An Act To Amend Certain Provisions of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1667
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: DUTREMBLE, BURNS, DAVIS
Amends: 12 MRSA §10801, 12 MRSA §10953, 12 MRSA §11109, 12 MRSA §11152, 12 MRSA §11208, 12 MRSA §11214, 12 MRSA §11403, 12 MRSA §12501

Legislative Document 
No. 1667 
S.P. 662 
In Senate, December 23, 2013 
An Act To Amend Certain Provisions of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife Laws 
Submitted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 23, 2013.  Referred to the Committee 
on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator DUTREMBLE of York. 
Cosponsored by Senator: BURNS of Washington, Representative: DAVIS of Sangerville. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10801, sub-§6, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is repealed. 
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §10953, sub-§1, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 236, 
§3, is amended to read: 
1.  Species and seasons.  Except as provided in this Part, a A person may: 
A.  Hunt bear with a crossbow during the open season on bear as provided in section 
11251; 
B.  Hunt wild turkey with a crossbow during the spring open season on wild turkey in 
areas open to wild turkey hunting as established by rule in section 11701; 
C.  Hunt moose with a crossbow in areas of the State open to moose hunting during 
the open season on moose established by rule in section 11552, subsections 1 and 2 
and according to the rules pertaining to moose hunting permits adopted by the 
commissioner for the protection of the moose resource under section 11551 and in 
accordance with the provisions of section 11601; and 
D.  Hunt deer with a crossbow during the open firearm season on deer as provided in 
section 11401.  This paragraph 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-loading-only deer hunting season 
established under section 11404, except as provided in subsection 1-A. 
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §10953, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 61, §3, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §10953, sub-§1-B is enacted to read: 
1-B.  Hunting with a crossbow; 70 years of age or older.  A person 70 years of age 
or older may hunt a wild bird or a wild animal with a crossbow during any open season 
on that wild bird or wild animal, subject to this Part.  A person 70 years of age or older 
may hunt deer with a crossbow during a regular archery-only season established under 
section 11403 or in an expanded archery zone or during the muzzle-loading-only deer 
hunting season established under section 11404. 
This subsection is repealed January 1, 2015. 
Sec. 5.  12 MRSA §11109, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 213, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
A.  A resident junior hunting license, for a person 10 years of age or older and under 
years of age, is $7.  Notwithstanding the permit fees established in subchapter 3, a 
resident junior hunting license includes all permits, stamps and other permissions 
needed to hunt at no additional cost.  A resident junior hunting license does not 
include an antlerless deer permit exempt the holder of the license from lottery-related 
application requirements under this Part. 
Sec. 6.  12 MRSA §11109, sub-§3, ¶F, as amended by PL 2013, c. 213, §2 and c. 
408, §12, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
F.  A nonresident junior hunting license, for a person 10 years of age or older and 
under 16 years of age, is $34.  A nonresident junior hunting license does not exempt 
the holder of the license from lottery-related application requirements under this Part. 
Sec. 7.  12 MRSA §11152, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2013, c. 408, §13, is 
further amended to read: 
7.  Special antlerless deer permit.  The commissioner shall issue a special antlerless 
deer permit to an eligible person who has lost all or part of one or more lower limbs, not 
including a partial foot amputation, or is suffering from the permanent loss of use of both 
lower limbs.  The commissioner shall issue a permit upon application and after the 
applicant verifies that person's ambulatory disability with a letter signed by a physician 
confirming the person's condition.  A person who is issued a special antlerless deer permit 
under this subsection may take an antlerless deer in any part of the State open to the 
taking of antlerless deer pursuant to subsection 3. 
Sec. 8.  12 MRSA §11208, as amended by PL 2005, c. 477, §7, is further amended 
to read: 
§11208.  Unlawful shooting or discharge of firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow 
1.  Shooting or discharge of firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow over or near 
public paved way.  A person may not: 
A.  Shoot at any wild animal or wild bird from any public paved way or within 10 
feet of the edge of the pavement of the public paved way or from within the right-of-
way of any controlled access highway; 
B.  Discharge any firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow over a public paved way; or 
C.  Possess any wild animal or wild bird taken in violation of paragraph A or B, 
except as otherwise provided in this Part. 
