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LD716 • 2025

An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes

An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative Nina Milliken
Last action
2025-03-27
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes

An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes Sponsor: Representative Nina Milliken Reference committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes Sponsor: Representative Nina Milliken Reference committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-27 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-03-26 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-03-21 House

    Carried over, in the same posture, to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.

  4. 2025-03-17 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-03-17 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  6. 2025-02-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes
Sponsor:
Representative Nina Milliken
Reference committee:
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 716
H.P. 455 House of Representatives, February 25, 2025
An Act to Restrict the Hunting of Coyotes
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MILLIKEN of Blue Hill.
Cosponsored by Representatives: GOLEK of Harpswell, MATHIESON of Kittery, PUGH of
Portland.

Page 1 - 132LR1258(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §10902, sub-§7, as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9, amended by
3 c. 655, Pt. B, §100 and affected by §422, is further amended to read:
47. Mandatory hunting license revocation; coyote hunting violation. A hunting
5 license of a person convicted of hunting coyote in violation of section 11160 or 12001 must
6 be revoked and that person is ineligible to obtain any hunting license for a period of one
7 year from the date of conviction and a $500 fine must be imposed.
8Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §11160, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and
9 affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
101. Permit required. Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this Part, a person
11 may not hunt coyote at night unless that person has a valid permit issued under this section.
12 Each night a person violates this subsection that person commits a Class E crime for which
13 a minimum fine of $50 and an amount equal to twice the applicable license fee $500 must
14 be imposed and the hunting license of that person must be revoked for a period of one year.
15Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §12001, as amended by PL 2011, c. 216, §1, is further amended
16 by amending the section headnote to read:
17§12001. Night season Season and restrictions
18Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §12001, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2011, c. 216, §1, is further
19 amended to read:
201. Coyote hunting. Notwithstanding the night hunting prohibitions in section 11206,
21 there is an open season for hunting coyotes at night in all counties of the State from
22 December 16th to August 31st October 1st to March 31st.
23 Notwithstanding section 11214, subsection 1, paragraph M, the commissioner may appoint
24 agents to hunt for coyotes at night using artificial illumination from September 1st to
25 December 15th. The commissioner shall develop policies to make the affected public and
26 affected law enforcement officers aware of any night hunting operations.
27SUMMARY
28 This bill establishes a coyote hunting season to be held from October 1st to March 31st.
29 It also updates the penalties associated with hunting coyotes outside of the prescribed
30 season.
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