Maine Hunting - 2023 Seasons, Licenses, & Maps (2024)

FAQs

Can you hunt on your own land without a license in Maine? ›

Landowner Privilege: Maine resident landowners and their immediate family members may hunt without a license using firearms, archery, or muzzleloader on land they own and reside upon, provided the land exceeds 10 acres in size and is used exclusively for agricultural purposes.

NOTE: A reader informed us that according to Maine Statute (https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/12/title12ch921.pdf), “the cultivator, owner, mortgagee or keeper of any orchard or growing crop, except all types of grasses, clover and grain fields, may take or kill wild animals or wild turkeys night or day when the ...

Multiple deer may be taken during the expanded archery season, as a result of receiving an antlerless deer permit(s), or due to having purchased a super pack antlerless deer permit. Otherwise, one deer may be taken during any one of the remaining seasons (with appropriate licenses or permits).

Shooting within 100 Yards of Dwelling:

It is unlawful to discharge any firearm or muzzleloader or cause a projectile to pass as a result of that discharge, within 100 yards (300 feet) of a building without permission from the owner or, in the owner's absence, an adult occupant who dwells in that building.

One vertical "OSHA Safety Purple" stripe at least one inch in width and at least 8 inches in length means "Access by Permission Only" when it is placed on trees, posts or stones between three and five feet off the ground.

The law - Unlike most other states, Maine operates under an implied permission structure, meaning that if land is not posted, it is legal to use the land. The unwritten rule - Always ask permission.

Red squirrels can be hunted year round. You can eat both gray and red squirrels, though Vose said the latter are less worthwhile in terms of the amount of meat you get. “Grays and reds are the only ones that are technically harvestable in the state of Maine,” Vose said.

If a doe steps out you can shoot it, too, if you possess an antlerless deer permit; or you can shoot it with a bow, but not a crossbow, if you have an expanded antlerless permit, or a Super Pack license, which includes two expanded antlerless permits.

A person may not place salt or any other bait or food in a place to entice deer to that place from June 1st to the start of an open hunting season on deer and, if all open hunting seasons on deer are closed before December 15th for that year, from the close of the last open hunting season on deer to December 15th.

The worst thing someone can do if a mistake is made is let the animal go to waste, hide it, or try to get away with it. If you make a mistake such as this the best thing you can do is call your local Conservation Officer. If you self-report the violation, you stand a far better chance of receiving a warning.

Is hunting allowed on Sundays in Maine? ›

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's highest court has ruled that the state's longstanding ban on Sunday hunting is constitutional. The court considered a lawsuit that asked whether the ban on hunting game animals such as deer, turkey and moose on Sundays was still necessary.

A person may not place salt or any other bait or food in a place to entice deer to that place from June 1st to the start of an open hunting season on deer and, if all open hunting seasons on deer are closed before December 15th for that year, from the close of the last open hunting season on deer to December 15th.

Notwithstanding section 12201, subsection 1 and subject to all other applicable laws and rules, a resident and a member of the resident's immediate family, as long as the trapper's license to trap is not under suspension or revocation, may trap for wild animals without a trapping license issued under section 12201 on ...

Landowner Privilege: Maine resident landowners and their immediate family members may hunt without a license using firearms, archery, or muzzleloader on land they own and reside upon, provided the land exceeds 10 acres in size and is used exclusively for agricultural purposes.

Lastly, the general rule is that hunting cannot be done from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. However, this changes for migratory birds, which cannot be hunted from sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.

Public land hunting is any federal, state, or local area designated as parks, forests, grasslands, and management areas that are legally open to and physically accessible to hunting. Public land means that the land is owned by federal, state, county, or local governments and is open and accessible to everyone.

According to Maine law, in order for property to be considered “posted,” it must be marked with signs or paint in a manner than is “reasonably likely to come to the attention of an intruder.”

Hunting is allowed on Public Lands and many of the State Parks in accordance with the laws of the State of Maine, the laws and rules of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W); and local ordinances.