An Act To Give Priority in the Antlerless Deer Permit System to a Person Who Owns 100 Acres or More of Land and Permits Hunting on the Land
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0270
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: WOODCOCK
Amends: 12 MRSA §7457

Legislative Document 
No. 270 
S.P.I06 
In Senate, January 28, 2003 
An Act To Give Priority in the Antlerless Deer Permit System to a 
Person Who Owns 100 Acres or More of Land and Permits Hunting 
on the Land 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Senator WOODCOCK of Franklin. 
Printed on re!.:ycled paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7457. sub-§I, ,H, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
690, Pt. A, §8 and affected by §18, is further amended to read: 
H. 
The commissioner may regulate the taking of antlerless 
deer within any area of the State, as necessary. to maintain 
deer populations in balance with available habitat if the 
following conditions are met. 
(1) 
The 
demarcation 
of 
each 
area 
mnst 
follow 
recognizable physical boundaries such as rivers. roads 
and railroad rights-of-way. 
(2) 
The determination must be made and published prior 
to August 1st of each year. 
(4) 
The commissioner may adopt rules necessary for the 
administration, 
implementation, 
enforcement 
and 
interpretation of this subsection, except that there 
may not be 
an antlerless deer permit system unless 
otherwise 
specified 
in 
this 
paragraph. 
Any 
rules 
adopted by the commissioner that provide for permits to 
be issued to nonresident or alien hunters must provide 
that: 
(a) 
The 
percentage of antlerless deer 
permits 
issued to nonresident and alien hunters may not 
exceed the average percentage of applicants for 
antlerless deer permits over the previous 3 years 
who were nonresidents or aliens; and 
(b) 
No 
more 
permits issued 
zone 
may 
be 
hunters. 
than 
15% 
of 
the antlerless 
deer 
in anyone district or 
issued 
to 
nonresident 
in anyone 
and 
alien 
(5) 
An antlerless deer permit system adopted by the 
commissioner pursuant to this section may include 
a 
provision giving special consideration to 
landowners 
who keep their lands open to hunting by the public. 
An 
antlerless 
deer 
Eermit 
system 
adoEted 
by 
the 
commissioner Eursuant to this section must include a 
Erovision giving Eriority to a Eerson who owns at least 
acres of land and keeEs that land DEen to hunting 
by the Eublic. 
Any 2 or more areas of land owned by 
the same person that are open for hunting and that 
would be contiguous except for being divided by one or 
more roads are considered contiguous for the purposes 
Page l-LR0776(1) 
of 
determining 
landowner 
eligibility 
consideration under this subparagraph. 
for 
special 
A. junior hunter or a person 65 years of age or older may 
take 
an antlerless deer, if a 
person who holds 
a 
valid 
antlerless deer permit transfers the permit to the junior 
hunter or person 65 years of age or older by identifying the 
name, 
age and address of the transferee on the permit as 
well as any other information reasonably requested by the 
commissioner and then returns the permit to the department 
prior to the start of the firearm season on deer. 
The 
commissioner shall record the transfer and return the permit 
to the junior hunter or person 65 years of age or older. 
A. 
valid permit must be in the possession of the transferee in 
order for the transferee to take an antlerless deer. 
If the 
person transfers the permit 
years of age or older, 
taking an antlerless deer. 
to the junior hunter or person 
that person is prohibited from 
SUMMARY 
This bill gives priority in the 
antlerless 
deer 
permit 
system to landowners who own at least 100 acres and keep that 
land open to hunting by the general public.