These new Maine sporting laws go into effect this Friday

By Julie Harris, Bangor Daily News Staff

Several bills the Maine Legislature passed into law this session related to boats, ATVs, snowmobiling, invasive species and hunting will go into effect on Aug. 9.

Youth deer hunting, distribution of gas tax money between motor sports and wake surfing were all among the areas seeing changes in the laws.

Youth deer hunting

The Legislature last year experimentally expanded the youth deer hunt from one day to two, with the idea that it could become more permanent. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reported back to the Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on the potential pros and cons of making the two-day hunt permanent after the 2023 hunt.

Specifically, the committee wanted to know if the expanded hunt for youth would affect the general hunting season that draws thousands of adults and youths to the woods in November. Finding no substantial negative impact, the Legislature made the two-day hunt permanent. 

Last year’s hunt was deemed a success by those who took part in it, even though warm temperatures and rain may have kept the number of hunters down. MDIF&W will continue to monitor the program and keep the Legislature’s committee informed.

The youth hunt will be held on the Friday and Saturday the week before the opening of the regular firearms season. That means it will be on Oct. 25 and 26 this year, with regular firearms season opening on Nov. 4.

Reducing landowner-deer conflicts

The same law that made the two-day youth hunt permanent also expanded how the Maine Deer Management Fund in the MDIF&W could be used.

LD 614 directs the department to use some of the funds to reduce conflicts between landowners and deer and to add an option on the state’s online licensing system for hunters to contribute money for that purpose.

The $2 from each deer registration fee added to the management fund for predator control and deer habitat will be redirected to help landowners prevent or manage conflicts with deer, such as damage done to crops. The money from antlerless deer permit fees, minus administrative costs, will be used to control predators and to acquire deer habitat, including winter deer yards.

This law was passed in lieu of one that would have given landowners who allow the public to  hunt on their property a free antlerless deer permit.

Wake boats and wake surfing

This law came from an MDIF&W study on how wake boats — certain watercraft that sit low in the water and create larger than normal waves for water sports such as wake surfing — affect shoreland properties and the environment, specifically shore nesting birds such as loons.

The new law defines “wakesurfing activity” as essentially using a surfboard, wakeboard or similar device in a boat’s wake, which is the wave action the motorboat creates. It also says a boat may not engage in wakesurfing in less than 15 feet of water or within 300 feet of the shoreline.

Watercraft dealers are directed under this law to give anyone who buys a boat information on safety and education courses the state offers and who is required to participate in them. It also directs MDIF&W to reach out to people who are taking part in wakesurfing for education purposes.

The department has to submit a report on wake boats and related activities, including information on its outreach program, complaints and enforcement by Feb. 1, 2027. That report may include the department’s recommendations for changes and feedback from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Boating Facilities Program.

Gas tax and trail funding

LD 2276 updated the allocations of the approximately $5.7 million in non-recreational vehicle gas tax money between snowmobiling, all terrain vehicle riding and boating for the first time since 2001. A major change since that time was the doubling of all-terrain vehicle registrations to approximately 82,000 in 2022 and snowmobile registrations have declined from a high of more than 101,000 to about 88,000.

There were 56 ATV clubs and 1,268 miles of trail in 2001, but by 2023, there were 142 clubs, 6,260 miles of trail statewide and more than 3,000 landowners who granted permission for ATV use, according to a state study conducted by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.

The law signed by Gov. Janet Mills in April changed how the gas tax money was split up so it’s more equitable. It provides additional funding to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Snowmobile Trail Fund and ATV Recreational Management Funds, and less funding to the MDIF&W.

Youth moose hunt

The Legislature increased the number of free moose permits for youths who are critically ill or have disabilities from two to five. While the original two permits were awarded to out-of-state nonprofits, the three additional permits are specifically designated for Maine youths.

Invasive aquatic species

In light of the increased number of improved fish passages, including the removal of fish barriers such as dams and replacement of culverts, the Legislature has directed the MDIF&W to establish a process with the Maine Department of Marine Resources for planning controls and preventions of the spread of invasive species.

The departments must have its process submitted by Dec. 15 and it must inform the legislative committee about pending dam removals or other major changes that could affect the spread of invasive species.

The plan has to be updated every five years.

Other laws of note

Two other laws of note that are effective Jan. 1, 2025, not on Aug. 9, have to do with upland bird and moose hunting conflicts and increased fees for invasive species stickers.

Starting in 2025, when the first week of upland bird season starts in the last full week in September, opening day will occur on the last Saturday of the month and could suspend until Oct. 1 while moose hunting is going on. The new law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, gives the commissioner leeway to make those adjustments.

It does not affect the October bird hunt.

The law changed in 2019 to allow bird hunting to begin on the last Saturday of September, which set up a conflict between moose and bird hunters in the years that they had to share the woods in the last full week of the month.

The other law effective Jan. 1, 2025, increased the fees for in-state boat registrations and lake and river protection stickers for motorboats and personal watercraft not registered in Maine, plus  for seaplanes that operate on inland waters. 

In-state registrations will increase by $10 and out-of-state stickers by $15. These fees will increase by the same amounts again in 2028 under this law.

The funding also will be reallocated. The amount of money given to the Invasive Aquatic Plant and Nuisance Species Fund will decrease from 80 to 70 percent; and the amount for the Lake and River Protection Fund will increase from 20 to 30 percent.