PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 24, 2022
Around 95% of the forested land in Maine is privately owned. With little exception, the people who hunt or fish here do so on property belonging to someone else. Much of it is still open to the public, though increasingly more huntable land falls off the rolls every year. Reasons for limiting or prohibiting access vary. Some landowners have had negative interactions. Some folks who have moved out from urban or suburban areas are unfamiliar Maine’s long tradition of implied consent, or who fear potential liability and aren’t aware that Maine laws protect them should someone get injured on their property. Some people just don’t like hunting. Land trusts represent a substantial and often unrecognized contributor. Some of the land they own outright, and on some they hold easements. Most remains privately owned and is open to public use, including hunting. ~ Bob Humphrey