An Act To Allow the Use of Crossbows for Hunting
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0067
Committee Amendment CA_A_H152 (House)
Amends: 12 MRSA §10953, 12 MRSA §11106-A, 12 MRSA §11214, 15 MRSA §393

the Clerk of 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "fl" to H.P. 63, L.D. 67, Bill, "An Act 
To Allow the Use of Crossbows for Hunting" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting 
clause and before the summary and inserting in its place the 
following: 
'Sec. I. 12 MRSA §IOI08, sub-§6-A is enacted to read: 
6-A. 
Crossbow hunting education program. 
The commissioner 
shall establish a program for training individuals in safe and 
responsible crossbow hunting skills and behayior. 
This program 
may include instruction in fisheries and wildlife laws, rights of 
landowners and hunters and appropriate principles of wildlife 
management. 
The commissioner may charge an enrollment fee of up 
to $10 per person to help defray the costs of this program. 
The 
commissioner may cooperate with any public or private association 
dedicated to responsible and safe crossbow hunting to establish 
this program. 
In establishing the program, the commissioner shall: 
A. 
Prescribe the gualifications of instructors: 
B. 
Provide 
liability 
insurance 
for 
each 
instructor 
authorized by the commissioner to conduct training under the 
program protecting that person from liability for damages 
during the time when instruction is being given. 
The cost 
of this insurance must be borne by the State and charged 
against funds credited to the department; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~~. 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. ri .. to H.P. 63, L.D. 67 
C. 
Prescribe the type and length of .instruction and the 
time and place of eXaminations; and 
D. 
Issue a certificate of competency to individuals who 
successfully complete the examination. 
Sec.2. 12 MRSA §10953 is enacted to read: 
Sl09S3. 
Open seasons for hunting with crossbow 
1. Species and seasons. 
Except as provided in this Part. a 
person may hunt bear with a crossbow during the open season on 
bear as prOvided in section 11251 and may hunt deer with a 
crossbow during the open firearm season on deer as provided in 
section 11401. 
This subsection does not authorize a person to 
hunt deer with a 
crossbow during an expanded archery season 
established under section 11403 or in an expanded archery zone or 
during the muzzle-Ioading-only deer hunting season established 
under section 11404. 
2. 
Ru1emaking. 
The 
commissioner 
shall 
adopt 
rules 
regulating the use of crossbows for hunting that include but are 
not limited to restrictions on size. bolts. broadheads. sighting 
devices 
and safety mechanisms. 
The 
commissioner shall adopt 
rules that prohibit the use of hand-held or pistol-type crossbows 
and crossbows with a draw weight of less than 100 pounds or more 
than 200 pounds. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are 
routine technical rules as defined in Title 5. 
chapter 375. 
subchapter 2-A. 
Sec.3. 12 MRSA §11106-A is enacted to read: 
Sll106 A. 
Eligibility for crossbow hunting license 
1. 
Big game license. 
A resident or nonresident 16 years of 
age or older who has satisfied the reguirements of subsection 3 
and holds a valid big game license may obtain a crossbow license 
to 
hunt 
with 
a 
crossbow 
from 
the 
commissioner 
or 
the 
commissioner's authorized agent. 
2. 
Junior license. 
A resident or nonresident 10 years of 
age or older and under 16 years of age may hunt with a crossbow 
if that person holds a valid junior hunting license. 
3. 
Crossbow hunter education requirements. 
A person who 
applies for 
a 
crossbow hunting license. other than a 
junior 
hunting 
license. 
must 
submit 
proof 
of 
having 
successfully 
completed an archery hunting education course and 
a 
crossbow 
hunting 
course 
as 
described 
in section 
10108 
or 
eguivalent 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
l\.()\CO. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,A " to H.P. 63, L.D. 67 
crossbow and archery hunting education courses or satisfactory 
evidence of having previously held adult archery and crossbow 
hunting licenses issued specifically for the purpose of hunting 
with a crossbow or bow and arrow in this State or any other 
state, province or country in any year after 1979. 
When 
proof 
or 
evidence 
cannot 
be 
otherwise 
provided, 
the 
applicant may substitute a signed affidavit that the applicant 
has previously held the required adult crossbow and archery 
hunting 
license 
or 
has 
successfully 
completed 
the 
required 
crossbow and archery hunting education courses. 
Sec. 4. 12 MRS A §III08, sub-§I, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, 
Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read: 
1. 
On 
certain 
land. 
Notwi thstanding 
section 
11109, 
subsection 1 as it applies to this subchapter, a resident over 10 
years of age and a member of the resident's immediate family over 
years of age, as long as the hunter's license to hunt is not 
under 
suspension or 
revocation, 
may hunt without 
a 
license, 
including, but not limited to, an archery hunting 
license~ 
crossbow hunting license and 
a 
muzzle-loading license, 
on 
a 
single plot of land: 
A. 
To which they are legally entitled to possession; 
B. 
On which they are actually domiciled; 
C. 
That is used exclusively for agricultural purposes; and 
D. 
That is in excess of 10 acres. 
