SUN JOURNAL • April 29, 2023
LD 814 was a proposed law that would drastically curtail coyote population-control efforts by reducing the legal hunting season of these canine predators by 60%. The bill was sponsored by nine lawmakers, mostly from southern urban areas. Eventually, the Committee gave the bill a majority “ought not to pass” vote, but with two holdouts who refused to kill the bill. Since LD 814 did not get a unanimous “ought not to pass” vote by the committee, it will now go to the full Legislative House for a vote. Since the Democrats are in the majority, don’t be surprised if the coyote is soon no longer exempt from the wanton waste law, which requires that you use (consume) your kill. And since coyote meat is abysmal table fare, this change could reduce the number of coyote hunters in Maine. ~ V. Paul Reynolds