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Season Dates and Bag Limits
The following season dates are for the 2024-2025 hunting seasons. Click here to view 2025-2026 hunting season dates (PDF).
Deer
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | ||
| Expanded Archery | Designated areas only | September 7, 2024 | December 14, 2024 | 1 Antlered Deer Per Year* |
| Regular Archery | All | October 5, 2024 | November 1, 2024 | |
| Youth Deer Hunt | All | October 25, 2024 | October 26, 2024 | |
| Maine Resident Only Day** | All | November 2, 2024 | ||
| Firearms Season | All | November 4, 2024 | November 30, 2024 | |
| Muzzleloader Statewide | All | December 2, 2024 | December 7, 2024 | |
| Muzzleloader | 12, 13, 15-18, 20-26, 29 | December 9, 2024 | December 14, 2024 | |
* Only deer with antlers at least 3 inches long may be harvested from November 2, 2024-December 14, 2024, except that antlerless deer may be harvested in designated WMDs/subunits during the Regular Archery season and Youth Deer hunt, by hunters with antlerless deer permits, and by expanded archery hunters with appropriate 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 24, 2024 | 2 Bears Per Year 1 by hunting, 1 by trapping |
|
| General Hunting Season | All | August 26, 2024 | November 30, 2024 | |
| Hunting with Bait Bait can be placed July 27, 2024 |
All | August 26, 2024 | September 21, 2024 | |
| Bear Trapping | All | September 1, 2024 | October 31, 2024 | |
| Hunting with Dogs | All | September 9, 2024 | November 1, 2024 | |
Moose (by permit only)
| Seasons | WMDs*** | Seasons*** | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | ||
| Antlerless-Only | 4A (Adaptive Unit Hunt) | October 21, 2024 | October 26, 2024 | 1 Moose Per Year by either permittee or sub-permittee, a person may only harvest one moose regardless of how many permits they may be listed on. |
| October 28, 2024 | November 2, 2024 | |||
| November 4, 2024 | November 9, 2024 | |||
| Bull-Only | 1- 6, 10, 11, 18, 19, 27, 28 | September 23, 2024 | September 28, 2024 | |
| Bull-Only | 1-15, 17-19, 27, 28 | October 14, 2024 | October 19, 2024 | |
| Antlerless-Only | 1-6, 8 | October 28, 2024 | November 2, 2024 | |
Permit application period: April - May of each year.
*** Moose hunting season dates and WMDs subject to change.
Spring Wild Turkey (Archery equipment or shotgun)
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Seasonal Bag & Possession | ||
| All Hunters | 7 and 9-29 | April 28, 2025 | May 31, 2025 | 2 bearded Wild Turkeys* |
| 1-6 and 8 | April 28, 2025 | May 31, 2025 | 1 bearded Wild Turkey* | |
| Youth Spring Wild Turkey Day | April 26, 2025 | 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 (Archery equipment or shotgun)
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Seasonal Bag & Possession | |||
| General Hunting Season | 15-17, 20-25 | September 16, 2024 | November 7, 2024 | 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 16, 2024 | November 7, 2024 | 3 Wild Turkeys** | ||
| 28 | September 16, 2024 | November 7, 2024 | 2 Wild Turkeys** | ||
| 6-8, 10-14, 18, 19, 27 & 29 | September 16, 2024 | November 7, 2024 | 1 Wild Turkey** | ||
| 1-5, 9 | Closed to taking of Wild Turkeys | ||||
| Youth Fall Wild Turkey Day | September 14, 2024 | ||||
** 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 28, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | 4 | 8 |
| Pheasant | All | September 28, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | 2 | 4 |
| Woodcock | All | See migratory game bird laws for more information | |||
| Common Snipe | All | ||||
| Ducks, Geese, Sea Ducks (Scoter, Eider, Long-Tailed Duck) |
|||||
| Sora & Virginia Rails (and Gallinules) |
All | ||||
| Crows | 1-6 | August 1, 2024 | September 21, 2024 | No Limit | |
| February 6, 2025 | April 15, 2025 | ||||
| 7-29 | August 1, 2024 | September 21, 2024 | |||
| January 22, 2025 | March 31, 2025 | ||||
Other Species
| Seasons | WMDs | Dates | Limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | Last Day | Daily Bag | Possession | ||
| Gray Squirrel | All | September 28, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | 4 | 8 |
| Gray Squirrel (Falconry) | All | September 28, 2024 | February 28, 2025 | 4 | 8 |
| Snowshoe Hare | All | September 28, 2024 | March 31, 2025 | 4 | 8 |
| Season on Island of Vinalhaven | September 28, 2024 | February 28, 2025 | |||
| Bobcat | All | December 2, 2024 | February 21, 2025 | No Limit | |
| Fox | All | October 21, 2023 | February 28, 2025 | No Limit | |
| Raccoon | All | October 1, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | No Limit | |
| Skunk, Opossum | All | October 21, 2024 | December 31, 2024 | No Limit | |
| Coyote | All | During daylight hunting hours No Closed Season for Hunting |
No Limit | ||
| Night hunting December 16, 2024 - August 30, 2025 |
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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.