Many hunters have reacted negatively to the new law that requires the written permission of private landowners for the placement of trail cameras. The law also requires that each camera be labeled with the owner’s name and contact information.
There is some good news. North Maine Woods, that manages 3 million acres of private land, and several large private landowners, are working on ways to expedite this process and make it easy to obtain their permission for the placement of cameras on their lands.
I have asked for information on their process, as soon as it is available, and will report that information here. I am also trying to find out how the Maine Warden Service intends to enforce this new law. My hope is that enforcement will occur only when a landowner complains about a camera on his or her property, but we’ll see.
The placement of cameras on public lands is still permitted without permission, although you must abide by the rules of the Bureau of Parks and Lands, which prohibit cameras in some places, such as in and around campgrounds and restrooms.
Stay tuned for more information!