An Act To Prohibit Recreational Bear Trapping
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §12260, as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9 and amended by c. 655, Pt. B, §§222 to 224 and affected by §422, is repealed.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §12261 is enacted to read:
§ 12261. Trapping bear prohibited
1. Unlawful trapping of bear. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person may not catch bear in a trap. A person who violates this subsection commits a Class E crime.
2. Research and public safety. The commissioner shall establish rules concerning bear trapping. These rules must provide for trapping bear only for purposes of scientific research, animal damage control or public safety. Rules established pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
summary
This bill abolishes the open season on trapping bears. It allows for the trapping of bear only for scientific research, animal damage control or public safety.