Hunting Areas
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS All MDIFW-owned Wildlife Management Areas ( WMA ), except Steve Powell WMA ( Swan Island ) and portions of Steep Falls and Killick Pond WMA , are open for general-law hunting and trapping . Information on WMAs , including maps can be found at mefishwildlife . com / wma . Removable stands or blinds , such as ladder , hang on , pop-up blinds etc . when placed for more than one day require a permit to hunt on MDIFW-owned WMAs and must be plainly labeled with a 2-inch by 4-inch tag that include the names and addresses of everyone the landowner has authorized to use . Permanent structures are prohibited . Permission is not needed if blind and stand are removed daily . Bear trapping and the placing or hunting over bait for any species is authorized by permit only . A person may utilize game cameras on WMAs without landowner permission . To obtain a permit , contact a Regional Wildlife Biologist at the appropriate Regional MDIFW office . Find a WMA near you at mefishwildlife . com / wma .
BUREAU OF PARKS AND LANDS ( BPL ) Maine Department of Agriculture , Conservation and Forestry , Bureau of Parks and Lands manages 700,000 acres of land ( not including easements and leases ) in Maine for a mix of activities , including hunting and trapping . The safety of all visitors is the Bureau ’ s primary concern , so certain heavily developed and high-use areas are closed to hunting for all or part of the year . In other areas , the Bureau provides as many hunting and trapping opportunities as are reasonable and consistent with its mandates and with visitor safety .
Hunters and trappers are asked to exercise due caution and care for the safety and enjoyment of other visitors when using Bureau lands by obeying posted information and the rules listed below .
State Parks and Historic Sites General hunting , except where specifically prohibited , is allowed from the day after Labor Day to May 31 . Hunting and trapping must conform with State of Maine laws , MDIFW rules , and local ordinances . Trapping on state park or historic site land in organized townships requires the written permission of the Bureau . There is no hunting allowed in the restricted zone of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway between May 1 and September 30 .
• Hunting is not allowed in any Memorial or Historic Site .
• Hunting is not allowed at Andrews Beach ; that portion of Bradbury Mountain State Park west of State Route 9 ; Cobscook Bay ; Crescent Beach and Kettle Cove ; Damariscotta Lake ; Ferry Beach ; Holbrook Island Sanctuary ; Mackworth Island ; Nickerson Lake ; Owls Head Light ; that portion of Quoddy Head within 1,000 feet of the lighthouse , or at Reid , Sebago Lake , Shackford Head , Two Lights , and Wolfe ’ s Neck Woods State Parks .
• Work areas and areas with significant public use may be posted and closed to hunting from time to time in the interest of public safety .
• The discharge of any firearm , archery equipment , or weapon is prohibited from or within 300 feet of any picnic area , camping area , campsite , parking area , building , shelter , boat launch site , posted trail or other developed area .
• Loaded weapons are not allowed on the treadway of any trail posted “ Closed to hunting ”.
• The baiting of any animal for the purpose of hunting is not allowed .
• Written permission from the regional manager is required to erect attended or unattended portable tree stands or ladders . Unattended tree stands or ladders will be permitted for a period determined by the Bureau .
Public Lands Firearms : Loaded firearms are not permitted in campsites , on marked hiking trails , at boat launching sites , or at picnic sites , and shall not be discharged within 300 feet of such areas .
Bear Hunting : A permit is required from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands to place bait on Public Reserved Land for the purpose of hunting bear .
BPL Tree Stand Policy : Portable tree stands and hunting platforms or ladders that are not permanently attached to a tree are allowed on lands managed by the Bureau , in accordance with state law and Bureau rules .
In organized towns , oral permission from the Bureau is required for portable tree stands or ladders when used on a daily basis ; written permission from the Bureau is required to place unattended tree stands or ladders , for a period determined by the Bureau .
In unorganized towns , permission from the Bureau is not required for portable tree stands or ladders when used on a daily basis ; written permission from the Bureau is required to
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place unattended tree stands or ladders , for a period determined by the Bureau .
Any ladder or observation stand for which the Bureau has given permission must be plainly labeled with a 2-inch by 4-inch tag with the names and addresses of everyone authorized to use it . This requirement applies to State Parks and Public Lands managed by Bureau of Parks and Lands .
Portable tree stands or ladders used in conjunction with a valid bear-bait site permit are allowed to remain in place on Public Reserved and Nonreserved Lands during the baiting season on bear but must be removed from the tree at the end of the bear baiting season . For More Information Please call ( 207 ) 287-3821 , TTY ( 207 ) 287-2213 or write to : Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands 22 State House Station Augusta , Maine 04333-0022
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES ( NWR ) Note : On National Wildlife Refuges that permit hunting of upland game , persons hunting upland species other than deer and turkey with a shotgun shall possess and use only nontoxic shot while in the field .
More restrictive regulations may apply to National Wildlife Refuges open to public hunting and a refuge hunting permit may be required . For more info on federal refuge regulations , contact :
• Rachel Carson NWR 321 Port Road , Wells , ME 04090 ( 207 ) 646-9226
• Maine Coastal Islands NWR PO Box 279 , Milbridge , ME 04658 ( 207 ) 594-0600
• Sunkhaze Meadows NWR 103 Headquarters Rd , Baring , ME 04694 ( 207 ) 454-7161
• Moosehorn NWR and Aroostook NWR ( Baring and Edmunds Units ) 103 Headquarters Rd Baring , ME 04694 ( 207 ) 454-7161
• Lake Umbagog NWR PO Box 240 Errol , NH 03579 ( 603 ) 482-3415
QUESTIONS ? CALL 207 287-8000 2024-25 STATE OF MAINE SUMMARY OF LAWS & RULES HUNTING