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Response Letter for Sunday hunting critics

When considering the Sunday hunting opportunities included in Governor Baldacci’s proposed budget for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, it is important to understand what is not included:  there will be no Sunday hunting during November’s firearms season on deer.

That is the time of year when landowners and the general public have issues with the large number of hunters who are in the fields and forests pursuing deer.  All of Maine’s other hunting seasons involve much smaller numbers of hunters and few problems for landowners or the public.

Maine must be competitive if our outdoor economy is to be sustained and enhanced.  Nonresident hunters have been diverted to neighboring states like New Hampshire, Vermont and New York – all of which offer Sunday hunting.

Hunting has an economic value of more than $450 million, and allowing bird, moose, and bear hunters to hunt the entire weekend will make Maine a more appealing destination for hunters, increasing revenue for both DIF&W and the Maine economy.

And here’s something else that can’t be ignored.  Although a recent study showed that DIF&W provides $4 million of direct services to the general public, the Governor and Legislature have been unable to provide public monies to DIF&W to fund those services – including critical services like search and rescue.

Maine sportsmen continue to step up and pay higher fees, so that DIF&W can provide these services to the general public. 

In the next biennial budget, the Governor has once again had to ask sportsmen to fill DIF&W’s budget gap, because General Fund tax dollars are unavailable.  And to their great credit, the sportsmen of Maine have agreed to so.

In return, they asked for additional hunting opportunities on Sunday.  That is only fair.