An Act To Allow Sunday Hunting for Coyotes in Northern Maine
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §11161 is enacted to read:
§ 11161. Hunting coyote on Sunday
1. Permit required. Except as otherwise provided pursuant to this Part, a person may not hunt coyote on Sunday unless that person has a valid permit issued pursuant to this section.
2. Eligibility; big game license required. A person who possesses a valid license to hunt big game may obtain a permit from the commissioner or an authorized agent to hunt coyote on Sunday in the northern part of the State.
3. Permit fee. The fee for a permit to hunt coyote on Sunday is $10.
4. Penalties. A person who violates subsection 1 commits a Class E crime.
5. Rules. The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary for the administration and implementation of this section, including, but not limited to, rules to determine areas in the northern part of the State open to hunting coyotes on Sunday. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
A. Hunt wild animals or wild birds on Sunday , except as provided in section 11161; or
SUMMARY
This bill permits the hunting of coyotes on Sunday in the northern part of the State and sets the fee for a Sunday coyote hunting permit at $10. It requires the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to adopt rules to establish areas in northern Maine open to hunting coyotes on Sunday.