BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 14, 2025
Hunters generally are allowed to pursue and shoot game on your property in Maine, whether you granted permission or not. Simply put, hunters, hikers and explorers are typically allowed access to woodlands that aren’t marked with “No Trespassing” or “Access by Permission Only” signs or other markings. “If it isn’t visibly posted, you do not need landowner permission to access it,” Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service said. “It’s different for all-terrain vehicles. You do need permission to ride on the land.” A law in Maine protects landowners from liability in the case that recreational users injure themselves on land the landowner has chosen to allow access on. Those landowners are not required to warn against hazardous conditions, unless failure to guard or warn against those conditions is ruled willful or malicious.