Maine's most popular hunting season is almost here
 Maine's firearms hunting season starts Saturday, November 2 for Maine residents (Monday, November 4 for non residents)
Soon you will be sitting in one of your favorite spots, watching the woods wake up around you in anticipation of a white-tailed deer walking across your shooting lane. Until then, it's time to do some last minute scouting, secure landowner permission if you haven't already, gather your gear, start scent control, ensure your firearm is ready, and go over a few safety reminders:
- Always treat every firearm as if it is loaded
- Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times
- Always carry your firearm in a safe manner
- Be sure of your target and beyond
- Follow treestand safety by always wearing a safety harness and being aware of potentially hazardous trees nearby
- Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return
- Always have a survival kit and compass, even the most experienced outdoors people can get turned around in the dark
We hope you have a safe, memorable season in the woods.
 |
|
Always Be a Good Land User
Always ask permission before hunting on private property and learn what matters most to the landowner. Keep it clean, legal, and respectful. Don't forget to label all treestands and game cameras with your contact information, and ask for permission before putting them on private property (game cameras require written permission). It is up to us, today's hunters, to help maintain access for generations to come.
|
Protect Maine's White-Tailed Deer
Do your part to keep Chronic Wasting Disease out of Maine
1. Follow Maine's import laws. It is illegal to transport wild deer, caribou, moose, or elk carcass parts into Maine from any state or province except New Hampshire. Hunters may return to Maine only with boned-out meat, hardened antlers (with or without skull caps), hides without the head portion, and finished taxidermy mounts. If still attached, skull caps should be cleaned free of brain and other tissues.
2. When hunting out of state, take extra precautions. When hunting deer, moose, caribou, or elk outside of Maine, take necessary steps to avoid handling, transporting, or consuming CWD-infected specimens - instructions found on our website. Hunters returning from hunts in jurisdictions with CWD should very thoroughly clean their gear (such as boots and knives) before returning to Maine and entering the Maine woods.
3. Don’t use urine-based lures. Instead, hunters should use synthetic, non-urine-based lures.
|
Permits are still available for purchase in WMDs 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 29
Purchase an antlerless deer permit online today! Hunters may purchase two extra antlerless deer permits online. If a hunter acquired an antlerless deer permit through the lottery, they could have a total of three antlerless deer permits.
Have you purchased a permit through the lottery, but can't remember your permit number or information?
You can look up your permit using the Purchased Permit Lookup.
You may be able to purchase another permit in November
If there are antlerless deer permits remaining after the start of the firearms season, hunters may purchase one additional permit on November 12. Hunters will be notified of the opportunity on the MDIFW website in early November.
|
