Deer Hunting

On this page:

• Deer Hunting Prohibitions
• Areas Closed to Deer Hunting
• Areas Open to Deer Hunting
• Deer Permits and Licenses
• Deer Population Monitoring Project
• 2025 Deer Seasons and Bag Limits
• Hunters for the Hungry
• Big Buck Club

Hunting License Authority: A big game hunting license (firearms or archery) provides a hunter the opportunity to harvest one antlered deer annually. Hunters with an archery license and an expanded archery permit may harvest an additional antlered deer in an expanded archery area.

Antlerless deer may be harvested in the following situations:

Either-Sex Hunting: For 2025, in WMDs 21-25 and 29 during the firearms and muzzleloader seasons, or statewide during the regular archery and youth hunt seasons, hunters may harvest one deer, either antlered or antlerless, under the authority of their big game hunting license. This deer counts as the hunter's one deer for the year.

Hunting of Antlerless Deer: Hunting of antlerless deer (a deer that has no antlers or has antlers less than 3 inches in length measured from the skull) is prohibited except by antlerless deer permit or in areas designated open to either-sex hunting under the authority of a big game hunting license (for 2025, WMDs 21-25 and 29 for firearms and muzzleloader season; statewide for regular archery and youth hunt seasons).

Additional antlerless deer may be taken in the following situations: with an antlerless deer permit(s) during youth hunt, regular archery, firearms, or muzzleloader seasons or with expanded archery antlerless deer permit(s) during the expanded archery season.

Deer Hunting Prohibitions

Baiting deer by placing salt, grain, fruit, nuts or other foods or bait known to be attractive to deer or hunting from an observation stand or blind overlooking such bait, is prohibited from June 1 to December 15. This does not apply to hunting from an observation stand or blind overlooking:

• Standing crops
• Foods that have been left as a result of natural or normal agricultural operations
• Bear bait that has been placed at a bear hunting stand or blind in accordance with bear baiting laws

Illegal equipment: Deer may not be hunted with the use of dogs, artificial lights, snares, traps, airbows, set guns or any firearm using .17 or .22 caliber rimfire cartridges, except that .22 caliber rimfire magnum cartridges are permitted.

Driving Deer: A person may not participate in a hunt for deer during which an organized or planned effort is made to drive deer. Four or more persons working together to move deer constitutes such an effort.

Gift deer: Gift deer may be possessed if clearly labeled with the name and address of the person who registered the animal, and the year it was registered.

Buying, selling, and bartering deer: For information on buying, selling or bartering animals, see Prohibition Regarding Selling of Wild Animals.

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The Following Areas are Closed to Deer Hunting

• Mt. Desert Island in Hancock County;
• Cross and Scotch Islands, located in Washington County;
• The town of Isle au Haut and islands within that town, located in Knox County; and
• In wildlife sanctuaries. See exceptions below.

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The Following Areas are Open to Deer Hunting

But with These Special Restrictions:

• Beauchamp Point Sanctuary in Camden and Rockport, Knox County, is open to archery hunting for deer during any open hunting season that allows archery equipment to be used to hunt deer.
• Cranberry Isles in Hancock County is open to archery hunting for deer only during the archery and firearms seasons on deer and to shotgun hunting during the firearms season on deer.
• The area within Drake’s Island and Wells Sanctuaries, situated in the Town of Wells in the County of York: shall be open to the hunting of antlerless deer with a hand‑held bow and arrow (crossbows are not permitted), by permit only, during a specified period between November 1 and January 30; permits may be issued by the department to licensed archery hunters authorized by a landowner.
• Islesboro, Waldo County, is open to deer hunting with bow and arrow only during the archery, expanded archery, or firearms seasons on deer (crossbows are not permitted).
• Marsh Island in Old Town, Penobscot County, is open to deer hunting with handheld bow and arrow only (crossbows are not permitted).
• Prout’s Neck: Richmond’s Island; Cape Elizabeth Sanctuary contains approximately 1,600 acres open to deer hunting,with bow and arrow only (crossbows are not permitted), during the open special archery season and the firearms season on deer. Note: Landowner permission required.
• Southport: In the town of Southport, Lincoln County, and on all islands within its confines, it is lawful to hunt deer with shotguns and archery equipment only during the firearms season.

Please refer to municipal ordinances that may prohibit certain hunting methods.

