Sunday hunting for private property contradicts the outdoor heritage that the hunters collectively protected in the state of Maine.
LD 1033, “A Law Permitting Sunday Hunting of Private Property With Written Permission from Landowner,” limits opportunities for hunters who do not own land and prioritizes opportunities for hunters who own land. This bill rejects the fact that all hunters, landowners or not, should fund wildlife management equally and should therefore have equal access rights.
Wildlife management has developed in the last century with the common goal of maintaining access to hunting through habitat and species protection. A core principle of the North American model of conservation is the democracy of the hunt. The government grants access to wildlife for everyone, regardless of “wealth, prestige or land ownership.”
Income from hunting and fishing licenses and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 (an excise tax on sporting weapons and ammunition) are the primary sources of funding for wildlife management. All hunters have invested in the management of this public renewable resource through their participation. Current hunting regulations provide equal opportunities for all hunters, contrary to the suggestions in LD 1033 which break that hunting tradition in Maine.
Maine is a far cry from wildlife extinction during the market hunt days. Over time, all hunters have been committed to wildlife recreation and the protection of hunting in Maine.
Certain landowners and their select few should no longer have rights to the wildlife that all hunters value equally.
Trent Emery
Wayne
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