Hunters Sue To Allow Sunday Hunting In Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A hunting group is suing the state of Maine to overturn the state's longstanding ban on Sunday hunting.
Hunting bear, moose, wild turkey and deer is popular in Maine, but the state has barred Sunday hunting for generations. Opponents of the ban filed their lawsuit on Wednesday with a claim that the law violates the state's new "Right to Food" amendment.
Maine voters passed the nation's first such constitutional amendment last year. The amendment states that individuals have a right to harvest food of their own choosing.
The opponents of the Sunday hunting ban said in a statement that Maine's longstanding ban "was created based on the religious and social beliefs at the time, not biology or science." But the ban has withstood challenges in the past.
The Maine Legislature's Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife voted against a proposal to end the ban in March. The Maine Professional Guides Association, which represents guides who assist hunters, was among the groups that opposed the change.
The only other state that bans Sunday hunting is Massachusetts.
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