A public hearing on a bill that would require hunters to have a permit to hunt coyote over bait in the fall will be held Wednesday.
There already is open season on coyotes in Maine, and baiting is allowed with certain restrictions.
LD 937, An Act to Establish a Permit to Hunt Coyote Over Bait, presented by Rep. Richard Mason, R-Lisbon, targets certain wildlife management districts and establishes penalties for violations. The idea is to support deer wintering areas in targeted districts.
A permit costing $4 would be issued by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for Sept. 1 to Dec. 15 for hunting coyotes over bait in Wildlife Management Districts 1-14, 18, 19, 27 and 28. Baiting may occur only in the towns with deer wintering areas within those districts.
Other coyote baiting laws must be followed as well with this permit, and a hunter would still need a regular hunting license.
Each violation would carry a $50 minimum fine.