Maine expands antlerless deer permits, adds unlimited districts and longer muzzleloader season

Maine opened its 2026 antlerless deer permit lottery on June 25. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife approved the allocations on June 17, and the changes stretch from unlimited-permit districts in WMDs 21-25 and 29 to new 25-permit allocations in WMDs 2 and 5 after those districts had none in 2025.

Maine divides deer management into 29 Wildlife Management Districts to account for geography, soils and forest type. MDIFW sets antlerless allocations using the previous winter’s deer mortality, last season’s harvest and other biological data. The winter severity index estimates mortality by WMD and adjusts doe harvest targets when winters are milder or harsher than normal.

The lottery stays open through July 30, with the drawing set for August 13. Hunters can enter up to two WMD or subunit choices in order of preference, and the maximum remains four antlerless permits per hunter. There is no application fee, but successful applicants must pay $12 plus a $2 agent fee to claim a permit. A pre-payment option is available in WMD groups 15-17, 20-26, 26a and 29, and one permit allows the holder to take one antlerless deer in the assigned district or subunit in addition to the buck allowed by a Maine hunting license.

Maine also added more time in the field for muzzleloader hunters in WMDs 14, 27 and 28. In those districts, a second week of muzzleloader hunting will stretch the season to 12 days after the firearms season, instead of the usual six. The 2026 firearms season will run November 2-28, followed by statewide muzzleloader season November 30-December 5 and then December 7-12 in select WMDs.

The proceeds help fund purchase and management of deer wintering areas in northern, western and eastern Maine, and those funds have helped acquire and manage more than 10,000 acres of deer wintering habitat since 2022. The Maine Deer Management Fund receives about $1.2 million a year, mostly from antlerless permit sales, with added money from deer registrations and donations.