This subsection does not prohibit a person who has a valid permit to carry a concealed 
weapon from possessing that weapon on or near a public paved way as long as it is not 
used for shooting at wild animals or wild birds or discharged in violation of this 
subsection. 
2.  Penalty.  A person who violates subsection 1 commits a Class E crime. 
Sec. 9.  12 MRSA §11214, sub-§1, ¶G, as amended by PL 2005, c. 419, §6 and 
affected by §12, is further amended to read: 
G.  Except Hunt a wild animal or wild bird with a set bow or, except as provided in 
section 10953, hunt a wild animal or wild bird with a crossbow or set bow; 
Sec. 10.  12 MRSA §11403, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 61, §4 and c. 
298, §1, is further amended to read: 
2.  Open archery season on deer.  The commissioner shall by rule establish a 
regular archery-only season beginning at least 30 days prior and extending to the 
beginning of the regular deer hunting season, as described in section 11401, subsection 1, 
paragraph A, for the purpose of hunting deer with bow and arrow only.  During the 
regular archery-only season on deer, except as provided in section 10952, subsection 2 
and section 10953, subsection 1-A 1-B, the following restrictions apply. 
A.  A person may not take a deer during a regular archery-only season unless that 
person uses a hand-held bow and broadhead arrow with the following specifications. 
(1)  Bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. 
(2)  Arrowheads, including mechanical broadheads when open, must be at least 
7/8 inch in width. 
B.  A person may not carry firearms of any kind while hunting any species of wildlife 
with bow and arrow during the regular archery-only season on deer, except that a 
person who holds a license that allows hunting with firearms may carry a handgun.  
This paragraph may not be construed to prohibit a person who holds a valid permit to 
carry a concealed handgun pursuant to Title 25, section 2003 from carrying a 
handgun. 
C.  Except as provided in section 11109-A, subsection 3, if a person takes a deer with 
bow and arrow during the regular archery-only season on deer, that person is 
precluded from further hunting for deer during that year. 
D.  Except as provided in this subsection, the provisions of this Part concerning deer 
are applicable to the taking of deer with bow and arrow, including the transportation, 
registration and possession of deer taken by this method. 
A person who violates this subsection commits a Class E crime. 
Sec. 11.  12 MRSA §12501, sub-§5, as repealed by PL 2013, c. 380, §2 and 
affected by §5 and repealed by c. 408, §19, is repealed and the following enacted in its 
place: 
5.  Nonresident junior fishing license expiration.  A nonresident junior fishing 
license issued to a nonresident who has passed that nonresident's 15th birthday is valid 
through the calendar year for which the license was issued. 
Sec. 12.  12 MRSA §12501, sub-§6, ¶D, as repealed by PL 2013, c. 380, §3 and 
affected by §5 and repealed by c. 408, §20, is repealed and the following enacted in its 
place: 
D.  A nonresident junior fishing license, for persons 12 years of age or older and 
under 16 years of age, is $16.  This paragraph is repealed January 1, 2015. 
SUMMARY 
This bill makes the following changes to inland fisheries and wildlife laws: 
1.  It eliminates the delinquency fee charged to agents of the Department of Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife who sell licenses and registrations for the department but fail to 
remit the funds within 60 days; 
2.  It clarifies changes made by Public Law 2013, chapter 236 to the laws regarding 
hunting with a crossbow; 
3.  It clarifies a change made to the law regarding resident junior hunting licenses to 
specify that the license does not exempt the holder from having to comply with the 
requirements of the lottery process, including those of the lottery for an anterless deer 
permit; 
4.  It corrects an error made in Public Law 2013, chapter 408, which amended the 
qualifications for an antlerless deer permit for a person with a disability and inadvertently 
removed from eligibility a person who is suffering from the permanent loss of use of both 
lower limbs; 
5.  It adds the discharge of a bow and arrow to the prohibition against discharging a 
weapon over or near a public paved way; and 
6.  It resolves a conflict created by Public Law 2013, chapters 380 and 408, which 
repealed the same provisions of law regarding nonresident junior fishing licenses, except 
that chapter 380 delayed the repeal until January 1, 2015 to allow the department to 
collect revenue for another year.  The conflict is resolved by delaying the repeal until 
January 1, 2015, as in chapter 380.