Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7463-A, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1999, c. 324, §1, is further amended to read:

5. Eligibility. Except as provided in this subsection, any Maine resident, nonresident or alien who is eligible to obtain a Maine hunting license or who will be eligible to obtain a Maine hunting license by the opening day of the open moose season is eligible to apply for a moose hunting permit. A person who has obtained obtains a moose hunting permit and is successful in the taking of a moose may not obtain another permit until 2 5 years have elapsed since the issuance of the last permit. This limitation does not apply to subpermittees or a person who obtains a permit but is not successful in the taking of a moose. A person who obtained a moose hunting permit in the previous year but was unsuccessful in the taking of a moose is automatically eligible for participation in the next regular public chance drawing.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §7463-A, sub-§13, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 577, §1, is amended to read:

B. A person who applies for a moose hunting permit under this subsection is subject to the eligibility provisions of subsection 5, except that a successful applicant is not required to wait 2 5 years in order to obtain another permit.

Sec. 3. Effective date. This Act takes effect for the 2004 open moose season.

SUMMARY

This bill increases the period of ineligibility for the moose lottery from 2 years to 5 years for a person who was successful in the taking of a moose during the previous open moose season. It also provides for automatic eligibility in the public chance drawing for any person who obtained a moose hunting permit during the previous open moose season but was unsuccessful in the taking of a moose.