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An Act To Enhance the Wise Use and Sound Management of Maine's Wildlife Resources
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §10657  is enacted to read:
§ 10657.   Waste of game
 
1.   Prohibition.     A hunter or trapper may not waste a game animal that has been wounded or killed by that person. For purposes of this section, “waste” means to fail to make a reasonable effort to render a harvested animal for use or consumption or to fail to make a reasonable effort to retrieve a harvested or wounded animal.
 
Notwithstanding section 11109, subsection 3, paragraph N or section 11206, a person who has reason to believe that person has wounded a bear, deer or moose may employ a guide licensed under section 12853 to track and dispatch that animal outside of legal hunting hours.
 
2.   Penalty.     A person who violates this section commits a Class E crime.
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §11151, sub-§1,  as affected by PL 2003, c. 614, §9 and amended by c. 655, Pt. B, §118 and affected by §422, is further amended to read:
 
1. Permit required.   Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this Part, a person may not hunt for bear without a valid permit from the first Monday preceding September 1st to the day preceding the open firearm season on deer. This section does not apply to trapping for bear.
 
Each day a person violates this subsection that person commits a Class E crime for which a minimum fine of $50 and an amount equal to twice the applicable license fee must be imposed.
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §11151, sub-§4  is enacted to read:
 
4.  Revenue.     Revenue generated from the issuance of bear hunting permits under subsection 3 in excess of the number of permits issued in 2006 must be used to fund studies related to the harvesting of black bears, including, but not limited to, the impact of the use of bait and the collection of information related to the trapping of bear.
 
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits a hunter or trapper from wasting a harvested or wounded game animal and removes the law that allows the holder of a big game license to take a bear during the regular open firearm season on deer without a bear hunting permit. It also provides that the revenue generated from the issuance of bear hunting permits in excess of the number issued in 2006 must be used to fund studies relating to the harvesting of black bears.