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HUNTING SEASONS IN MAINE 2025–26: Deer Hunting, Big Game and Small Game, Licenses, and Regulations Guide
Plan your 2025–26 ME hunt with our comprehensive guide—season dates, bag limits, licenses, bow & rifle rules, and key game species from whitetail deer to moose to ducks. Whether you’re drawing an arrow for a rutting buck in spruce‑fir forests, tracking moose along river corridors, or setting decoys for migrating ducks over tidal marshes, Maine’s woods, wetlands, and mountains offer world‑class big game and small game opportunities under clear regulations.
What Is There to Hunt in Maine?
Maine’s abundant wildlife includes:
Big Game: Whitetail deer, moose (draw only), black bear, wild turkey
Small Game & Upland Birds: Ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare, rabbits, gray squirrels
Waterfowl & Migratory Birds: Ducks (mallard, teal, black duck), geese, brant, mergansers, rails, coots, mourning dove
Furbearers & Predators: Coyote, fox, raccoon, beaver, muskrat, bobcat
From northern woods to southern farmlands, Maine’s varied habitats support diverse seasons and healthy populations.
What Animals Can You Hunt Year‑Round in Maine?
On private lands with landowner permission, unprotected or nuisance species like coyote, raccoon, opossum, and nutria have no closed season and no bag limits, aiding predator control. Public lands and WMAs enforce posted season and method restrictions—always confirm before hunting.
Maine Big Game Hunting Seasons 2025–26
Whitetail Deer
Archery: Oct 1 – Nov 15, 2025
Youth Rifle Weekend: Oct 18 – 19, 2025
General Rifle: Nov 15 – Nov 30, 2025
Muzzleloader: Dec 1 – Dec 7, 2025
Late Bow: Dec 8 – Dec 31, 2025
Maine’s deer seasons span bow, rifle, and muzzleloader. Bag limit: one antlered buck; antlerless tags by quota. License required for archery, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons.
Moose
Draw Hunts Only: Sept 15 – Sept 30, 2025 (downeast); Oct 15 – Oct 31, 2025 (northern zones)
Moose tags allocate via lottery. Only one moose per season; harvest reporting and sample submission mandatory for CWD monitoring.
Black Bear
Archery/Dog: Sept 1 – Sept 30, 2025
General Firearms: Oct 1 – Oct 31, 2025
Bait/Snare: Specific WMAs only; check regulations
Bear hunts allow bait, dogs, and archery; proper license and tagging ensure population health.
Wild Turkey (Spring)
Season: Apr 25 – May 27, 2026
Youth Hunt: Apr 18 – 24, 2026
Fall Archery: Sept 1 – Sept 30, 2025 (limited draw)
Spring turkey hunts combine shotgun and archery. Draw for fall archery tags; youth hunts promote early engagement in bird hunting.
Maine Small Game & Waterfowl Seasons 2025–26
Upland Game & Small Mammals
Ruffed Grouse: Sept 20 – Nov 30, 2025
Woodcock: Oct 1 – Nov 15, 2025
Snowshoe Hare & Rabbit: Oct 1 – Jan 31, 2026
Gray Squirrel: Sept 1 – Jan 31, 2026
Walk forest trails for grouse and woodcock; shotgun and non-toxic shot required for upland birds.
Waterfowl & Migratory Birds
Duck & Goose: Oct 27 – Nov 28 & Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2026
Brant & Merganser: Specific zone splits—check the license booklet
Rails & Coots: Sept 1 – Nov 30, 2025
Mourning Dove: Sept 1 – Nov 30, 2025
Shooting Hours: Sunrise – sunset; Federal Duck Stamp, HIP, and state waterfowl permit required
Maine’s coastal marshes and inland impoundments draw migrating flocks. Licenses and stamp validations fund wetland conservation.
Bag Limits by Species
Whitetail Deer: 1 buck per season; antlerless as allowed
Moose & Bear: 1 per permit
Wild Turkey: 2 per spring; 1 fall youth
Ducks: 7 per day; species sub‑limits (2 black duck, etc.)
Geese: 4 per day in Atlantic Flyway
Ruffed & Woodcock: 3 per day; 9 in possession
Rabbit & Hare: 10 per day each
Coyote & Furbearers: No limit on private lands
Bag limits ensure balanced big game and small game populations for future seasons.
License & Tags Information for Maine Hunters (2025–26)
All hunters must carry a valid IFW license and required tags:
Resident License: $18 (archery); $18 (rifle); combination discounts
Nonresident License: $70 (archery); $110 (rifle)
Moose & Turkey Tags: $15; draw only
Waterfowl Stamp: $15; Federal Duck Stamp & HIP required
Bear Permit: $12; over‑the‑counter or draw
Hunter Education: Certification mandatory for first‑time hunters
Licenses fund wildlife management, habitat restoration, and educational programs. Tag draws open mid‑summer.
