Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7457, sub-§1, ¶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 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 than 15% of the antlerless deer permits issued in any one district or in any one zone may be issued to nonresident and alien hunters.

(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.

A junior licensed hunter or a person 65 years of age or older may take an antlerless deer, if a person who holds a