An Act To Expand Turkey Hunting Opportunities
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0822
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: PIOTTI, McCABE, TRAHAN
Amends: 12 MRSA §11155, 12 MRSA §11, 12 MRSA §12302-A, 12 MRSA §12303-A

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
The following document is provided by the 
LAW AND LEGISLATIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY 
at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library 
http://legislature.maine.gov/lawlib 
Reproduced from scanned originals with text recognition applied 
(searchable text may contain some errors and/or omissions) 
n 
. --/' 
\,--./. 
124tbMAINE LEGISLATU 
STATE LAW LiBFtAFt\, 
AUGUSTA ,nt/lilllfl,,/C::: . 
.. 
" 
.. , 
.,t -'" 
'ti IE.~"T 
Legislative Document 
. No. 822 
H.P.558 
. House of Representatives, March 3,2009 
An Act To Expand Turkey Hunting Opportunities 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
plinted. 
Presented by Representative PIOTTI of Unity. 
~~ 
/J7·mlLC~{· 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representative: McCABE of Skowhegan, Senator: TRAHAN of Lincoln. 
. 
. '  
Printed on .recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §11155, sub-§l-B, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 12; Pt. III, § 11, is 
amended to read: 
I-B. 
Issuance; permit fee. 
The commissioner, through the commissioner's 
authorized agent, shall issue a wild turkey hunting permit to an eligible person.· +fle 
Except as provided in subsection l-C, the annual fee for a wild turkey hunting permit is. 
$20 for residents and $47 for nonresidents and aliens $25. 
Sec.2. 12 MRSA §U155, sub-§1-C is enacted to read: 
l-C. Junior hunter; complimentary turkey permit. Upon application by a person 
who holds a valid junior hunting license, the commissioner shaH issue to that person a 
llcomplimentan; wild turkey hunting permit. 
.. 
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §H701, as amended by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, § 179 and 
affected by §422 and Pt. C, §§2 and 6, is further amended to read: 
§li701. Authority of commissioner; wild turkey hunting and seasons 
. 21 
The commissioner may establish open seasons for hunting wild turkeys, designate 
areas that are open to the taking of wild turkeys in any part of the State, prescribe the 
form and regulate the number of permits to be issued, determine the I1Hmber and se]( of 
the birds to be harvested, establish bag limits, establish permit eligibility requirements, 
establish legal hHnting times, specify the types of weapons to be used during any open 
wild turkey hunting season and make any other rules that the commissioner considers 
ne~essary for the protection of the wild turkey resource . 
The commissioner shall establish spring and fall wild turkey hunting seasons and 
aHow the harvestof2 male wild turkeys per permit holder in the spring season and 2 wild 
turkeys of either sex per permit holder in the fall season. Except as provided in section 
11751-A, subsection 2, a person may not harvest more than 2 wild turkeys during the fall 
season. 
A person who violates this section commits a Class E crime for which the court shall 
impose a fine of not less than $500, none. of which may be suspended; The court also 
shall impose a fine of $500 for each turkey unlawfully possessed, none of which may be 
suspended. 
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §11 703 is en~cted to read: 
§11703. Wild turkey hunting hours 
A person may hunt wild turkey during an open season on wild turkey between 112· 
hour before sunrise and 112 hour after sunset. 
Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §U751-A, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 552, §11 and 
affected by § 15 and c. 655, Pt. C, §§2 and 6, is amended to read: 
) 
) 
) 
n 
, 
r· 
\~) 
2. Exceeding bag limit. A person may not possess more than eRe 2 wild B:Ifkey 
turkeys during any an open season, except a person may keep more than &He 2 legally 
obtained wild B:Ifkey turkeys in that person's home at any time or as otherwise provided in 
law ef-ftlle. A wild turkey harvested by a. junior hunting license holder during a youth 
hunting day for wild turkeys does not count towards the bag limit established under this 
subsection oithe hunting restriction in subsection 3. 
Sec. 6. 12 MRS A §11751-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 552, §1l arid 
affected by § 1 ~ and c. 655, Pt. C, §§2 and 6, is amended t6 read: 
3, 
Hunting wild turi{ey after having killed two. 
A Except as provided in 
subsection 2, a person may not hunt wild turkey after that person has killed or registered 
eRe 2 during any an open season of that calendar year for the remainder of that season, 
except as otherwise provided in law ef-FI:tle. .' 
. 
Sec. 7. 12 MRS A §12301-A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, §226 and 
affected by§422, is amended to read: 
. 
§12301-A. R~gistration of harvested anim~ils 
1. Registration stations established. The commissioner shall adopt rules governing 
the establishment and closure of bear, deer, and moose and ",dld turkey registration 
stations for the purpose of registering harvested bear, deer, and moose and wild turkey 
and to allow for the collection' of biological and hunting data. Rules adopted pursuant to 
this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-
A. 
. 
. 
2. Agents designated. An agent designated by the commissioner must be in charge 
of each bear, deer, or moose or wild turkey registration.station. 
3. Agent duties. Registration agents shall: 
A.. 
Register every bear, deer, or moose or '.vild turke:)' legally presented for 
registration; 
B. 
Attach a seal to each bear, deer, or moose or ",Iild turkey in the manner directed 
and with the materials furnished by the commissioner; and 
C. 
Collect and retain $1 for each seal from the person registering a bear, deer, and' 
moose or 'ivild turkev. 
Sec. 8. 12 MRS A §12302-A, sub-§1, as enacted byPL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, §228 
and affected by §422, is amended to read: 
1. Requirement. A person who kills a bear, deer, or moose or ",{ild turkey shall: 
A. 
Remain with that animal until it is registered, except as provided in section 
12303-A; 
B. 
Present that animal for registration in that person's name at the first open 
registration station for that animal on the route taken by that person; and 
1. 
C. 
Leave the registration seal attached to the animal in accordance with section 
12301-A until that animal is processed and packaged for consumption. 
Sec. 9. 12 MRSA §12302-A, sulb-§l-A is enacted to read: 
i-A. Turkey registration. The commissioner shall adopt rules to develop a system 
to register harvested wild turkeys by telephone or over the Internet. 
Rules adopted 
pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 10. 12 MRSA §12303-A, slIllb-§l, CUB, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, 
§230 and affected by §422, is amended to read: 
10· 
. B. 
Deer; or 
Sec. H. 12MRSA §12303-A, sulb-§l, Gjfc, as enacted by PL 2003, c .. 655, Pt. B, 
§230 and affected by §422, is amended to read: 
C. 
Moose~:. 
Sec. 12 .. 12 MRSA §12303-A, sulb-§l, ~, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, 
. 15 
§230 and affected by §422, is repealed .. 
SUMMARY 
i7 
This bill amends the wild turkey hunting laws as follows. 
·1. It requires the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish and set 
the bag limit for the fall and spring seasons at 2 wild turkeys per permit holder per 
season. 
2. It requires the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to issue upon 
application a complimentary wild turkey hunting permit to a person holding a valid junior 
hunting license. 
3. It exempts a wild turkey harvested by a junior hunter during a youth wild turkey 
hunting day from bag limits. 
4. It eliminates the current $20 resident and $47 nonresident wild turkey hunting 
permit fees and creates a single $25 wild turkey hunting permit fee for both residents and 
nonresidents. 
5. It sets the wild turkey hunting hours between 112 hour before sl!nrise and 112 hour 
30. 
after sunset. 
. 
6. It directs the Commissioner ofInland Fisheries and Wildlife to adopt a registration· 
system that allows a hunter to register a harvested wild turkey by telephone or over the 
Internet. 
) 
) 
)