Hunting Methods: Bow, Rifle, Muzzleloader
Maine permits:
Archery: Compound, recurve bows, crossbows (archery seasons)
Firearms: Center‑fire rifles, shotguns (slugs & buckshot)
Muzzleloaders: Single‑shot black‑powder firearms
Dogs & Bait: Allowed for bear and turkey per area rules; waterfowlers use decoys
Ensure compliance with weapon regulation: minimum calibers, draw weights, and non‑toxic shot for wetlands.
Regulations & Resources
Maine IFW regulations cover:
Shooting Hours: Sunrise – sunset (waterfowl sunrise rule)
Zone Maps & Unit Boundaries: WMAs and management districts online
Harvest Reporting: Deer, moose, turkey within 24 hrs via phone or portal
Special Areas: Wildlife refuges, controlled bear hound zones, and CWD surveillance sites
Before you head out, always verify season dates, bag limits, and license requirements on the official Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) website to stay compliant and ensure a legal, ethical hunt.
This guide was created based on information from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW): https://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/hunting/laws-rules/season-dates-bag-limits.html
With well-defined seasons, clear bag limits, and streamlined license systems, Maine offers exceptional hunting for deer, moose, turkey, waterfowl, and predators. Prepare your bow or rifle, secure the proper tags, and explore Maine’s rugged wilderness on your 2025–26 hunt.
HUNTING SEASONS IN NEW JERSEY 2025–26: Big Game and Small Game, Licenses, and Regulations Guide
Plan your 2025–26 NJ hunting with our state‑by‑state guide—season dates, bag limits, licenses, bow & rifle rules, and key game species from whitetail deer to wild turkey to ducks. Whether you’re drawing a compound bow for rutting bucks in the Pine Barrens, slipping into cranberry bog ditches for wood ducks at dawn, or tracking coyote year‑round on private lands, New Jersey’s coastal marshes, hardwood forests, and farmland provide premier big game and small game opportunities under clear regulations.
What Is There to Hunt in New Jersey?
New Jersey’s varied habitats support:
Big Game: Whitetail deer, wild turkey, black bear (limited draw), moose (rare permit), invasive feral swine (no closed season)
Small Game & Upland Birds: Cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, pheasant (WMAs)
Waterfowl & Migratory Birds: Ducks (mallard, teal, black duck), Canada geese, brant, rails, coots, mourning dove
Furbearers & Predators: Coyote, raccoon, fox, muskrat, opossum
From the Pinelands to the Highlands to the bayshore, New Jersey offers healthy state animal populations across distinct seasons.
What Animals Can You Hunt Year‑Round in New Jersey?
On private lands with explicit landowner permission—and appropriate license—you may harvest nuisance species such as coyote, raccoon, opossum, and invasive feral hogs year‑round with no bag limits, aiding predator control. Public Wildlife Management Areas enforce posted season dates and method restrictions.
New Jersey Big Game Hunting Seasons 2025–26
Whitetail Deer
Archery: Oct 13 – Dec 31, 2025
Youth Firearms: Oct 18–19, 2025
Firearms: Nov 29 – Dec 11, 2025
Muzzleloader: Dec 20 – Dec 24, 2025
Late Antlerless: Jan 3 – Jan 16, 2026
Bag limit: up to one buck (fork‑tined or better) per season during firearms; archery allows two antlered deer statewide but check county quotas.
Wild Turkey (Spring)
Spring Youth Hunt: Apr 19–25, 2026
Spring General: Apr 26 – May 23, 2026
Fall Archery (limited areas): Sept 20 – Sept 26, 2025
Spring turkey tags include shotgun and bow options; fall archery permits issue by draw.
Black Bear
Draw Hunts Only: Sept 1 – Oct 31, 2025
Bear permits allocate via computerized lottery; harvested bears require mandatory tagging and tooth submission.
New Jersey Small Game & Waterfowl Seasons 2025–26
Small Game & Upland Birds
Rabbit & Squirrel: Oct 1 – Feb 28, 2026
Ruffed Grouse & Woodcock: Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2025
Bobwhite Quail & Pheasant: Oct 1 – Jan 15, 2026 (WMAs only)
Mourning Dove: Sept 1 – Nov 20, 2025
Shotguns with non‑toxic shot required; upland hunters rely on dogs and careful call and decoy setups.
