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Maine deer, moose and bear hunting: districts, seasons and wildlife management areas

Maine hunters registered 55,876 deer, 2,319 moose and 3,611 bears in 2025, adding up MDIFW's town figures. The 2026 firearms deer season runs November 2 to 28, after a residents only day on October 31, and moose are hunted by permit in late September and October.

Data updated October 2026. Harvest: MDIFW's registered harvest by town. Seasons: MDIFW 2026-27 Maine hunting seasons.

Map of Maine's Wildlife Management Districts with the Wildlife Management Areas shaded
Green: Wildlife Management Areas. The blank block north of WMD 10 is Baxter State Park, which MDIFW's district layer leaves out. Each district's page has its own map.

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When are Maine's 2026-27 seasons?

SeasonWhereDates, 2026-27
Deer, expanded archeryDesignated areasSeptember 12 to December 12
Deer, regular archeryAll WMDsOctober 3 to 30
Deer, youth huntAll WMDsOctober 23 to 24
Deer, Maine residents only dayAll WMDsOctober 31
Deer, firearmsAll WMDsNovember 2 to 28
Deer, muzzleloaderAll WMDsNovember 30 to December 5
Deer, muzzleloader (second week)WMDs 12 to 18 and 20 to 29December 7 to 12
Moose, bulls only (permit)WMDs 1 to 7, 10 to 13, 15, 18, 19, 27, 28September 28 to October 3
Moose, bulls only (permit)WMDs 1 to 15, 17 to 19, 27, 28October 12 to 17
Moose, antlerless only (permit)WMDs 1 to 6 and 8October 26 to 31
Bear, general seasonAll WMDsAugust 31 to November 28
Bear, hunting with baitAll WMDsAugust 31 to September 26
Bear, hunting with dogsAll WMDsSeptember 14 to October 30
Turkey, fallAll WMDs but 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9September 14 to November 7
Turkey, springAll WMDsMay 3 to June 5, 2027

Source: MDIFW 2026-27 Maine hunting seasons.

Maine's Wildlife Management Districts

The most deer in 2025 came from WMD 17 (8,025), WMD 23 (5,108) and WMD 26 (4,399); the most moose from WMD 1 (403), WMD 4 (386) and WMD 2 (319).

WMDSquare milesPublic landDeer, 2025Moose, 2025Bears, 2025Spring turkeys, 2025
WMD 11,4422%1864031588
WMD 21,2155.7%24031916017
WMD 31,0116.3%37320419263
WMD 42,1112.2%1683862516
WMD 51,5898%20127126512
WMD 61,4352.5%929163249173
WMD 71,4738.9%1,0949520655
WMD 82,1709.7%75321732326
WMD 91,16612.1%2369216712
WMD 1099621.7%1772814212
WMD 111,7692.9%1,01042269112
WMD 121,01413.2%1,47011220254
WMD 135812.7%1,466161142
WMD 148383.7%6212110259
WMD 151,1031.9%3,620063685
WMD 168932.4%4,395014567
WMD 171,4551.2%8,025364696
WMD 181,3173.3%1,0451717393
WMD 191,3015.3%3573118014
WMD 206644.2%3,631011760
WMD 216962.2%3,70803700
WMD 226222.3%4,13400556
WMD 239342.7%5,10807641
WMD 243834.4%1,84900245
WMD 258441.9%3,85302540
WMD 261,0815.7%4,399072352
WMD 272,1673.7%1,16725373
WMD 281,1647.9%7621219070
WMD 294,4110.3%8970023

Harvest: MDIFW's figures by town. Added up by FilledTag from MDIFW's figures by town: each town is counted in the district that holds its centre, so a town on a district line counts wholly on one side. Public land measured by FilledTag from USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1).

How much of Maine is public hunting ground?

4.8% of Maine is public land by PAD-US 4.1: state public lands and parks (BPL) 761,883 acres, National Park Service 158,715 acres, MDIFW land (WMAs) 113,701 acres, national wildlife refuge 73,838 acres, national forest 53,918 acres and other state land 15,096 acres. Much of the north woods is private timberland open to hunting by custom, which this count leaves out.

Wildlife Management Areas with their own page

Questions hunters ask

When is deer season in Maine in 2026?

Regular archery runs October 3 to 30, the youth deer day October 23 to 24, the residents only day October 31, the firearms season November 2 to 28 and the muzzleloader season November 30 to December 5, with a second muzzleloader week December 7 to 12 in WMDs 12 to 18 and 20 to 29 (MDIFW 2026-27 seasons).

When is moose season in Maine in 2026?

By permit only: bulls September 28 to October 3 in WMDs 1 to 7, 10 to 13, 15, 18, 19, 27 and 28; bulls October 12 to 17 in WMDs 1 to 15, 17 to 19, 27 and 28; antlerless moose October 26 to 31 in WMDs 1 to 6 and 8. One moose per person per year.

How many deer were registered in Maine in 2025?

MDIFW's town figures add up to 55,876 deer in 2025, with 2,319 moose, 3,611 bears and 10,533 turkeys.

Can you hunt on Maine's wildlife management areas?

Yes. MDIFW welcomes hunting and trapping on its WMAs, with rules: a stand or blind left more than a day needs a permit and the owner's name and address, permanent stands are not allowed, trapping and hunting over bait need a permit, and camping, fires and swimming are prohibited.

When is bear season in Maine in 2026?

The general bear season runs August 31 to November 28, hunting over bait August 31 to September 26 and hunting with dogs September 14 to October 30, with a youth bait weekend August 28 to 29 (MDIFW). The annual limit is two bears, one by hunting and one by trapping.

Get a Maine hunt plan when they open

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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Maine included.

Where these numbers come from

FilledTag is not part of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. MDIFW's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.

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