House approves Sunday hunting
Bill allows for small game only
AUGUSTA - A limited Sunday hunting bill was approved by the state House of Representatives on Thursday, a first step toward banishing one of the state's last remaining "blue laws."The bill, sponsored by Rep. Monica McGlocklin, D-Embden, would allow hunting on Sundays in the state's far northwestern corner, but only for small game, which includes grouse and rabbits.
The Sunday hunt passed with a slim majority, 73 to 63, mostly along party lines, with Democrats for and Republicans against. Legislators couldn't explain the partisan nature of the vote except to say that some Republicans who opposed the bill on religious grounds had tried to rally their caucus.
"This shouldn't be a partisan issue," said McGlockin.
She and supporters of the bill say the limited Sunday hunt would give another opportunity to people who work all week and can only hunt on Saturdays. It also would increase opportunities for weekend hunting getaways that might draw more tourists to the area and boost the local economy.
Some opponents have pointed to the bill as the first step on a "slippery slope" that could lead to wide-open Sunday hunting. Horse owners have led the opposition, with many sharing their fears at a public hearing on this bill last year.
The bill, LD 388, is similar to a proposal made by McGlockin nearly two years ago during the 120th legislative session, but is far more targeted than the many Sunday hunting bills that have been soundly defeated in the past.
If the bill also is approved in the Senate, Sunday hunting would occur only in state wildlife management districts 1, 2, 4 and 5 - all of which are entirely contained in the North Maine Woods, a corporation run by a group of timberland owners who allow the use of their private roads and forests for recreation but charge entry fees at a system of gates. The entire area, which covers just over 6,000 square miles, is made up of unorganized townships.
There are some sporting camps but no residential properties in the districts.
"This is the perfect type of place for it," McGlocklin said. "Where the critters are, and the people aren't."
North Maine Woods Executive Director Al Cowperthwaite has said that although he is not actively advocating for the hunt, neither does he oppose it. North Maine Woods Inc. has always allowed hunting of all kinds on its land.
No special permit would be required for the Sunday hunt, and all of the state's other hunting laws, such as seasons, bag limits and safety regulations, would apply.
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has supported the bill, saying that it would be a small enough hunt for an experimental Sunday season. If approved, the hunt would expire in two years, giving the department an out if problems arise. DIF&W has no firm plans for the future of Sunday hunting, Deputy Commissioner Paul Jacques said Thursday.
"A lot depends on what happens in these two years," he said.
McGlocklin said Thursday that although she was "cautiously optimistic" she had expected the vote to be even closer.
Supporters of the plan say that it could provide economic opportunity in a struggling region without causing the political problems that Sunday hunting raises in more populated areas.
All three of the representatives whose districts fall in the affected area - McGlocklin, Rep. Troy Jackson, D-Fort Kent, and Rep. Earl Richardson, R-Greenville - voted in favor of the bill.
"Our people want it and it doesn't affect anyone else," McGlocklin said. "I'd like to see the beautiful natural resources of our area actually help our economy."
Gov. John Baldacci will sign the bill if it reaches his desk, spokesman Lee Umphrey said Thursday.
But first, the bill must be approved by the state Senate, where an almost equal division of Republicans and Democrats will likely mean a very close vote on this partisan bill.
Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, and co-chairman of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife legislative committee, believes the hunt has a good chance of passage.
"It's a reasonable bill," he said Thursday. "It allows for more economic development in Northern Maine, [where] God knows, we need it."
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialn..._medgecomb.cfm
Maine House Approves limited Sunday Hunting
