(a) No person shall hunt, pursue, wound or kill any deer or sell or offer for sale or have in possession the flesh of any deer captured or killed in this state, or have in possession the flesh of any deer from any other state or country unless it is properly tagged as required by such state or country except as provided by the terms of this chapter or regulations adopted pursuant thereto, and except that any landowner or primary lessee of land owned by such landowner or the husband or wife or any lineal descendant of such landowner or lessee or any designated agent of such landowner or lessee may kill deer with a shotgun, rifle or bow and arrow provided a damage permit has first been obtained from the commissioner and such person has not been convicted for any violation of this section, § 26-85, 26-86a, 26-86b or 26-90 or subsection (b) of § 26-86a-2 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies within three years preceding the date of application. Upon the receipt of an application, on forms provided by the commissioner and containing such information as said commissioner may require, from any landowner who has or whose primary lessee has an actual or potential gross annual income of twenty-five hundred dollars or more from the commercial cultivated production of grain, forage, fruit, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants or Christmas trees and who is experiencing an actual or potential loss of income because of severe damage by deer, the commissioner shall issue not more than six damage permits without fee to such landowner or the primary lessee of such landowner, or the wife, husband, lineal descendant or designated agent of such landowner or lessee. The application shall be notarized and signed by all landowners or by the landowner or a lessee to whom a farmer tax exemption permit has been issued pursuant to subdivision (63) of § 12-412. Such damage permit shall be valid through October thirty-first of the year in which it is issued and may specify the hunting implement or shot size or both which shall be used to take such deer. The commissioner may at any time revoke such permit for violation of any provision of this section or for violation of any regulation pursuant thereto or upon the request of the applicant. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 26-85, the commissioner may issue a permit to any landowner or primary lessee of land owned by such landowner or the husband or wife or any lineal descendant of such landowner or lessee and to not more than three designated agents of such landowner or lessee to use a jacklight for the purpose of taking deer when it is shown, to the satisfaction of the commissioner, that such deer are causing damage which cannot be reduced during the daylight hours between sunrise and one-half hour after sunset on the land of such landowner. The commissioner may require notification as specified on such permit prior to its use. Any deer killed in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be the property of the owner of the land upon which the same has been killed, but shall not be sold, bartered, traded or offered for sale, and the person who kills any such deer shall tag and report each deer killed, as provided in § 26-86b. Upon receipt of the report required by § 26-86b, the commissioner shall issue an additional damage permit to the person making such report. Any deer killed otherwise than under the conditions provided for in this chapter or regulations adopted pursuant thereto shall remain the property of the state and may be disposed of by the commissioner at the commissioner’s discretion to any state institution or may be sold and the proceeds of such sale shall be remitted to the State Treasurer, who shall apply the same to the General Fund, and no person, except the commissioner, shall retail, sell or offer for sale the whole or any part of any such deer. No person shall be a designated agent of more than one landowner or primary lessee in any calendar year. No person shall make, set or use any trap, snare, salt lick, bait or other device for the purpose of taking, injuring or killing any deer, except that deer may be taken over an attractant in areas designated by the commissioner. For the purposes of this section, an attractant means any natural or artificial substance placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered that is used to attract, entice or lure deer to a specific location including, but not limited to, salt, chemicals or minerals, including their residues or any natural or artificial food, hay, grain, fruit or nuts. The commissioner may authorize any municipality, homeowner association or nonprofit land-holding organization approved by the commissioner under the provisions of this section to take deer at any time, other than Sundays, or place using any method consistent with professional wildlife management principles when a severe nuisance or ecological damage can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the commissioner. Any such municipality, homeowner association or nonprofit land-holding organization shall submit to the commissioner, for the commissioner’s review and approval, a plan that describes the extent and degree of the nuisance or ecological damage and the proposed methods of taking. Prior to the implementation of any such approved plan, the municipality, homeowner association or nonprofit land-holding organization shall provide notice of such plan to any abutting landowners of such place where the plan will be implemented. Such plan shall not authorize the use of a snare. No person shall hunt, pursue or kill deer being pursued by any dog, whether or not such dog is owned or controlled by such person, except that no person shall be guilty of a violation under this section when such a deer is struck by a motor vehicle operated by such person. No person shall use or allow any dog in such person’s charge to hunt, pursue or kill deer. No permit shall be issued when in the opinion of the commissioner the public safety may be jeopardized.

(b) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days or more than six months, or shall be both fined and imprisoned, for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or shall be both fined and imprisoned.