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An Act To Allow Hunting on Sundays on Certain Land
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §11152-A  is enacted to read:
§ 11152-A.  Hunting on Sunday
 
1.  Permit system.     A deer permit system adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section may include a provision allowing hunting on Sunday on private property. A person may not hunt on Sunday on state or federal parks or lands. The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary for the administration, implementation, enforcement and interpretation of this section to allow hunting on Sunday during the open hunting season. The commissioner may adjust the rules for game management purposes. The fee for a Sunday hunting permit is $25.
 
2.  Written permission required.     A person may not hunt on Sunday on a private landowner's property pursuant to subsection 1 unless the person has written permission of the landowner or the landowner's agent. The permission must be kept on the person while hunting.
 
3.  Fee distribution.     Fees collected pursuant to subsection 1 must be transferred to the Support Landowners Program in section 10108, subsection 4, paragraph A.
 
4.  Penalty.     The penalties described under this subsection apply to violations of this section.
 
A.  A person who violates this section commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.
 
B.   A person who violates this section 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.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1, ¶A,  as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
 
A.  Hunt wild animals or wild birds on Sunday, except as provided in section 11152-A; or
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to authorize a private landowner to open that property on Sunday to hunters who have permits to hunt on Sunday. The hunter must have obtained written permission from the landowner, which must be kept on the person while hunting. The department shall adopt rules to implement a Sunday hunting permit system. The fee for a Sunday hunting permit is $25.