DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Bureau of Parks and Lands → Hunting, Fishing & Gathering → Hunting & Bear Baiting
Hunting & Bear Baiting
Maine Public Lands offer the opportunity to hunt in the backcountry.
- Use our Park Search Feature and select the hunting icon under “Search by Activities” to find the allowable hunting locations on Maine State Parks and Public Lands.
- For season information Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) site
- Harvest data for black bear, whitetail deer, moose and wild turkey.
- The Maine Office of Tourism provides information about sporting camps and guide services.
- Opportunities for People with Disabilities - an IF&W listing.
- Tree Stand Guidelines (PDF 178KB)
Bear Hunting
Information is available from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife including:
- Licenses and Permits
- Laws and Rules
- Season for Hunting and Trapping
Bear Baiting
Bear Baiting is allowed on Maine Public Lands with a permit from the Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Application
- Review all information on this page before completing the application.
- 2022 Bear Bait Application (PDF 1.4MB)
- The Bear Bait Application is a fillable form. Please complete, save to your device, then email to the appropriate regional office, or, you may print and mail a hard copy. (Regional offices are listed on the application and at the bottom of this webpage.)
- Requests for multiple sites within the same region must be on one application. (Maps are posted below.)
- If you’re applying for sites located in more than one region, please submit a separate application for each region.
- Completed applications must be received by the regional offices before 4:00pm, Thursday, June 30, 2022.
- Duplicate requests for the same sites will be resolved by lottery.
- Every effort will be made to notify applicants of site assignments by Friday, July 8, 2022.
- As per the Rules for Bear Baiting on Public Lands, sites assigned in 2022 will be eligible for renewal in 2023 and 2024.
Maps
Individual maps are posted by region in the table below, or select the linked region in the bulleted list below to view all the maps in a region as a PDF.
- Eastern Region - all Eastern Region bear bait site maps in one PDF (5.8MB)
- Western Region - all Western Region bear bait site maps in one PDF ( 6.9MB)
- Northern Region - all Northern Region bear bait site maps in one PDF (3.2MB)
General Information:
- Public Lands Regions Map and Regional Office Contact Info (PDF 430KB)
- Rules for Bear Baiting on Public Lands (PDF 13KB)
Public Lands Regional Offices:
Eastern Region Public Lands
106 Hogan Road, Suite 5
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: (207) 941-4412
Heidi JohnsonWestern Region Public Lands
PO Box 327
129 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938
Phone: (207) 778-8231
Crystal WilsonNorthern Region Public Lands
45 Radar Rd.
Ashland, ME 04732
Phone: (207) 768-6892
Theresa Spooner