committee. Maybe that is correctly. Wildlife officers stated that if it turned regulation they must shorten the deer season!
There are different payments with a fish and wildlife connection. Offering public enter isn’t so simple as it was earlier than COVID, however there’s an internet conduit for public remark.
A great way to maintain your ear to the bottom is to domesticate a connection along with your respective consultant of the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council. (Names and make contact with data is accessible on the state Fish and Wildlife web site). The Council isn’t solely a superb supply of up-to-date info, it’s the ultimate gatekeeper with regards to state Fish and Wildlife rules.
V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He’s additionally a Maine information and host of a weekly radio program, “Maine Outdoor,” heard at 7 p.m. Sundays on The Voice of Maine Information-Speak Community. He has authored three books; on-line buy info is obtainable at www.maineoutdoorpublications.web.
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