Massachusetts Hunting License: Fees, Stamps, and Permits

To hunt legally in Massachusetts, you must first pass a state-approved hunter education course, then buy a hunting license through MassFishHunt or an authorized vendor. For 2026, a resident hunting license costs $40, a non-resident small game license is $78, and a non-resident big game license is $112. Depending on what you plan to hunt, Massachusetts hunting license requirements also include species-specific stamps and permits layered on top of the base license.

Hunter Education Comes First

Before you can buy a license, you need a certificate from a state-approved hunter education course. The course runs at least 12 hours and covers firearm safety, archery equipment, hunter responsibilities toward wildlife and landowners, and a harm-reduction module developed by the Department of Public Health.¹

Certificates are not issued to anyone under 15. If you completed a comparable course in another state or a Canadian province, Massachusetts will accept the certificate if the Director of Law Enforcement approves it.¹

Base License Fees for 2026

Massachusetts license fees have been on a scheduled annual increase since 2022. The 2026 base costs are:²

Resident Hunting: $40.00, includes two antlered deer tags valid statewide
Resident Hunting, age 65–69: $20.00
Resident Sporting, age 70+: Free, includes hunting, fishing, and trapping
Resident or Non-Resident Paraplegic Hunting: Free
Non-Resident Big Game Hunting: $112.00
Non-Resident Small Game Hunting: $78.00

The standard hunting license covers small game such as pheasant, grouse, rabbit, and squirrel.³ Deer, bear, turkey, and waterfowl each require something more.

Stamps and Permits You May Also Need

This is where the total cost creeps up. Depending on your quarry, method, and season, you may need one or more of the following add-ons at 2026 rates:²

Archery Deer Season Stamp: $10 resident / $30 non-resident, required to hunt deer during archery season³
Primitive Firearms Deer Season Stamp: $10 resident / $30 non-resident, required to hunt deer with a muzzleloader during primitive firearms season³
Antlerless Deer Permit: $10 resident / $30 non-resident, required to take any deer without antlers or with antlers shorter than three inches³
Bear Permit: $10 resident / $30 non-resident
Turkey Permit: $10 resident / $30 non-resident
Massachusetts Waterfowl Stamp: $10 resident / $30 non-resident
Pheasant/Quail Permit: $20 resident / $30 non-resident
Wildlands Stamp: $5 for all hunters

The math adds quickly. A resident heading into archery deer season planning to take an antlerless deer needs the $40 base license, the $10 archery stamp, and the $10 antlerless permit, for $60 before the Wildlands Stamp. Forgetting a required stamp is treated as hunting without proper authorization.

Where and How to Buy Your License

With your education certificate in hand, you can purchase online through the MassFishHunt portal at MassFishHunt.mass.gov. First-time license holders create an account by entering identification and residency information; returning holders already have one in the system.⁴

You can also buy in person at a MassWildlife office, a Marine Fisheries office, or any authorized license vendor.⁴ Bring valid identification, plus proof of Massachusetts residency if you’re claiming resident pricing.

Rules for Young Hunters

Massachusetts treats minors differently by age. Youth ages 12 through 14 do not need a hunting license, stamps, or a firearms license. They can hunt only while accompanied by a licensed adult who is at least 18, one minor per adult. The pair shares a single firearm or bow along with one bag limit and any applicable permits and tags.⁵

Youth ages 15 through 17 must hold a minor hunting license and any required stamps and permits, available through MassFishHunt.⁵ Because hunter education certificates are not issued to anyone under 15, this age is also where independent licensing begins.

Waterfowl: State Stamp Plus Federal Requirements

Waterfowl hunters need more than the state waterfowl stamp. Anyone 16 or older must also carry a signed Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly called the duck stamp, to hunt ducks or geese. The 2025–2026 stamp costs $25 and is valid from July 1 through June 30.⁶

Since the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, a valid electronic stamp is legal proof for hunting. A store receipt is not. You need the signed physical stamp or a valid e-stamp in hand.⁶

Every migratory game bird hunter in Massachusetts must also register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) each calendar year.⁷ Buying the state waterfowl stamp registers you automatically. Hunters of woodcock, snipe, coot, or rail need to complete the survey separately through MassFishHunt.

