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Season Dates and Bag Limits
Please see below for upcoming season dates. Click here to view 2023-2024 season dates (PDF).
Deer
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | ||
| Expanded Archery | Designated areas only | September 9, 2023 | December 9, 2023 | 1 Antlered Deer Per Year* |
| Regular Archery and Crossbow | All | September 30, 2023 | October 27, 2023 | |
| Youth Deer Hunting Day | All | October 21, 2023 | ||
| Maine Resident Only Day** | All | October 28, 2023 | ||
| Firearms Season | All | October 30, 2023 | November 25, 2023 | |
| Muzzleloader Statewide | All | November 27, 2023 | December 2, 2023 | |
| Muzzleloader | 12, 13, 15-18, 20-26, 29 | December 4, 2023 | December 9, 2023 | |
* Only deer with antlers at least 3 inches long may be taken from October 28, 2023-December 9, 2023, except that antlerless deer may be taken in designated WMDs/subunits by hunters with Antlerless Deer Permits. Please see Antlerless Deer Permits for more information.
** A non-resident who owns 25 or more acres of land in Maine and leaves land open to hunting, holds a valid hunting license, and is not otherwise prohibitedby law, may hunt deer on the Resident only day, anywhere in the state. A verification form must be completed and can be located on the Hunting License Information page.
Bear
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | ||
| Youth Bear Day | All | August 26, 2023 | 2 Bear Per Year 1 by hunting, 1 by trapping |
|
| General Hunting Season | All | August 28, 2023 | November 25, 2023 | |
| Hunting with Bait Bait can be placed July 29, 2023 |
All | August 28, 2023 | September 23, 2023 | |
| Bear Trapping | All | September 1, 2023 | October 31, 2023 | |
| Hunting with Dogs | All | September 11, 2023 | October 27, 2023 | |
Moose (by permit only)
| Seasons | WMDs*** | Dates*** | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | ||
| Antlerless-Only | 4A (Adaptive Unit Hunt) | October 23, 2023* | November 4, 2023* | 1 Moose Per Year by either permittee or sub-permittee |
| November 6, 2023* | November 18, 2023* | |||
| November 20, 2023* | December 2, 2023* | |||
| Bull-Only | 1- 6, 10, 11, 18, 19, 27, 28 | September 25, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | |
| Bull-Only | 1-14, 17-19, 27, 28 | October 9, 2023 | October 14, 2023 | |
| Antlerless-Only | 1-6, 8 | October 23, 2023 | October 28, 2023 | |
Permit application period: February - May of each year.
* Excluding Sunday
*** Moose hunting season dates and WMDs subject to change.
Spring Wild Turkey (Bow & arrow, crossbow or shotgun)
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Seasonal Bag & Possession | ||
| All Hunters | 7 and 9-29 | May 1, 2023 | June 3, 2023 | 2 bearded Wild Turkeys* |
| 1-6 and 8 | May 1, 2023 | June 3, 2023 | 1 bearded Wild Turkey* | |
| Youth Spring Wild Turkey Day | April 29, 2023 | May take up to 2 bearded Wild Turkeys from WMDs that have a 2 bird limit. | ||
*May take up to 2 turkeys for the spring season, but an individual WMD bag limit cannot be exceeded. The order in which they are taken does not matter.
Fall Wild Turkey (Bow & arrow, crossbow or shotgun)
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Seasonal Bag & Possession | |||
| General Hunting Season | 15-17, 20-25 | September 18, 2023 | November 7, 2023 | 5 Wild Turkeys** | No more than two wild turkeys (either-sex, any age) may be harvested per permit holder per day, but cannot exceed the WMD bag limit. |
| 26 | September 18, 2023 | November 7, 2023 | 3 Wild Turkeys** | ||
| 28 | September 18, 2023 | November 7, 2023 | 2 Wild Turkeys** | ||
| 6-8, 10-14, 18, 19, 27 & 29 | September 18, 2023 | November 7, 2023 | 1 Wild Turkey** | ||
| 1-5, 9 | Closed to taking of Wild Turkeys | ||||
| Youth Fall Wild Turkey Day | September 16, 2023 | ||||
** May take up to five wild turkeys for the fall season, but cannot exceed an individual WMD bag limit, the order in which they are taken does not matter.
Upland and Migratory Birds
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Daily Bag | Possession | ||
| Ruffed Grouse & Bobwhite Quail | All | September 30, 2023 | December 30, 2023 | 4 | 8 |
| Pheasant | All | September 30, 2023 | December 30, 2023 | 2 | 4 |
| Woodcock | All | See migratory game bird laws for more information | |||
| Common Snipe | All | ||||
| Ducks, Geese, Sea Ducks (Scoter, Eider, Long-Tailed Duck) |
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| Sora & Virginia Rails (and Gallinules) |
All | ||||
| Crows | 1-6 | February 6, 2023 August 1, 2023 |
April 15, 2023 September 23, 2023 |
No Limit | |
| 7-29 | January 21, 2023 August 1, 2023 |
March 31, 2023 September 23, 2023 |
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Other Species
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Daily Bag | Possession | ||
| Gray Squirrel | All | September 30, 2023 | December 30, 2023 | 4 | 8 |
| Gray Squirrel (Falconry) | All | September 30, 2023 | February 28, 2024 | 4 | 8 |
| Snowshoe Hare | All | September 24, 2022 | March 31, 2023 | 4 | 8 |
| Season on Island of Vinalhaven | September 24, 2022 | February 28, 2023 | |||
| Bobcat | All | December 1, 2023 | February 21, 2024 | No Limit | |
| Fox | All | October 16, 2023 | February 28, 2024 | No Limit | |
| Raccoon | All | October 2, 2023 | December 30, 2023 | No Limit | |
| Skunk, Opossum | All | October 16, 2023 | December 30, 2023 | No Limit | |
| Coyote | All | During daylight hunting hours No Closed Season for Hunting |
No Limit | ||
| Night hunting December 16, 2022 - August 31, 2023 |
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| Woodchuck, Porcupine, Red Squirrel | All | No Closed Season | |||
| Spruce Grouse, Lynx, Cottontail Rabbit | No Open Season for Hunting | ||||
Note: Except for migratory game birds, there is no hunting season on any species of bird or animal which is not listed above.