If you are a Maine bowhunter or recreational archer, fasten your seat belt! You are not gonna believe this.

Among the assortment of new sportsmen-related state laws that got squeezed through under the public radar was LD 540, which, I predict, is destined to live in infamy, at least among the bowhunting communtity. Language in the new law, that goes in effect in early October, states that it is illegal to shoot any kind of a bow within 100 yards of any dwelling without first having permission of the dwelling owner.

The practical effect of this cockamamie new law is this: It makes a mockery out of Maine’s expanded archery deer hunting season in urban areas and it outlaws shooting your bow in your own back yard!

What were these state legislators thinking? How in the world did Representative Steve Wood sneak this under the radar, or get his fellow legislative committee members to go along? Moreover, how did our Augusta watchdog groups like the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Maine Bowhunters Association fail to stop this abomination in its tracks?

SAM Director Dave Trahan says,”We had nothing to do with it. It was a last minute issue added to the law. We will work to change it.”

MBA president John Hunt had more to say, “Some people have said that anti-hunters in their neighborhoods are using this law to prevent hunting of deer in expanded archery areas.  I saw no reason for Representative Wood to do this.  He actually tried to get crossbows removed from the law two weeks earlier. This sort of duplicity and pitting sportsmen against each other has no place in our state, and puts us at the mercy of anti-hunters.”

Hunt is suggesting that Rep. Wood’s amendment was a punitive sneak attack intended to punish the MBA for not supporting the use of crossbows during the regular archery season. So far, Rep. Wood has not answered my email query to him.

If MBA president Hunt is right, Rep. Wood needs to be held accountable for abuse of power. If this is just a case of rash behavior or plain wrongheadedness, there is enough blame to go around. This pointless law would never have  gotten on the books without the approval of the Legislative Joint Committee for Fish and Wildlife. Below is a list of the committee members, along with their respective email addresses and telephone numbers. (The phone numbers and email addresses of state senators could not be found on the State Senate’s website).

If you are a bow hunter, a recreational archer, or just a citizen sportsmen fed up with legislative overkill you might want to locate your area lawmaker and have a talk.
 
   
Joint Standing Committee on
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Senator David E. Dutremble (D-York), Chair

Senator Anne M. Haskell (D-Cumberland)

Senator David C. Burns (R-Washington)

Representative Michael A. Shaw (D-Standish), Chair, utumike@aol.com/ 787 4352

Representative Sheryl J. Briggs (D-Mexico), sheryljbriggs@gmail.com/364 5665

Representative Karen Kusiak (D-Fairfield), karen.kusiak@colby.edu/ 453 6834

Representative Timothy I. Marks (D-Pittston),RepTim.Marks@legislature.maine.gov/ 5826798

Representative Stanley Byron Short, Jr. (D-Pittsfield),RepStanley.Short@legislature.maine.gov/487 4944

Representative Paul T. Davis, Sr. (R-Sangerville)*,RepDavis@midmaine.com/876 4047

Representative Dale J. Crafts (R-Lisbon),dalecrafts@reagan.com/ 353 5469

Representative Eleanor M. Espling (R-New Gloucester),espling2@securespeed.us/926 6082

Representative Stephen J. Wood (R-Sabattus), woodsnavy@aol.com/ 740 3723

Representative Jeffrey Evangelos (U-Friendship), caa04@roadrunner.com/ 832 7378

The author 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, WQVM-FM  101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com . He has two books “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook” and his latest, “Backtrack.”

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