Blaze Orange, Harvest Reporting, and the Sunday Ban

Beyond the paperwork, three field rules shape a legal hunt in Massachusetts.

During shotgun deer season, every hunter afield, not only deer hunters, must wear at least 500 square inches of blaze orange on the chest, back, and head. Deer hunters must wear the same amount during primitive firearms season. Coastal waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat are the only exception. On Wildlife Management Areas where pheasant or quail are stocked, all hunters must wear at least a blaze orange cap during those stocked-bird seasons, with exemptions for waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat and nighttime raccoon and opossum hunters.⁸

A harvested deer or turkey must be reported within 48 hours. You can report online through MassFishHunt or bring the animal to an official check station. After an online report, you write the confirmation number on the harvest tag, which stays attached to the animal until it’s processed for food or taxidermy. Deer harvested during the first week of shotgun season must be reported at a physical check station, not online.⁹ Missing the window or skipping the check station counts as a violation.

Massachusetts is one of only two states with a complete ban on Sunday hunting, a prohibition dating to 19th-century blue laws.¹⁰ The Healey-Driscoll administration has held public listening sessions on expanding Sunday access, but the ban remains fully in effect. Plan trips accordingly if you’re coming from a state that allows Sunday hunting.

Landowner, Farmer, and Disability Exceptions

Massachusetts recognizes a narrow landowner exemption tied to agriculture. If you own or lease land principally used for agriculture, you and immediate family members living there can hunt, fish, or trap on that property without a license. Permits and stamps still apply. To take deer, turkey, or bear on your own agricultural land without a hunting license, you must apply for and receive a Farmer/Landowner permit from MassWildlife.³

Separately, landowners and tenants have a statutory right to kill wildlife actively damaging their property (crops, domestic animals, poultry) without a license, using methods other than poison or trapping. A deer taken under this provision must be turned over to an environmental police officer, and written reports of certain species, including deer, pheasant, and rabbits, must be sent to the Director of Fisheries and Wildlife within 24 hours.¹¹

Hunters with a permanent physical disability can apply for a crossbow permit, which allows a crossbow during seasons that otherwise restrict equipment to conventional archery. The permit is permanent; once issued, you cannot switch back to conventional archery equipment.¹² Paraplegic hunters receive a free hunting license regardless of residency. Residents 70 and older receive a free sporting license covering hunting, fishing, and trapping.²

Penalties for Hunting Without the Right License

Section 90 of Chapter 131 sets a tiered penalty structure tied to the regulation violated and the species involved.¹³ The baseline penalty for violating hunting season regulations is a fine of $200 to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both. Per-animal penalties stack on top:

Each unlawfully killed deer: $500 to $3,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both
Each unlawfully killed bear: $1,000 to $5,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both
Each unlawfully killed turkey: $500 to $3,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both
Each other bird or mammal unlawfully taken: $100 to $500

Someone who illegally takes a deer during a closed season could face the base $200–$500 fine plus an additional $500–$3,000 fine and up to six months of jail time for the deer itself.¹³¹⁴¹⁵

1
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131 – Section 14
2
Mass.gov. License Types and Fees
3
Mass.gov. Hunting Licenses, Permits, and Stamps
4
Mass.gov. How to Use MassFishHunt
5
Mass.gov. Hunting Information for Minors
6
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp
7
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Harvest Information Program Registration Statistics
8
Mass.gov. Wear Blaze Orange During Hunting Season
9
Mass.gov. Harvest Reporting
10
Mass.gov. Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Public Listening Sessions on Expanding Hunting Opportunities in Massachusetts
11
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131 – Section 37
12
Mass.gov. Apply for a Crossbow Permit
13
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131 – Section 90
14
General Court of Massachusetts. Acts of 2022 Chapter 145
15
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131 – Section 90A