An Act to Allow Sunday Hunting with a Bow and Arrow or Crossbow
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1241
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: WARREN, BLACK, CLOUTIER, DANA, FAULKINGHAM, JAUCH, MASON, ROEDER, WHITE, JACKSON
Amends: 12 MRSA §10206, 12 MRSA §10501, 12 MRSA §11164, 12 MRSA §11205

Legislative Document
No. 1241
H.P. 789
House of Representatives, March 21, 2023
An Act to Allow Sunday Hunting with a Bow and Arrow or 
Crossbow
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WARREN of Scarborough.
Cosponsored by Senator BLACK of Franklin and
Representatives: CLOUTIER of Lewiston, DANA of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, 
FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, JAUCH of Topsham, MASON of Lisbon, ROEDER of 
Bangor, WHITE of Waterville, Senator: President JACKSON of Aroostook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §10206, sub-§12 is enacted to read:
12.  Sunday hunting permit revenues.  One-third of all revenues derived from the 
sale of Sunday hunting permits under section 11164, subsection 3 must be deposited into a 
special nonlapsing account within the department, and that account must be used to fund 
youth hunter education and experiential programs.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §10501, sub-§9, as amended by PL 2003, c. 511, §1 and affected 
by §3 and c. 614, §§9 and 10, is further amended to read:
9.  Possession of hunting equipment on Sunday.  Possession of hunting equipment 
in the fields or forests or on the waters or ice in the State on Sunday is prima facie evidence 
of a violation of section 11205, unless:
A.  The hunting equipment is carried, securely wrapped, in a complete cover;
B.  The hunting equipment is fastened in a case; or
C.  The hunting equipment is carried in at least 2 separate pieces in such a manner that 
it can not cannot be fired, unless the separate pieces are joined together.  For the 
purpose of this subsection, a clip, magazine or cylinder of a firearm may not be 
considered a piece of the hunting equipment.  Bows and arrows must be kept in a case 
or cover if broadheads or field points are kept attached to the arrows.; or
D.  The hunting equipment is a hand-held bow and arrow or crossbow and the person 
in possession is hunting pursuant to section 11164.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §11164 is enacted to read:
§11164.  Sunday hunting permit; penalty
1.  Permit required.  Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this Part, a person 
may not hunt on a Sunday without a valid permit under this section. Each day that a person 
violates this subsection, that person commits a Class E crime for which a minimum fine of 
$50 and an amount equal to twice the applicable license fee must be imposed.
2.  Eligibility; archery license required.  A person who possesses a valid archery 
hunting license may obtain from the commissioner or an authorized agent a permit to hunt 
with a hand-held bow and arrow or, if the person holds a valid crossbow permit, a crossbow 
on a Sunday.
3.  Issuance; permit fee.  The commissioner, through the commissioner’s authorized 
agent, shall issue a Sunday hunting permit to an eligible person. The annual fee for each 
permit issued is $31, $10 of which must be deposited into the Land for Maine’s Future 
Fund, $10 of which must be provided to the department for the benefit of the Bureau of 
Warden Service, $10 of which must be provided to the department for the benefit of youth 
hunter education and experiential programs as provided in section 10206, subsection 12 
and $1 of which must be retained by the commissioner’s authorized agent.
4.  Rules.  The commissioner may adopt rules necessary for the proper administration, 
enforcement and implementation of this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection 
are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1, as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9 and amended 
by c. 655, Pt. B, §137 and affected by §422, is further amended to read:
1.  Prohibition.  A person may not:
A.  Hunt wild animals or wild birds on Sunday, except as provided in section 11164; 
or
B.  Possess any wild animal or wild bird taken in violation of paragraph A except as 
otherwise provided in this Part.
SUMMARY
This bill allows a person who has an archery license to purchase a Sunday hunting 
permit for $31 to hunt with a bow and arrow or, if the person has a valid crossbow permit, 
a crossbow. This bill distributes the revenue from the sale of the Sunday hunting permit to 
benefit the Land for Maine’s Future Fund and the Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife, Bureau of Warden Service and for the support of youth hunter education and 
experiential programs. The bill also amends the laws to allow a person to be in possession 
of a bow and arrow or crossbow on a Sunday if that person possesses a valid Sunday 
hunting permit.