Maine deer hunting laws require a big game hunting license, limit most hunters to one antlered deer per year, set different seasons for archery, firearms, and muzzleloader, ban Sunday hunting statewide, and impose specific rules on equipment, hunter orange clothing, tagging, and carcass imports. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) administers the rules under Title 12 of the Maine Revised Statutes, and because the state is divided into 29 Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs), some rules shift depending on where you hunt.
Licenses and Permits You Need
A resident big game hunting license costs $26, and a non-resident license costs $115. Junior licenses for hunters under 16 are $8 for residents. A combination hunting and fishing license runs $48. Archery hunters need a separate archery license ($26 for residents) instead of the standard big game license.1Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting License Information
First-time hunters must complete a state-approved firearms hunter safety course before buying a license. Students must be at least ten years old, and those under 16 need a parent or guardian present. An apprentice hunter license ($26 for residents) is an alternative path that lets you hunt under direct supervision of a licensed adult while you finish your safety certification.1Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting License Information
To take an antlerless deer, you need an antlerless deer permit, awarded through a lottery. Applying is free; if you’re drawn, you pay $12 plus a $2 agent fee. Permits are tied to specific WMDs, so the district you pick on the application is the district where the permit is good.2Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Antlerless Deer Permit Licenses and permits can be bought online or from authorized agents like town offices and sporting goods stores. Carry everything with you while hunting.
Your WMD also controls antlerless permit allocation and whether a standard license covers either-sex hunting in that area. Check the current WMD map on the MDIFW website before you apply for permits or plan a hunt.3Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Wildlife Management Districts
2026 Season Dates
Maine splits the deer season by equipment, and the 2026 dates are:4Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Season Dates and Bag Limits
- Youth Deer Hunt: October 23–24, 2026. Junior hunters may take one antlered deer statewide while accompanied by a licensed adult.5Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Junior Hunters
- Expanded Archery: September 12 – December 12, 2026. Open only in designated areas with high deer populations. Requires an archery license and an expanded archery permit.
- Regular Archery: Begins at least 30 days before the firearms opener and runs up to firearms season. Only hand-held bows with broadhead arrows or crossbows are allowed, and you cannot carry firearms while archery hunting, except for concealed carry under a valid permit.6Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11403 – Regular Archery-Only Deer Hunting Season
- Firearms Season: November 2–28, 2026. Open statewide to rifles, shotguns, handguns, and crossbows.
- Muzzleloader Season: November 30 – December 5, 2026. Muzzleloading firearms only.
Dates shift year to year, and MDIFW can shorten any season or add a special hunting period if population data calls for it.7Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11401 – Open and Closed Seasons for Deer Confirm the current year’s rules before heading out.
Legal Equipment by Season
During firearms season you may use centerfire rifles, shotguns, handguns, or crossbows. Maine prohibits hunting deer with any .17 or .22 caliber rimfire cartridge; the .22 caliber rimfire magnum is the exception. A first rimfire violation is a civil fine of $100 to $500, and three violations within five years becomes a criminal charge.8Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11454 – Hunting Deer with .22 Caliber Rimfire Cartridge
Bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds, and broadhead arrows are required. Crossbows need a draw weight of at least 100 pounds, a shoulder-type stock, and a working mechanical trigger safety. Broadheads on crossbow bolts must be at least ⅞ inch wide when open. Hand-held pistol-type crossbows, explosive tips, and poisonous tips are all banned.9Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Laws Pertaining to Hunting Equipment Crossbows are legal during firearms, expanded archery (with permits), and regular archery seasons, but not during muzzleloader season.
Muzzleloader season allows only muzzleloading firearms of .40 caliber or greater that fire a single charge. Newer muzzleloaders using pre-measured encapsulated powder still qualify as long as the bullet is loaded through the muzzle.10Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Deer Hunting Laws and Rules
Bag Limits, Tagging, and Registration
A big game hunting license entitles you to one antlered deer per year. In either-sex WMDs, that one deer may be of either sex. Additional antlerless deer require antlerless permits drawn through the lottery or expanded archery permits in designated areas. Hunters with an archery license and an expanded archery permit may also take an additional antlered deer in expanded archery zones.10Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Deer Hunting Laws and Rules
Once you take a deer, attach a transportation tag before moving the carcass. The tag must include your full name, address, and hunting license number. If the deer was taken on an antlerless permit, add the permit number. You can use a tag you make yourself or your hunting license as the tag.11Legal Information Institute. 09-137 CMR Ch 16 05 – Possession, Transport and Labeling Bring the deer to an official registration station, typically within 18 hours of harvest. Stations are usually at gas stations and general stores, where staff collect biological data used in herd management.
Junior hunters who take a deer during the youth hunt cannot take another that year unless they hold antlerless permits or hunt the expanded archery season with the proper licenses.5Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Junior Hunters
Hunter Orange Requirements
During firearms season and anytime you’re hunting with a crossbow, you must wear two visible articles of hunter orange. One has to be a solid-colored hunter orange hat. The other has to cover a major portion of your torso (a vest, jacket, or coat) and be at least 50% hunter orange. Both pieces must be in good condition and visible from all sides. A small decal on an otherwise solid orange garment is still allowed.12Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11203 – Hunter Orange Clothing
Hunters with a religious objection to orange may substitute bright red clothing. That is the only exception. Archery-only seasons don’t require orange, though many hunters wear it anyway when archery dates overlap with other hunting.
Hunting Hours and the Sunday Ban
Legal shooting hours run from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, based on times in Bangor and applied statewide. MDIFW publishes a chart with the exact legal shooting times by date, so the offset is already built in.13Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Legal Hunting Hours
Sunday hunting is prohibited in Maine for all wild game, not just deer. The ban has survived repeated repeal attempts and remains in place. Plan on a six-day hunting week.
Baiting, Dogs, and Other Prohibited Methods
You cannot place salt, food, or other attractants to lure deer during any open deer season, and you cannot hunt from a stand overlooking such bait. Standing crops, food left from normal farming, and bear bait at a permitted bear hunting stand are the recognized exceptions. Fines for baiting deer run from $500 to $1,000.14Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11452 – Baiting Deer
Using a dog to pursue or drive deer is illegal.15Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11214 – Unlawful Use or Possession of Implements or Aids A separate rule allows a leashed dog to track an animal you’ve already wounded, but only if you hold the right paperwork. Hunters with a valid big game license can get a three-year tracking permit for $81, authorizing use of a leashed dog to recover a lawfully wounded deer, bear, or moose.16Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11111 – Tracking Wounded Animals with a Leashed Dog
Safety Zones and Private Land Access
You cannot discharge a firearm or let a projectile pass within 100 yards of any building or residential dwelling without the owner’s permission. The same 100-yard buffer applies to archery equipment on someone else’s land. Violating the safety zone is a Class E crime.17Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 11209 – Discharge of Firearm or Archery Equipment Near Dwelling or Building
Maine has a tradition of allowing access to unposted private land, but landowners can restrict access by posting signs or applying purple paint marks to trees and posts. Entering property posted with signs or purple paint without permission is criminal trespass. Even on unposted land, asking the landowner first is the practice that keeps Maine’s open-access tradition going.
Bringing a Deer Back From Out of State
Chronic Wasting Disease has not been detected in Maine, and the state uses strict carcass import rules to keep it out.18Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Chronic Wasting Disease If you hunt deer in another state, you cannot bring high-risk carcass parts back into Maine from any state or province except New Hampshire. The same restriction applies to deer killed in commercial hunting preserves anywhere, regardless of location.
You can bring back boned-out meat, hardened antlers (with or without cleaned skull caps), hides without the head, and finished taxidermy mounts. If a skull cap stays attached, it has to be cleaned free of brain and other tissue. Bone your deer out before you cross the state line.