An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Crossbow Hunting
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1137
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: GERRISH, COLLINS, BLACK, HILLIARD, LYFORD, MASON, PIERCE, SIMMONS, WOOD
Amends: 12 MRSA §10952, 12 MRSA §10953, 12 MRSA §11109-A, 12 MRSA §11162, 12 MRSA §11402, 12 MRSA §11403

Legislative Document
No. 1137
H.P. 800
House of Representatives, March 23, 2017
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Crossbow Hunting
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GERRISH of Lebanon.
Cosponsored by Senator COLLINS of York and
Representatives: BLACK of Wilton, HILLIARD of Belgrade, LYFORD of Eddington, 
MASON of Lisbon, PIERCE of Dresden, SIMMONS of Waldoboro, WOOD of Greene.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10952, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2015, c. 301, §7, is further 
amended to read: 
1.  Hunting with a bow and arrow or a crossbow.  A person may, except as 
otherwise provided in this Part, hunt any wild bird or wild animal with a hand-held bow 
and arrow during any open season on that bird or animal if the person holds a valid 
archery hunting license and may, except as otherwise provided in this Part, hunt any wild 
bird or wild animal with a crossbow during any open season on that bird or animal if the 
person holds a valid archery license or hunting license and a valid crossbow hunting 
license.  
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §10953, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2013, c. 538, §14, is 
further amended to read: 
D.  Hunt deer with a crossbow during the open firearm season on deer as provided in 
section 11401 and during a regular archery and crossbow season established under 
section 11403. 
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §10953, sub-§1-C, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 42, §1, is 
amended to read: 
1-C.  Hunting with a crossbow; 65 years of age or older.  A person 70 65 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 65 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. 
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §11109-A, sub-§3, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 163, §1 and 
affected by §3, is amended to read: 
A.  One deer during either the regular open firearm season or the regular archery-only 
archery and crossbow season or the special muzzle-loading season in accordance with 
sections 11401, 11403 and 11404, respectively; 
Sec. 5.  12 MRSA §11162, sub-§1, as reallocated by RR 2015, c. 1, §8, is 
amended to read: 
1.  Hunting or archery license.  A resident or nonresident 16 years of age or older 
who has satisfied the requirements of subsection 3 or who is exempt under subsection 4 
and who holds a valid hunting or archery hunting license or an apprenticeship hunter 
license or archery hunting license may obtain a crossbow permit to hunt with a crossbow 
from the commissioner or the commissioner's authorized agent. 
Sec. 6.  12 MRSA §11402, sub-§3, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 
and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read: 
F.  The Town of Islesboro in Waldo County, except that a person may hunt deer in 
that town only with bow and arrow from the first day of the special regular archery 
and crossbow season on deer, established in accordance with section 11403, 
subsection 2, to the end of the regular firearm season on deer of each calendar year in 
Waldo County; 
Sec. 7.  12 MRSA §11403, as corrected by RR 2015, c. 2, §7, is amended to read: 
§11403.  Regular archery and crossbow deer hunting season 
2.  Open archery and crossbow hunting season on deer.  The commissioner shall 
by rule establish a regular archery-only archery and crossbow season beginning at least 
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 and crossbow.  During the regular archery-only archery and 
crossbow season on deer the following restrictions apply. 
A.  A person may not take a deer during a regular archery-only archery and crossbow 
season unless that person uses a hand-held bow and broadhead arrow in accordance 
with section 11214, subsection 1, paragraph P or crossbow in accordance with section 
10953. 
B.  A person may not carry firearms of any kind while hunting any species of wildlife 
with bow and arrow or crossbow during the regular archery-only archery and 
crossbow 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 or crossbow during the regular archery-only archery and crossbow 
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 or crossbow, including the 
transportation, registration and possession of deer taken by this method. 
A person who violates this subsection commits a Class E crime. 
SUMMARY 
This bill expands crossbow hunting for deer into the regular archery-only season on 
deer.  It removes the requirement that a person must have a valid hunting or archery 
hunting license or an apprenticeship hunter license or archery hunting license in order to 
hunt with a crossbow.  It also lowers from 70 years of age to 65 years of age the age at 
which a person may hunt a wild bird or wild animal with a crossbow during any open 
season on that wild bird or wild animal, hunt in an expanded archery zone and hunt 
during muzzle-loading-only deer hunting season.