Sec.5. 12 MRSA §III09, sub-§§8 and 9 are enacted to read: 
8. 
ISSUance of crossbow hunting license: agent's fee. 
Clerks or other agents appointed by the commissioner to issue 
crossbow hunting licenses must charge 
a 
fee of $1 for each 
crossbow hunting license issued. 
The commissioner shall charge a 
fee of $1 for each crossbow hunting license issued by department 
employees. 
9. 
Crossbow licenses and fees. 
Crossbow hunting licenses 
and fees are as follows: 
A. 
A resident crossbow hunting license is $25: 
B. 
A nonresident crossbow hunting license is $48: and 
C. 
An alien crossbow hunting license is $72. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~.~.~ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. A .. to H.P. 63, L.D. 67 
Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §11214, sub-§I, 1[G, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 
414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read: 
G. 
H\lB.~ Except as provided in section 10953, hunt a wild 
animal or wild bird with a crossbow or set bow; 
Sec. 7. 15 MRSA §393, sub-§I, as amended by PL 2001, c. 549, 
§2, is further amended to read: 
1. 
Possession prohibited. 
A person may not own, possess or 
have under that person' s control a firearm or crossbow, unless 
that person has obtained a permit under this section, if that 
person: 
A-I. 
Has 
been 
convicted 
of 
committing 
or 
found 
not 
criminally responsible by reason of mental disease or defect 
of committing: 
(1) 
A crime 
in this State that is punishable by 
imprisonment for a term of one year or more; 
(2) 
A crime under the laws of the United States that 
is punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one 
year; 
(3) 
A crime under the laws of any other state that, in 
accordance with the 
laws 
of that 
jurisdiction, 
is 
punishable by 
a 
term of imprisonment exceeding one 
year. 
This subparagraph does not include a crime under 
the laws of another state that is classified by the 
laws of that state as a misdemeanor and is punishable 
by a term of imprisonment of 2 years or less; 
(4) 
A crime under the laws of any other state that, in 
accordance with the laws of that jurisdiction, does not 
come 
within 
subparagraph 
(3) 
but 
is 
elementally 
substantially similar to a crime in this State that is 
punishable by a term of imprisonment for one year or 
more; or 
(5) 
A crime under the laws of the United States, this 
State or any other state or the Passamaquoddy Tribe or 
Penobscot 
Nation 
in 
a 
proceeding 
in 
which 
the 
prosecuting authority was required to plead and prove 
that the person committed the crime with the use of: 
(a) 
A firearm or crossbow against a person; or 
(b) 
Any other dangerous weapon; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~.~fb. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. A" to H. P. 63, L . D . 67 
C. 
Has been adjudicated in this State or under the laws of 
the United States or any other state to have engaged in 
conduct as a juvenile that, if committed by an adult, would 
have been a disqualifying conviction: 
(1) 
Under paragraph A-1, subparagraphs (1) to (4) and 
bodily injury to 
another 
person 
was 
threatened or 
resulted: or 
(3) 
Under paragraph A-1, subparagraph (5); or 
D. 
Is subject to an order of a court of the United States 
or a state, territory, commonwealth or tribe that restrains 
that person 
from 
harassing, 
stalking or 
threatening 
an 
intimate partner, 
as defined in 18 United States Code, 
Section 921( a), of that person or a child of the intimate 
partner of that person, or from engaging in other conduct 
that would place the intimate partner in reasonable fear of 
bodily injury to the intimate partner or the child, except 
that this paragraph applies only to a court order that was 
issued after a hearing for which that person received actual 
notice and at which that person had the opportunity to 
participate and that: 
(1) 
Includes a finding that the person represents a 
credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate 
partner or a child; or 
(2) 
By 
its 
terms, 
explicitly prohibits 
the 
attempted use 
or 
threatened use 
of physical 
against an intimate partner or 
a 
child that 
reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury. 
For the purposes of this subsection, a person is deemed 
use, 
force 
would 
to have 
or nolo 
of 
the 
been convicted upon the acceptance of a plea of guilty 
contendere 
or 
a 
verdict 
or 
finding 
of guilty, 
or 
equivalent 
in 
a 
juvenile 
case, 
by 
a 
court 
of 
competent 
jurisdiction. 
For the purposes of this subsection, a person is deemed to have 
been found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disease 
or defect upon the 
acceptance of 
a 
plea of not criminally 
responsible by reason of insanity or a verdict or finding of not 
criminally responsible by reason of mental disease or defect, or 
of the equivalent in a juvenile case, by a court of competent 
jurisdiction. 
Sec. 8. 15 MRSA §393, sub-§I-A, as amended by PL 2001, c. 549, 
§3, is further amended to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H. P. 63, L.D. 67 
I-A. 
Limited prohibition for nonviolent juvenile offenses. 
A person who has been adjudicated in this State or under the laws 
of the United States or any other state to have engaged in 
conduct as a juvenile that, if committed by an adult, would have 
been a disqualifying conviction under subsection 1, paragraph A-I 
but is not an adjudication under subsection 1, paragraph C may 
not own or have in that person's possession or control a firearm 
or crossbow for a period of 3 years following completion of any 
disposition imposed or until that person reaches 18 years of age, 
whichever is later. 
