AUGUSTA (AP) – Hundreds of Maine farmers and small woodlot owners have pledged to post their land against hunting if Gov. John Baldacci’s proposal to allow Sunday hunting becomes law.
“We are talking about six million acres and the majority of it is open,” Thomas Doak of the Small Woodlot Owners Association of Maine said Tuesday. “Farmers and woodlot owners are willing to share, but one day of peace out of seven is not too much to ask.”
The administration is promoting Sunday hunting for birds, small game, moose and bear as a means to attract out-of-state hunters and the dollars they bring to Maine. Sunday hunting would continue to be banned during the firearms season for deer.
In exchange for Sunday hunting, the plan would make permanent what has been a temporary $3 charge that was added to the cost of hunting licenses and was due to expire this year.
Galen Larrabee, a Knox dairy farmer who allows hunting access to hundreds of acres of his land, said many farmers are considering posting their property.
“The $3 fee isn’t going to bring in enough money to offset the infringement on our land,” he said.
In Maine, unlike some other states, hunters are assumed to have landowner permission to use private property unless it is posted against hunting.
“The tradition of no hunting on Sunday has allowed farmers and small woodlot owners one day out of seven to enjoy their property and, in most cases, share that property with nonhunters. This proposal clearly alters that balance and threatens the tradition of users and landowners working together to provide recreational opportunities,” Douglas Blackstone, Maine Farm Bureau president, said in a prepared statement.
Doak said many hunters are aware of the access issue and are siding with the farmers.
“They don’t want a change in the balance that now exists between hunters and landowners,” he said. “Inevitably, this will lead to less access.”
Toni Morton of the Maine Farm Bureau said farmers have managed to help defeat Sunday hunting bills 23 times, but “this time is different. This time it is the governor’s budget proposal.”
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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com
AP-ES-01-19-05 0217EST
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