More law changes – baiting and feeding deer, altering fish, and more

Each day this week, I’ll post columns about all the new laws and law changes that govern hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities. Here is column number one.

 Moose Permits

  1. Selection procedure.   Permittees are selected by a public chance drawing, except that a permit must be issued to any resident who is 7065 years of age or older or will attain 7065 years of age during the calendar year in which the resident is applying for the permit, who has accumulated at least 30 points pursuant to subsection 8 and who applies for and is otherwise eligible to obtain the permit.

Loss of license

7-B Destroying or defacing property posting signs.     The hunting and fishing licenses of a person convicted of destroying, tearing down, defacing or otherwise damaging a property posting sign in violation of section 10652, subsection 1, paragraph B must be revoked, and that person is ineligible to obtain a hunting or fishing license for a period of one year from the date of conviction.

Shooting Guns Near Boat Launches

  • 11209-A. Discharge of firearm within 300 feet of state-owned boat launching ramp
  1. 1   A person may not discharge a firearm within 300 feet of a state-owned boat launching ramp that is posted in accordance with subsection 2.
  1. 2   An agency of the State having jurisdiction over a state-owned boat launching ramp may post notice, in a prominent location at the boat launching ramp, that the discharge of a firearm is prohibited within 300 feet of the boat launching ramp.
  1. 3   This section does not apply to a law enforcement officer in the performance of the law enforcement officer’s official duties.
  1. 4   A person who violates subsection 1 commits a Class E crime.

Noisy Snowmobiles

14-A Snowmobile noise requirements.     This subsection governs noise level requirements for snowmobiles.

  1. A. Except as provided in section 13112, a person may not:

(1) Operate a snowmobile manufactured after February 1, 2007 that does not display on its exhaust silencer a visible, unaltered certification marking issued by an independent organization that certifies snowmobiles for uniformity of safety features and noise levels;

(2) Operate a snowmobile manufactured after October 1, 1985 that emits total vehicle noise greater than 78 decibels of sound pressure level at 50 feet on the “A” scale, as measured by the SAE standards J-192; or

(3) Operate a snowmobile with an exhaust system that has been modified in a manner that amplifies or otherwise increases total noise emission above that of the snowmobile as originally constructed, regardless of the date of manufacture.

A snowmobile manufactured on or before October 1, 1973 is not subject to a specific noise level, except that a person may not operate a snowmobile modified in violation of subparagraph (3).

  1. B. The following penalties apply to violations of this subsection.

(1) A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.

(2) A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as having committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-year period commits a Class E crime.

Group Fishing Licenses

  1. 17 Group fishing license for persons with disabilities.  In addition to other licenses issued by the commissioner pursuant to this section, the commissioner may issue a complimentary group fishing license to a person or entity that allows a group of persons with disabilities to fish in a location for a period of time as specified on the license.
  2. License and fee.   License applicants who successfully meet the qualifications set forth in this section must be issued a license upon payment of a $77 fee for a 3-year license. This fee is in addition to the $50 examinationapplication fee required for a first-time applicant.

Gun Inspections

1-A Form.     A firearms dealer may not refuse to show or refuse to allow inspection of the form a dealer must keep as prescribed by 18 United States Code, Section 923 to a law enforcement officer as defined in Title 17-A, section 2, subsection 17 upon presentation of a formal written request for inspection stating that the form relates to an active criminal investigation.

A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of $50 may be adjudged.

  1. False or fictitious name.   A person may not give a false or fictitious name to a firearms dealer. A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of $50 may be adjudged.
  1. Exception.   This section does not apply to a firearms wholesaler who sells only to other firearms dealers or to a firearms manufacturer who sells only at wholesale.

Hunter Red

1-A Religious opposition exemption.     A person may substitute articles of bright red clothing for the articles of hunter orange clothing required under subsection 1 if the person has a religious opposition to the wearing of hunter orange clothing.

 

 

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.