Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7101, sub-§7-A, as corrected by RR 1999, c. 1, §22, is amended to read:

7-A. Restrictions. Any resident or nonresident hunter 10 years of age or older and under 16 years of age may hunt with firearms only in the presence of:

A. That hunter's parent or guardian; or

B. A person at least 18 years of age approved by that hunter's parent or guardian who either holds a valid Maine hunting license or has successfully completed a hunter safety course acceptable under the provisions of sections 7035 and 7071.

For the purposes of this subsection, "in the presence of" means in visual and voice contact without the use of visual or audio enhancement devices, including binoculars and citizen band radios. A hunter who is 16 years of age and who is hunting with a junior hunting license prior to hunting without the adult supervision required by this section must complete a hunter safety course. A junior hunter who will be 10 years of age by the first day of hunting season may apply for the junior hunter license before the junior hunter's birthday.

Sec. 2. 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: