A Maine hunting license costs $26 for residents and $115 for nonresidents for the basic big game license, and every person hunting wild animals or birds in the state has to carry one. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) issues all licenses, and most first-time hunters also need to complete a hunter safety course before they can buy one.1Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting License Information
Resident or Nonresident
The fee difference between residents and nonresidents is large enough that it’s worth checking which category you fall into before anything else. Living in Maine is not enough on its own. To be treated as a resident for licensing, you must be domiciled in Maine and meet all four of these conditions: you’re registered to vote in Maine (if registered anywhere), you hold or have applied for a Maine driver’s license, any motor vehicles you own in the state are registered here, and you’re current on Maine income taxes. Non-citizens have to have been domiciled in Maine for at least one year on top of that.1Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting License Information
Miss any one of the four conditions and MDIFW treats you as a nonresident, regardless of how long you’ve lived in the state.
Hunter Safety Course Requirement
First-time hunters who have never held an adult hunting license have to complete a state-approved hunter safety course before they can be licensed. The course has to match the method you plan to use: firearms, archery, or muzzleloading.2Justia. Maine Code 12-11105 – Safety Course
Two things get you out of taking the course. If you held a valid adult hunting license in any state, province, or country from 1976 onward, you can show proof of that license instead. And if neither a course certificate nor a prior license is available, Maine law lets you submit a signed affidavit affirming you completed the requirement.
MDIFW offers the courses both in person and as an online course paired with a field day. When you finish, you get a hunter safety card. Keep it; you’ll need the number to buy your license, and you should carry it while hunting.
License Types and Fees
Maine sells several license categories, and most big game species also need a species-specific permit layered on top of the base license.
Resident Fees
- Big game hunting, age 16 and up: $26, covering deer and other big game during their seasons.
- Archery hunting: $26 for dedicated archery seasons.
- Junior hunting, under 16: $7.
- Apprentice hunting: $26, with bear and turkey permits included.3Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 12 11109 – Licenses and Fees
- Super pack: $212, which bundles nearly all hunting and fishing licenses and permits except moose permits and a few specialty licenses.4Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 12 11109-A – Super Pack License
Nonresident Fees
- Big game hunting: $115.
- Archery hunting: $75 for the full season or $26 for a six-day license.
- Junior hunting, under 16: $34.
- Small game apprentice: $74.
- Big game apprentice: $114.5Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting Licenses and Permits
Species Permits
For residents, a bear permit is $10, a spring or fall turkey permit is $20, and an antlerless deer permit is $12. Nonresidents pay considerably more for most species-specific permits.5Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Hunting Licenses and Permits
Junior Licenses for Hunters Under 16
Hunters under 16 need a junior hunting license and must hunt under the direct supervision of a qualified adult. For ages 10 through 15, the supervisor has to stay within visual and voice contact. For children under 10, the supervisor has to stay within 20 feet at all times.6Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Junior Hunters
A junior hunter supervisor is either the child’s parent or guardian who holds or has held a Maine hunting license or completed a safety course, or another adult age 18 or older approved by the parent who meets the same license or safety-course standard.7Maine Legislature. Maine Code 12 11108-C – Eligibility and Restrictions for a Junior Hunting License
After a junior hunter turns 16, they can finish the calendar year on the junior license. If they complete a hunter safety course matching their hunting method, they can hunt unsupervised for the rest of that year without buying an adult license. The upgrade to an adult license isn’t required until the calendar year they turn 17.
Apprentice Licenses for New Adult Hunters
The apprentice license is a way to try hunting without first completing a safety course. You can get an apprentice license up to five times, so you have several seasons to decide whether to commit to the course.8Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 12 11108-B – Apprentice Hunter License Restrictions
The condition is close supervision. An apprentice hunter has to stay in the presence of an apprentice supervisor at all times while hunting. “In the presence of” means within visual and voice contact without binoculars, radios, or other enhancement devices. The supervisor must be at least 18, hold a current adult hunting license, and have held a valid hunting license for the prior three consecutive years.
Free Licenses for Disabled Veterans
Maine residents who are veterans with an honorable discharge and a VA service-connected disability rating of 50% or higher qualify for a free hunting, fishing, and trapping license. The free license includes bear, turkey, muzzleloader, migratory waterfowl, pheasant, coyote night hunt, and expanded archery permits. Nonresident veterans can also qualify if their home state offers reciprocal privileges to Maine veterans. Disabled veterans at the 50% rating or higher are also eligible for a special moose hunt lottery.9MyAirForceBenefits. Maine Military and Veterans Benefits
One category that no longer exists for new applicants: Maine used to issue free lifetime licenses to residents turning 70, but the statute was amended to stop issuing new complimentary licenses as of January 1, 2006. Licenses issued before that date remain valid for life for holders who still meet residency requirements, but residents turning 70 today don’t qualify under this provision.10Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 12 10853 – Complimentary and Reduced-Rate Licenses
Moose Permits Are Lottery-Only
A moose permit is not something you can buy over the counter. Moose hunting in Maine is by permit only, and permits are issued through an annual lottery. For 2026, the state is allocating 3,705 permits, with at least 90% reserved for Maine residents. Applications are accepted online only, from April 1 through May 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern. The application fee is $15 for both residents and nonresidents, and nonresidents can buy extra chances at $25 for three, $35 for six, or $55 for ten. You have to be eligible for a Maine big game hunting license to apply, and the minimum age is 10.11Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Moose Permit
If you held a moose permit within the past three years you can’t win another one, but you can still apply to collect bonus points. Points build up the longer you go without drawing: one per year for the first five years, two per year in years six through ten, three per year in years 11 through 15, and ten per year after that. Residents aged 65 or older with at least 30 bonus points are guaranteed a permit as long as one of their preferred wildlife management districts has permits left. Skip two consecutive years and you lose your accumulated points.
How to Buy Your License
The fastest option is online through MOSES, the Maine Online Sportsman’s Electronic System. You’ll need a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card, your personal information, and your hunter safety card number or proof of a previous license. The system generates a printable license as soon as payment goes through.12Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. IFW Hunting and Fishing Licenses
You can also buy in person from authorized agents, which include municipal clerks and many sporting goods stores across the state. They process the transaction and give you a printed license on the spot. Complimentary, lifetime, and military licenses can’t be issued through MOSES and have to be obtained directly through MDIFW headquarters in Augusta.
Before you leave the counter or close the browser tab, check that every detail on the license matches your identification exactly. Game wardens check licenses in the field.
What You Have to Carry and the Cost of Skipping It
Your hunting license has to be on you at all times while hunting, either as a printed copy or a digital version on your phone, along with photo identification. If you’re hunting migratory birds, you’ll also need to be registered with the federal Harvest Information Program and carry a current Federal Duck Stamp, which are separate requirements on top of the Maine license.
Maine imposes mandatory minimum fines for several hunting offenses. Hunting without a license generally results in a fine of $50 plus twice the applicable license fee. Hunting or possessing a wild turkey without a valid permit carries a $500 minimum fine for each day in violation plus $500 for each turkey. All wildlife and equipment used or possessed in violation of hunting rules, including firearms, is subject to seizure.13Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 12 10502 – Seizure of Fish, Wildlife and Equipment
One consequence that reaches beyond Maine: the state belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which now includes all 50 states. An unresolved Maine hunting violation can suspend your hunting privileges in every other member state, and an unresolved out-of-state violation can keep you from getting a license in Maine.