A survey conducted for IFW reveals Mainers attitudes towards allowing Sunday hunting.

There's new data fueling the ongoing debate over allowing Sunday hunting in Maine. A survey conducted for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife looked into the attitudes regarding Sunday hunting. The survey was conducted from December 2021, through early February 2022. Participants were divided into three responding groups, the Maine general population residents, hunters, and landowners.

The newly released 135-page report reveals survey findings which show a majority of the Maine general population opposed to allowing Sunday hunting - 34% support, 54% oppose. In contrast, 69% of hunters surveyed support Sunday hunting, with 23% opposed.

Support for Sunday hunting increased among general population respondents when asked if they would support Sunday hunting with the requirement to obtain landowner permission before hunting. Results jumped to 45% in support, with 45% remaining opposed.

The latest proposal for allowing Sunday hunting in Maine would have required landowner permission. The bill, LD 2014, would have allowed landowners to hunt wild animals and wild birds on their private property on Sundays. Landowners could also give written permission to other individuals, allowing them to hunt on the landowners' private property on Sundays.

The bill did not make it through the committee, which voted 8-3 Monday to reject the bill, The bill still faces votes in the House and Senate, although the committee's rejection makes its passage unlikely.

You can read the full "Maine Residents’, Hunters’, and Landowners’ Attitudes Toward Sunday Hunting" report online.

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According to an article published by the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Maine is one of 11 states in the country that still bans Sunday hunting. While other states have limitations on Sunday hunting, Maine and Massachusetts are the only states that currently have an outright ban. The rule stems from "blue laws" that restrict or ban certain Sunday activities.

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