This is my first attempt at a live blog so bear with me. I’m listening to the live feed from the work session of the Standing Committee of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in Augusta, Maine.
Coming as no surprise, Rep. Stacey Fitts’ proposed bill, LD307, has only one supporter at the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Legislative Committee public hearing. As I am listening to the live audio broadcast of the hearing, nothing new is being presented – as if anyone expected something different.
LD307 seeks to allow Maine property owners the right to hunt on their land (at least 20 acres) providing they leave their land open the rest of the time. Fitts presented his bill as a property rights issue and not a Sunday hunting issue but in my opinion failed to convince anyone of it. He did mention one thing that raised my eyebrow. He talked of how his bill may help to balance the loss of land that Maine is seeing disappear each year.
He may have a point but I don’t think he convinced those who were skeptical about the additional lands that would be lost should any amount of land be opened to Sunday hunting.
The only one at the meeting who spoke in favor of Sunday hunting was George Smith, representative of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. His effort was low key and he agreed with Fitts that LD307 was a property rights issue but he too failed to bring any substantive reason why it was. Instead, he chose to spend his time promoting the overall advantages of Sunday hunting in Maine. I don’t think he has done a lot to sway support.
Once Smith stepped down from the microphone, those opposed lined up to speak their minds. It was pretty much the same people representing the same organizations who have perpetually been in opposition to Sunday hunting – Small Woodlot Owners of Maine, Maine Potato Board, Wildlife Alliance of Maine, Maine Guides and Maine Trappers Association, along with various other organizations and individuals.
To me the bottom line on this issue is, it’s Sunday hunting. No matter how you want to slice it, dice it, package it or present it, it’s Sunday hunting and Maine wants nothing to do with it. The one determining factor in this debate is the landowner. Many who spoke in opposition, all drove home this same theme.
Skip Trask, representing both the Maine Guides and Maine Trappers, probably summed it up best when he said, “Until the landowners of Maine support Sunday hunting, his organizations will stand with them in opposition”.
It was though a bit tiring to sit and listen to the countless, non-factual rhetoric hammered out by several individuals speaking against the issue. While accusing the hunters of using false statements, they attempted to support their own talking points with scare tactics, anecdotal evidence and outright poor excuses.
But it really doesn’t matter. It’s a land access issue and clearly the majority of hunters and residents of Maine see it as protection of the landowners who are willing to leave their land open to recreation and in return they want Sundays off.
That’s were it stands and it sure looks to me like attempt number 26 in 30 years will join ranks with all the other attempts and die in committee.
Tom Remington
Note: I attempted to write this as I listened. So, if the information seems a bit jumbled, I realized it’s not an easy thing to do.
