Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7457, sub-§1, ¶H, as amended by PL 1997, c. 225, §1, 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.

(3) The application fee for a permit to take an antlerless deer may not exceed $1. The application must include a detachable portion on which the applicant shall write the applicant's name and address and to which the applicant shall affix a stamp of adequate postage. The department shall return this portion of the application to the applicant in acknowledgement of the department's receipt of the application.

(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.

(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)__The commissioner grants a complimentary antlerless deer permit to any applicant who holds a license under section 7076, subsection 4-B.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §7463-A, sub-§15 is enacted to read: