Summary of Maine Hunting Laws 2025-26 | Page 9

LICENSING INFORMATION 7

SPECIAL LICENSES Special Privilege Licenses Military Currently Stationed in Maine: Anyone serving in the U. S. Armed Forces and permanently stationed at a military base in Maine( including spouse and dependent children if they permanently reside with that person) may purchase a resident license to hunt, trap, or fish after showing proof of residency.

Maine Resident Military Currently Stationed Outside of Maine: Residents who are on active duty in the U. S. Armed Forces and permanently stationed outside of Maine may purchase either a hunting, fishing, trapping, or combination hunting and fishing license for the Maine Resident Serviceman combination price upon verification that Maine is their home of record. Their spouse and any dependent children residing with them are also entitled to discounted rates. See page 8.

Exchange Students: Any citizen of a foreign nation under age 21 who is living with a family in Maine for a cultural or educational exchange program may purchase a resident license to hunt or fish.

Nonresident College Student license: Allows an applicant between the ages of 18 and 23, inclusive, to obtain a license at the Maine Resident cost. The applicant must be a full-time student, and have completed at least one semester prior to applying for the license. To obtain the license they need to apply through Augusta MDIFW. The student will need to fill out the application, provide us with a current college ID card and last semester ' s transcripts.

Complimentary Licenses Disabled Veterans: Maine resident and non-resident veterans( if reciprocal privileges exist in their home state) who have been honorably discharged from the U. S. Armed Forces or the National Guard and have a service-connected disability

OUTDOOR SAFETY COURSES

Maine law requires all firearms, archery, or trapping license applicants to complete an outdoor safety course, unless they have previously held an adult license. Crossbow safety is now included in the archery course. See pg 16 for more details. For bear trapping education course requirements, please see page 28.

Firearms and archery hunter safety and bear trapping education courses are available in three formats; online, homestudy, or traditional. Homestudy includes the completion of the hunter education workbook, or online course, followed by a skills and exam day. An in-person skills and exam session is required for students ages 10-15 who take

of 50 % or more will be issued, upon application, a complimentary license that entitles the holder to all privileges they are qualified to receive including hunting, trapping, archery, and fishing. The license also includes the following permits: bear hunt, bear trap, muzzleloader, migratory waterfowl, pheasant, spring and fall turkey, coyote night hunt, one expanded archery antlerless and one either-sex. Veterans must still apply for antlerless deer and moose permits each year. These licenses may only be obtained from MDIFW’ s main office in Augusta.

Native Americans: The commissioner shall issue a complimentary lifetime hunting, archery, trapping and fishing license, including permits and other permissions needed to hunt, trap and fish, to a person, who is an enrolled member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, or the Aroostook Band of Mi ' kmaqs, if the person presents certification from the respective reservation governor or the Aroostook Mi ' kmaq Council stating that they are an enrolled member of that federally recognized nation, band or tribe. firearms and archery safety courses online.

The in-person classes are sponsored by school districts, sports clubs, civic groups, and others, and are taught statewide by volunteer instructors certified by MDIFW. Pre-registration is typically required.

To begin taking a course online or to register for an in-person course, visit mefishwildlife. com / safetycourses. For information on becoming a volunteer instructor, contact your local Regional Safety Coordinator or the Recreational Safety Division Office.

Recreational Safety Division( 207) 287-5220

Other Licenses Available at the Augusta Office only. For detailed information on the following licenses, contact MDIFW at( 207) 287-5232.

• Hide Dealers License: See prohibition regarding selling of wild animals section on page 11.

• Seasonal Hide Dealers License: Required for any place of business that butchers wild animals and commercially sells or barters the heads or untanned hides of deer or moose that they have butchered.

• Taxidermist License: Allows a place of business to lawfully possess fish or wildlife for the sole purpose of preparing and mounting them and to also buy, sell or barter raw, untanned hides or heads of wild animals. This includes skull and bone mounts, commonly referred to as European mounts, reptile and amphibians, and freeze-dried mounts.

• Guides License: Required for anyone who receives any form of remuneration for their services in accompanying or assisting others while hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, snowmobiling, ATVing, or camping at a primitive camping area.

APPRENTICE HUNTER LICENSE An apprentice hunter license is available to a resident or non-resident 16 years or older who has never held a valid adult hunting license. A person may not obtain an apprentice hunter license more than five times. A person holding this license may not hunt other than in the presence of an apprentice supervisor at least 18 years of age who has held a valid hunting license for the prior three consecutive years. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the holder of an apprentice hunter license follows safe hunting protocol as well as all hunting laws.

QUESTIONS? CALL 207 287-8000