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Deer Permits & Licenses

Muzzleloader Permit

• Muzzleloader means a firearm that is capable of being loaded only through the muzzle; is ignited by a matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock, or caplock, including an in-line caplock or shotgun or rifle primer mechanism; has a rifled or smooth-bored barrel capable of firing only a single charge; propels a ball, bullet, or charge of shot; and may have any type of sights, including scopes.
• New technology: There are new types of muzzleloaders on the market that allow for a pre-measured amount of factory loaded gun powder that is encapsulated and is not loaded through the muzzle as a traditional muzzleloader would require. The bullet is still loaded through the muzzle. This still meets the definition of a muzzleloader and is legal for hunting during the muzzleloader hunting season.
• A muzzleloader permit, in addition to a valid adult big game hunting license that allows the use of firearms, is required for hunters 16 years of age or older prior to hunting deer during the muzzleloader deer season. The muzzleloader permit is included in the junior hunting license and the senior (age 70+) lifetime license.
• Except as specified, all other laws relating to the taking of deer with firearms shall apply to the taking of deer with muzzleloaders.
• Only muzzleloaders that are .40 caliber or greater and capable of firing only a single charge are legal.

Expanded Archery Permits

• Restricted to designated areas (contact MDIFW, or see Expanded Archery Season on Deer, for maps of areas).
• Hunting permitted with archery equipment only.
• Hunters who have a valid archery license can purchase multiple expanded archery antlerless deer permits and one expanded archery either-sex permit.
• Antlerless deer may be harvested by hunters during the expanded archery season (Sep-Dec) with expanded archery permits.
• Deer must be legally transported and registered as required for other deer seasons.
• All other archery deer hunting laws apply.
• Junior hunters may hunt during this season with their junior hunting license. The junior hunting license includes one expanded archery either-sex permit. If the hunter wants to harvest additional deer, unlimited expanded archery antlerless deer permits may be purchased.

Antlerless Deer Permit

• Hunters with an antlerless deer permit(s) and a big game hunting license may harvest an antlerless deer in the designated WMD or subunit, in addition to a deer taken with their big game hunting license.
• For 2025, in WMDs 21-25 and 29 during the firearms and muzzleloader seasons, or statewide during the regular archery and youth hunt seasons, hunters may harvest one deer, either antlered or antlerless, under the authority of their big game hunting license. This deer counts as the hunter's one deer for the year. If a hunter harvests an antlerless deer without an anterless deer permit, they are prohibited from taking additional deer unless they have an antlerless deer permit(s) or participate in the expanded archery season (designated areas only) with expanded archery permits.
• Junior hunters may harvest antlerless deer without a permit in designated WMDs (in 2025 all WMDs/Subunits allow the harvest of antlerless deer without an antlerless permit) during the Youth Deer Hunt. If a junior hunter harvests a deer during the Youth Deer Hunt, they are prohibited from taking additional deer unless they have antlerless deer permits or participate in the expanded archery season (designated areas only) with appropriate expanded archery permits or have not yet used their hunting license to take a deer.
• Antlerless deer permits are acquired by lottery and any remaining permits are available for purchase on the MDIFW website. Hunters selected for antlerless deer permits in the antlerless deer permit lottery may claim and pay for their per­mits. Super pack license holders selected from the special super pack license holder category may claim their permits at no cost. If a super pack license holder is not selected from the special super pack license holder category, the hunter is eli­gible to receive an antlerless deer permit from the regular antlerless deer permit applicant category, and if selected must claim and pay for their permit.

Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Permits

DMAP permits must be used during the regular deer hunting seasons (excluding the expanded archery season), in accordance with all rules and statutes pertaining to the regular deer hunting season during which the permit is used, and used to harvest deer on the property for which they are issued. Each DMAP permit must be used to harvest one additional antlerless deer only. Learn more about DMAP

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2025 Deer Seasons and Bag Limits

Season	Dates	Annual Bag & Possession Limit
Expanded Archery (limited area/permit required)	September 6, 2025 - December 13, 2025	Only 1 antlered deer may be taken annually. Exception: For 2025, in WMDs 21-25 and 29 during the firearms and muzzleloader seasons, or statewide during the regular archery and youth hunt seasons, hunters may harvest one deer, either antlered or antlerless, under the authority of their big game hunting license. This deer counts as the hunter's one deer for the year. If a hunter wants to take additional deer, an antler less deer permit is required. Additional deer may be harvested by hunters possessing antlerless deer per mit(s) or during the expanded archery season with appropriate permits.
Regular Archery	October 4, 2025 - October 31, 2025
Firearms (allows use of archery equipment, firearms, or muzzleloaders)	Maine Residents Only: November 1, 2025
	All Hunters: November 3, 2025 - November 29, 2025
Youth Deer Hunt	October 24, 2025 - October 25, 2025
Muzzleloader	Week 1: All Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs) December 1, 2025 - December 6, 2025
	Week 2: WMDs 12, 13, 15-18, 20-26, 29 December 8, 2025 - December 13, 2025

All dates are inclusive except that hunting is prohibited on Sunday.

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Big Buck Club

Maine has a club for deer hunters called "The Biggest Bucks in Maine Club," which is sponsored by The Maine Sportsman.

To qualify, the minimum dressed weight (without heart, lungs, and liver) must be 200 pounds. Learn more by calling the Maine Sportsman at (207) 622-4242 or visit mainesportsman.com.

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