An Act To Prohibit Hunting with a Bow within 100 Yards of a Building or Residence
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0569
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: TUELL, CARMICHAEL, LANDRY, MASON
Amends: 12 MRSA §11209

Legislative Document
No. 569
H.P. 414
House of Representatives, February 24, 2021
An Act To Prohibit Hunting with a Bow within 100 Yards of a 
Building or Residence
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 22, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative TUELL of East Machias.
Cosponsored by Representatives: CARMICHAEL of Greenbush, LANDRY of Farmington, 
MASON of Lisbon, McCREA of Fort Fairfield.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §11209, as amended by PL 2019, c. 14, §§1 and 2, is further 
amended to read:
§11209.  Discharge of firearm, bow or crossbow near dwelling or building
1.  Prohibition.  A person may not:
A.  Unless a relevant municipal ordinance provides otherwise and except as provided 
in subsections 3 and 4 and sections 12401 and 12402, discharge a firearm, including a 
muzzle-loading firearm, bow or crossbow or cause a projectile to pass as a result of 
that discharge within 100 yards of a building or residential dwelling without the 
permission of the owner or, in the owner's absence, of an adult occupant of that building 
or dwelling authorized to act on behalf of the owner; or
B.  Possess a wild animal or wild bird taken in violation of this subsection, except as 
otherwise provided in this Part.
This subsection may not be construed to prohibit a person from killing or taking a wild 
animal in accordance with sections 12401 and 12402.
This subsection does not apply to a person discharging a bow in an expanded archery deer 
zone during an expanded archery deer hunting season created by the commissioner by rule.
For purposes of this section, "building" means any residential, commercial, retail, 
educational, religious or farm structure that is designed to be occupied by people or 
domesticated animals or is being used to shelter machines or harvested crops.
For purposes of this section, "projectile" means a bullet, pellet, shot, shell, ball, bolt or 
other object propelled or launched from a firearm, bow or crossbow.
2.  Penalty.  A person who violates subsection 1 commits a Class E crime.
3.  Target practice; crossbow.  Unless otherwise prohibited, a landowner or the 
landowner's invitee may discharge a bow or crossbow for recreational target practice 
purposes on the landowner's property within 100 yards of a building or residential dwelling 
without the permission of the owner of that building or dwelling.  Nothing in this subsection 
authorizes a landowner or the landowner's invitee to cause a projectile discharged from a 
bow or crossbow to enter property owned by another person.
4.  Sport shooting ranges.  Unless otherwise prohibited, a person may discharge a 
firearm on a sport shooting range as defined in Title 30‑A, section 3011, subsection 1 that 
is within 100 yards of a building if the sport shooting range was established and in regular 
operation prior to the erection of the building.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits the discharge of a bow within 100 yards of a building or residential 
dwelling without the permission of the owner, but allows for recreational target practice.  
It also provides an exception for discharging a bow in an expanded archery deer zone 
during an expanded archery deer hunting season created by the Commissioner of Inland 
Fisheries and Wildlife by rule.