What you should know about Maine's antlerless deer permit system

Editor's note: This story was originally published in August 2022 and has been updated with information available as of July 3, 2024. To track the latest changes to deer permit policies, visit the MDIF&W information page.

After applications for antlerless deer hunting opened on July 3, Maine hunters are eagerly awaiting August 15 when the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will announce the winners.

In 2022, the state has unveiled a new plan that it hopes will help it better meet its doe harvest goals, which it has consistently missed in recent years.

Here's what you need to know.

How many permits are there?

The state issues 128,030 permits to kill antlerless deer (or deer with antlers less than 3 inches long).

That's nearly 20,000 more permits than will be required in 2023 to meet harvest targets, which are assessed annually by MDIF&W and change based on numerous factors.

The hope is to move closer to the goal of controlling the deer herd, especially in the densely populated areas of central and southern Maine where the animals are most common.

How does it work with the permits?

Hunters granted an antlerless deer permit may now harvest an antlerless deer in the Wildlife Management District for which they were selected and, new, may also harvest a buck anywhere in Maine during the same season.

If a hunter had previously shot a hornless deer with a so-called Any-Deer permit, he was prohibited from continuing to hunt a buck.

How do I know if I have been approved?

DIF&W will announce the names of the antlerless animal permit winners on Thursday, August 15th at 9 a.m. You will find them on the Bangor Daily News website.

If you are selected, you will need to apply for and purchase the permit ($12 plus a $2 broker fee) to use it. If you do not do so by September 12, your permit will expire and be sold to someone else.

After payment, permit winners will receive a permit number, which is required when registering a deer.

Under the permit system for hunting hornless deer, hunters are not permitted to exchange or transfer their permit to another hunter.

Can I get more than one permit?

Whether or not you get an antlerless permit, you will still have the opportunity to purchase one starting in early October. They will be offered online at mefishwildlife.com on a first-come, first-served basis.

If permits to hunt hornless deer remain available after the regular firearm hunting season begins (November 4 for Maine residents), DIF&W will notify hunters of this opportunity on its website and you may purchase another permit to hunt hornless deer.

Can I hunt deer without a permit?

Under certain circumstances, no permits are required to keep animals without antlers.

For example, during the regular bow and crossbow deer hunting season, hornless deer may be harvested without a permit in designated WMD areas and subunits.

However, hunters who kill a hornless deer without a permit during the regular bow and crossbow season are not allowed to kill an additional buck.

Hunters holding an antlerless deer permit may harvest one buck and one antlerless deer of the WMD or subdivision listed on their permit during the bow/crossbow hunting season.

On Youth Deer Day, antlerless deer may be harvested in all wildlife management districts, with or without a permit. However, hunters who harvest an antlerless deer on Youth Deer Day may not continue to hunt a buck with firearms during the regular hunting season.

Youth hunters who kill a hornless stag on Youth Deer Day with a permit to hunt hornless stags are still allowed to hunt a buck.

Hunters who win an antlerless hunting permit in the lottery and then purchase another permit may complete them in any order.

All proceeds from antlerless deer permits are used to fund the purchase and management of deer wintering areas, primarily in northern Maine. Deer wintering areas – which provide shelter from deep snow, forage, and protection from predators – are important habitat for deer at the northern end of their range.

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What you should know about Maine's antlerless deer permit system

Anna Harden

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