Waterfowl & Migratory Birds
Early Teal: Sept 6 – Sept 27, 2025
Regular Duck Season: Nov 15 – Jan 31, 2026 (zones split)
Goose Season: Nov 22 – Jan 31, 2026
Rails & Coots: Sept 1 – Nov 9, 2025
Shooting Hours: Sunrise – sunset; Federal Duck Stamp, HIP, and state waterfowl permit required
Delaware Bay and southern marsh WMAs host peak migrations. Daily duck bag limit is 6 with species sub‑limits.
Bag Limits by Species
Whitetail Deer: 1 buck per firearms season; archery quotas vary
Wild Turkey: 2 per spring; 1 fall archery
Black Bear: 1 per draw permit
Ducks: 6/day; 2 black ducks max, 2 teal max
Geese: 5/day
Rails & Coots: 15 & 25 per day
Rabbit & Squirrel: 8/day each
Coyote & Feral Hogs: No limits on private lands
Bag limits maintain sustainable big game and small game harvests.
License & Tags Information for New Jersey Hunters (2025–26)
All hunters must carry a valid NJDEP license and required permits:
Resident Hunting License: $18; Nonresident: $84
Deer Tags: $21 (buck); $5 (antlerless)
Turkey Permit: $10; youth tags free by application
Waterfowl Permit: $6; Federal Duck Stamp & HIP required
Bear Permit: $25 (draw only)
Furbearer Permit: $10; includes raccoon, muskrat, opossum
Licenses fund wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, and enforcement; draw applications open mid‑summer.
Hunting Methods: Bow, Rifle, Muzzleloader
New Jersey authorizes:
Archery: Compound, recurve bows, crossbows (archery seasons)
Firearms: Center‑fire rifles, shotguns (slugs & buckshot)
Muzzleloaders: Permitted during December window
Dogs & Bait: Allowed for raccoon and waterfowl (retrievers) under WMA rules
Confirm caliber, draw weight, and non‑toxic shot requirements for each season.
Regulations & Resources
NJDEP regulations cover:
Shooting Hours: Sunrise – sunset (waterfowl sunrise rule)
Zone Maps & Boundaries: WMAs, county zones online
Harvest Reporting: Mandatory for deer, turkey, bear within 48 hrs
Special Areas: Wildlife management areas, refuge closures, and CWD surveillance zones
Before you head out, always verify season dates, bag limits, and license requirements on the official New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife website to stay compliant and ensure a legal, ethical hunt.
This guide was created based on information from New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDEP): https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njfw/digest-hunting-and-trapping-2024-2025-segment-26-45.pdf
With well‑defined seasons, clear bag limits, and streamlined license systems, New Jersey delivers exceptional hunting for whitetail deer, turkey, waterfowl, and predators. Prepare your bow or rifle, secure proper tags, and enjoy the Garden State’s diverse wildlife heritage on your 2025–26 hunt.
Canada goose hunting from kayak. GoPro video.
An interesting fact is that of all the subspecies of geese, the Canadian goose flies the worst. This is due to its large weight. That is why the author of the video was in no hurry to get the gun out of the case.
Canada geese have been introduced in Europe in the early 17th century by explorer Samuel de Champlain who sent several pairs of geese to France as a present for King Louis XIII. The Canada goose was one of the many species described by Carl Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae.
The Canadian goose (Branta canadensis) is a waterfowl from the duck family. It is the most widespread waterfowl in North America: its population exceeds 5 million individuals.
The body length of the Canadian goose is 55-110 cm, the wingspan is 120-180 cm, and the weight is 2.0—6.5 kg.
The Canadian goose is native to North America. Currently, the bird breeds mainly in Alaska and Canada, including on the Arctic coasts and islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. And also on the Aleutian Islands in Russia.
The Canada goose is almost exclusively herbivorous. It feeds mainly on land, tearing off the green parts of herbaceous plants and digging out their rhizomes and bulbs with its rather strong beak.
Canada geese live on the banks of rivers, reservoirs, swamps, and flooded lowlands. The Canada goose walks very well on the ground and swims well, but it flies worse than other geese.
Canada geese are known for their seasonal migrations. Most Canada geese have staging or resting areas where they join up with others. Their autumn migration can be seen from September to the beginning of November. Some geese return to the same nesting ground year after year and lay eggs with their mate, raising them in the same way each year.
Canada geese fly in a distinctive V-shaped flight formation, with an altitude of 1 km (3,000 feet) for migration flight. The maximum flight ceiling of Canada geese is unknown, but they have been reported at 9 km (29,000 feet).
The Canada goose is a favorite hunting object due to its size and the taste of the meat. About 400,000 representatives of this species are shot annually during the hunting season in the USA and Canada. In Russia, hunting for the Canadian goose, which lives only on the Aleutian Islands, is prohibited.
