Sportsmen, take cover!

The Augusta lawmaking machine is whirring and churning and, as the snide saying goes, “hide your wallets, close the blinds and lock up your daughters.” Nothing is safe so long as the state legislature is in session.

There are hundreds of proposed laws, called LDs, that were dreamed up by ambitious lawmakers intent on “bettering” our lives in the Pine Tree State. The only saving grace is that most of these proposals never survive the legislative gauntlet.

Most threatening to sportsmen are a number of legislative proposals that would ban trapping, bear hunting over bait, and hunting with hounds. (Didn’t we already dispose of these issues during last fall’s bear referendum)? And, as you might guess, there are also some proposed anti-guns laws that pop up every session.

Of all the proposed LDs, the most insidious and deceptive is LD 303, An Act to Promote Fairness and Democracy in Wildlife Management. Sounds good, right? This law would remove the requirement that Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Commissioners have training and experience in fisheries and wildlife management or conservation law enforcement. This is a sugar-coated sneak attack, an attempt by the animal rights extremists to one day infiltrate the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife with one of their own. You can see the headline: “Susan Cockrell Named Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Commissioner.” A sportsman’s bad dream.

Some of these proposed laws are real head-shakers. One would make it illegal to shoot turkey decoys. Hello?

The booby prize goes to the lawmaker who dreamed up this one: LD 652, An Act to Provide Free Deer Hunting Licenses to Persons 100 Years of Age or Older. Now this is one that gives all Maine sportsmen something to look forward to.

Looking through the list of outdoor-related LDs, there are a couple that seem actually worthwhile. Free hunting and fishing licenses for Iraqi War veterans makes sense. They’ve earned the privilege. A bill that would ban the practice of remote control hunting has received an ought-to-pass vote from the Fish and Wildlife Committee. Good move.

Then, of course, there is the overarching legislative issue: Sunday Hunting. This week, a front-page Bangor Daily News headline proclaimed “Budget Panel kills Sunday hunting plan.” Apparently, as with so much of what happens in the state capital this time of year, everything is not necessarily what it appears to be. “Sunday hunting is not dead,” says George Smith, the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM).

Smith claims that, without Sunday hunting, the Department (DIF&W) faces a $6 million shortfall, which it can ill afford. SAM will continue to work with DIF&W to find a Sunday hunting concept that will pass muster. In other words, it is not over until it’s over.

Governor Baldacci’s reaction statement to the Sunday hunting setback is a puzzler. “What we want is the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department to be more independent of the General Fund,” he said.

Where has the man been? Just before he became governor, a long-sought and hard-fought goal to provide DIF&W with some General Fund money was enacted. The idea was to compensate DIF&W for all of the non-sportsmen services that it performs, such as search and rescue and non-game species management. There was even bi-partisan consensus among lawmakers that this was the way to go. Now the governor, after having breached that contract when he took away those funds during the previous biennium to balance his budget, is trying to turn history on its head.

Augusta has always been a confusing place, from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out. If things look a little more confusing than normal it is probably because they are. C’mon spring.

Upcoming shows

Every year about this time, sportsman shows and other March events provide outdoor folks with a cabin fever reliever. Here are some to consider:

• The 67th Annual Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show – University of Maine, Orono, March 18-20.

• The Pine Tree State Sportsman Show – Bob Nichols Expo Center, Wilton, March 25-27.

• Wild Turkey Federation Banquet – Waterville Elks Club, April 23, 6 p.m.

• Free Turkey Seminar – Blue Hill Rifle & Pistol Club, March 26, call 667-6167.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].