An Act To Lower the Eligibility Age for a Junior Hunting License
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0156
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: HILLIARD, SAVIELLO, ALLEY, CRAFTS, DANA, ESPLING, HANINGTON, POULIOT, TIMBERLAKE, MIRAMANT
Amends: 12 MRSA §10853, 12 MRSA §11102, 12 MRSA §11106, 12 MRSA §11106-A, 12 MRSA §11107, 12 MRSA §11108, 12 MRSA §11108-C, 12 MRSA §11109

Legislative Document 
No. 156 
H.P. 114 
House of Representatives, January 27, 2015 
An Act To Lower the Eligibility Age for a Junior Hunting License 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative HILLIARD of Belgrade. 
Cosponsored by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin and 
Representatives: ALLEY of Beals, CRAFTS of Lisbon, DANA of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, 
ESPLING of New Gloucester, HANINGTON of Lincoln, POULIOT of Augusta, 
TIMBERLAKE of Turner, Senator: MIRAMANT of Knox. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10853, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2013, c. 136, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
8.  Members of federally recognized nation, band or tribe.  The commissioner 
shall issue a hunting, trapping and fishing license, including an archery hunting license 
under this chapter, and including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, 
trap and fish, to a person, 10 8 years of age or older, who is an enrolled member of the 
Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians or the 
Aroostook Band of Micmacs that is valid for the life of that person without any charge or 
fee pursuant to section 11109, if the person presents certification from the respective 
reservation governor or the Aroostook Micmac Council stating that the person described 
is an enrolled member of a federally recognized nation, band or tribe listed in this 
subsection.  Holders of these licenses are subject to this Part, including, but not limited to, 
a lottery or drawing system for issuing a particular license or permit.  Members of a 
federally recognized nation, band or tribe listed in this subsection are exempt from the 
trapper evaluation program required for a license under section 12201 and the archery 
hunter education course under section 11106. 
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §11102, as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9 and repealed and 
replaced by c. 655, Pt. B, §111 and affected by §422, is amended to read: 
§11102.  Age limitation for obtaining hunting license 
A person under 10 8 years of age is ineligible to obtain a hunting license. 
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §11106, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read: 
B.  A resident or nonresident 10 8 years of age or older and under 16 years of age 
may hunt with bow and arrow if that person holds a valid junior hunting license. 
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §11106-A, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 419, §3 and 
affected by §12, is amended to read: 
2.  Junior license.  A resident or nonresident 10 8 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. 
Sec. 5.  12 MRSA §11107, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2005, c. 397, Pt. E, §5, is 
further amended to read: 
2.  Junior license.  A person 10 8 years of age or older and under 16 years of age 
may obtain a muzzle-loading permit from the commissioner or the commissioner's 
authorized agent if the person possesses a valid junior hunting license. 
Sec. 6.  12 MRSA §11108, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2005, c. 419, §4 and 
affected by §12, is further amended to read: 
1.  On certain land.  Notwithstanding section 11109, subsection 1 as it applies to this 
subchapter, a resident over 10 8 years of age and a member of the resident's immediate 
family over 10 8 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, a 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. 7.  12 MRSA §11108-C, sub-§§2 and 3, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 538, 
§20, are amended to read: 
2.  Eligibility.  A resident or nonresident who is at least 10 8 years of age and under 
years of age may obtain a junior hunting license, which allows that person to hunt 
subject to the conditions set out in this section. 
3.  Supervision of junior hunters.  A hunter who is at least 10 8 years of age and 
under 16 years of age may not hunt unless that person holds a junior hunting license and 
is in the presence of and under the effective control of an adult supervisor. 
Sec. 8.  12 MRSA §11109, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 538, §21, is 
further amended to read: 
A.  A resident junior hunting license, for a person 10 8 years of age or older and 
under 16 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 exempt the holder of the license from lottery-related application 
requirements under this Part. 
Sec. 9.  12 MRSA §11109, sub-§3, ¶F, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 
538, §22, is amended to read: 
F.  A nonresident junior hunting license, for a person 10 8 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. 
SUMMARY 
This bill lowers the eligibility age for a junior hunting license from 10 years of age to 
years of age.