Sec. 9. 15 MRSA §393, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1993, c. 368, 
§3, is further amended to read: 
2. 
Application after 5 years. 
A person subject to the 
provisions of subsection 1 may, after the expiration of 5 years 
from the date that the person is finally discharged from the 
sentences imposed as a result of the conviction or adjudication, 
apply to the Commissioner of Public Safety for a permit to carry 
a firearm or crossbow. 
That person may not be issued a permit to 
carry a concealed firearm pursuant to Title 25, chapter 252. 
Sec. 10. 15 MRSA §393, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1977, c. 225, 
§2, is amended to read: 
3. 
Contents. ";t'ae An application saall under subsection 2 
~ 
be on a form prepared by the Commissioner of Public Safety. 
The 
application saall ~ 
include 
the 
following: 
";t'ae 
the 
applicant's full name; all aliases; date and place of birth; 
place of legal residence; occupation; 
make, 
model 
and serial 
number of the firearm or crossbow sought to be possessed; date, 
place 
and 
nature 
of conviction; 
sentence 
imposed; 
place 
of 
incarceration; name and address of probation or parole officer; 
date of discharge or release from prison or jailor termination 
of 
probation; 
the 
reason 
for 
the 
request; 
and 
any 
other 
information 
eeemee 
determined by 
the 
commissioner 
to 
be 
of 
assistance. 
The 
application 
saall 
ID.Y..§.t 
be 
accompanied 
by 
certified or attested copies of the indictment, information or 
complaint, judgment and commitment and discharge waiea that are 
the subject of the conviction. 
Sec. 
11. 
Appropriations 
and 
allocations. 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
DILAND FISHERIES 
AND WILDLIFE, DEPARTMENT OF 
Division of Public Information and Education 
0729 
The 
following 
Initiative: 
Appropriates 
funds 
for the costs of offering a 
crossbow hunting education program. 
COMM/rrEE AMENDMENT 
".o,t5· 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. A 
.. to H.P. 63, L.D. 67 
GENERAL FOND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Savings Fund Proqram 
0822 
2005-06 
$5,000 
$5,000 
2006-07 
$1,000 
$1,000 
Initiative: 
Appropriates funds to be used only to avoid future 
fee increases. 
GENERAL FOND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE, 
DEPAR"l'MENT OF 
DEPARTMENT 'l'OTALS 
GENERAL FOND 
DEPARTMENT 'l'OTAL -
ALL FUNDS 
2005-06 
$6,850 
$6,850 
2005-06 
$11,850 
$11,850 
2006-07 
$13,700 
$13,700 
2006-07 
$14,700 
$14,700 
Sec. 12. Effective date. 
This Act takes effect January 1, 2006.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and: 
1. Allows the use of crossbows to hunt bear and deer during 
the regular firearms season on those species and clarifies that a 
person may not use crossbows to hunt deer during an expanded 
season or in expanded archery zones or in the muzzle-only deer 
season; 
2. Establishes a crossbow hunting license and sets the fees; 
3. 
Requires 
a 
person to hold a 
valid big game hunting 
license to be eligible for a crossbow hunting license; 
4. Requires the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 
to adopt rules regulating the use of crossbows for hunting that 
include a prohibition against the use of pistol-type crossbows or 
crossbows with a draw weight of less than 100 pounds or more than 
pound~; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~.tl' S. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 63, L.D. 67 
5. 
Requires 
the 
Commissioner 
of 
Inland 
Fisheries 
and 
wildlife to establish a crossbow hunting education course; 
6. Requires a person to complete both the crossbow and the 
archery hunting education courses prior to obtaining a crossbow 
license; 
7. 
Prohibits the possession of a crossbow by a convicted 
felon until 5 years after the person is discharged from the 
sentences imposed; and 
8. 
Makes this Act effective January 1, 2006. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/04/05 ~ae 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
LD67 
LR0046(02) 
An Act To Allow the Use of Crossbows for Hunting 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment An 
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
2005-06 
2006-07 
Projections 
2007-08 
$0 
$0 
$0 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
$11,850 
$14,700 
$14,200 
Revenue 
General Fund 
$11,850 
$14,700 
$14,200 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Projections 
2008-09 
$0 
$14,200 
$14,200 
Establishing fees for crossbow hunting licenses will increase General Fund revenue collected by the Department of 
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife by an estimated $6,850 and $13,700 in fiscal years 2005-06 and 2006-07, respectively. 
In order to meet the constitutional requirement that the total level of General Fund appropriations must be at least 
equal to the undedicated revenue collected by the department, the bill includes General Fund appropriations of$6,850 
and $13,700 for the Savings Fund program in fiscal years 2005-06 and 2006-07, respectively. 
Requiring the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish a crossbow hunting education program will 
require additional General Fund appropriations of $5,000 and $1,000 in fiscal years 2005-06 and 2006-07, 
respectively. The department will collect additional General Fund revenues in the same amounts from fees charged to 
individuals taking the education program. 
LR0046(2) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1