An Act To Help Disabled, Elderly and Junior Hunters
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0964
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: JACKSON, KNEELAND, CARR, CLARK, GOODWIN, SHERMAN, WATSON, WOTTON, MARTIN, STANLEY
Amends: 12 MRSA §7457

Legislative Document 
No. 964 
H.P.721 
House of Representatives, February 25,2003 
An Act To Help Disabled, Elderly and Junior Hunters 
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative JACKSON of Fort Kent. 
Cosponsored by Senator KNEELAND of Aroostook and 
7Y/~frl.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CARR of Lincoln, CLARK of Millinocket, GOODWIN of Pembroke, 
SHERMAN of Hodgdon, WATSON of Bath, WOTTON of Littleton, Senators: MARTIN of 
Aroostook, STANLEY of Penobscot. 
Printed on recyded paper 
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 
deer within any area of the State, 
deer populations in balance with 
following conditions are met. 
the taking of antlerless 
as necessary, to maintain 
available habitat if the 
(1) 
The 
demarcation 
of 
each 
area 
must 
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 
permi ts issued 
zone 
may 
be 
hunters. 
in anyone 
issued 
to 
of 
the antlerless 
deer 
district or in anyone 
nonresident 
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. 
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 of determining 
landowner eligibility for special consideration under 
this subparagraph. 
( 6) 
An antlerless deer permit system adopted by the 
commissioner pursuant to this section must include a 
Page l-LR0664(1) 
provision that allows a person with a disability, as 
defined ln Title 29-A, 
section 521, 
subsection 1, 
a 
person 70 years of age or older or a junior hunter to 
take an antlerless deer during the first week of the 
regular season for deer. 
A 
~bl.EieF--hun-t-e-£-~r--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 
~bl.EieF 
Rbl.E~eF-eF 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 
~bl.EieF-Rbl.E~eF-eF 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 to ~Re-jbl.EieF-Rbl.E~eF-eF Q person 
years of age or older, 
~Ra~ the person who transfers the 
permit is prohibited from taking an antlerless deer. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a disabled person, a person 70 years of age 
or older or a junior hunter to take an antlerless deer during the 
first week of the regular season for deer.