Tips, either-sex deer hunting opportunity, extra permits for sale, and more





Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife





*mefishwildlife.com*






The best time of the year is almost here...
deer hunter with a rifle in a tree stand wearing camo and blaze orange, looks like he is taking aim
Maine's firearms hunting season for deer starts Saturday, November 1 for Maine residents and Monday, November 3 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 passing through 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 what is beyond
* Follow treestand safety by always wearing a safety harness and using a safety line. Once safely secured, use a haul line to pull up your unloaded firearm to you. Be aware of potentially hazardous trees nearby. 
* Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return
* Bring 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. *

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Either-Sex Deer Hunting

For 2025, in *WMDs 21-25 and 29* during the firearms and muzzleloader 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 antlerless deer permit is required. View WMD map [ [link removed] ]. 

Additional antlerless deer may be taken if the hunter has antlerless deer permit(s) or with expanded archery antlerless deer permit(s) during the expanded archery season. View expanded archery zone map [ [link removed] ]. 

firearms and muzzleloader season bag limit graphic [ [link removed] ]

"View text version of graphic [ [link removed] ]"

"*Annual Bag Limit Reminder:* Deer harvested during the regular archery and crossbow, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons *count toward the same annual bag limit*. "A hunter who harvested an antlered deer during the regular archery and crossbow season cannot harvest another antlered deer during the firearms season. ""

*Learn More* [ [link removed] ]


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Extra Antlerless Deer Permits Available for Purchase

*Extra permits are available for purchase in WMDs 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 29* on a first come, first served basis.

You may buy *up to three extra antlerless deer permits in total.* "If you already have a lottery permit, you may hold up to four total 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 [ [link removed] ].

*Purchase a Permit Online* [ [link removed] ]


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hunter labeling treestand [ [link removed] ]
Access to Private Land is a Privilege, Not a Right

*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."

 



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large white-tailed buck in a field looking up to smell tree [ [link removed] ]
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 [ [link removed] ]. 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.



*Learn More about CWD* [ [link removed] ]






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More information

Purchase a hunting license online [ [link removed] ]
Antlerless deer permit information [ [link removed] ]
Find a registration station [ [link removed] ]
Find a deer meat processing facility
[ [link removed] ]Download a transportation tag [ [link removed] ]
Plan your hunt [ [link removed] ]
Find a place to hunt [ [link removed] ]
Search Maine's hunting laws [ [link removed] ]
Managing buck age structure [ [link removed] ]
Rut Watch community science project [ [link removed] ]
Keep CWD out of Maine [ [link removed] ]
Hunting with lead-free ammunition [ [link removed] ]
PFAS Do Not Eat deer advisory in portions of Albion, Fairfield, Freedom, Knox, Skowhegan, Thorndike, Unity, and Unity Township [ [link removed] ]








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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ·41 State House Station · Augusta, ME 04333-0041 · (207) 287-8000 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]