Testimony in Support
LD 424, An Act to Extend the Big Game Season in Coastal Management Areas Before the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Presented by David Trahan, Executive Director, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
March 16, 2017
Senator Cyrway, Representative Duchesne, distinguished a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, my name is David Trahan and I am representing the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine testifying in support of LD 424, An Act to Extend the Big Game Season in Coastal Management Areas.
Our organization has consistently supported Sunday hunting as a way to expand hunting opportunities and aid economically depressed areas in rural Maine. We appreciate the concerns of landowners who want one day a week without hunting, we would gladly give them Wednesday in exchange for Sunday. Just kidding. This legislation is drafted to require landowner permission to hunt on Sunday. Those that don’t like Sunday hunting won’t allow it, those that do, will.
The one component of this bill that we have concerns with is restricting this new opportunity to wildlife management areas A, B and C. If this policy is passed by the legislature and if your intent is to give this authority to the Commissioner, you shouldn’t put sideboards on his authority. If you are concerned the Commissioner will not exercise this authority than we recommend amending this bill to establish the seasons you desire.
You are likely to hear arguments that hunting seasons will have to be shortened because more hunters, particularly working Mainers and non-residents will hunt, thus killing more wildlife. I would argue that this logic makes the case to support this new opportunity. In other words, they are confirming the point we keep making that people who work full- time, some who own their own land have very little opportunity to hunt, unlike retirees and those that travel here from out of state. In a sense this is legislation that supports Maine’s working men and women and brings equality to hunting opportunity.