PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 31, 2025
In 2022, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife changed its licensing system to allow deer hunters to apply for a doe tag in addition to their buck-only big game hunting license. This meant that I could shoot a doe and continue to hunt for a buck instead of having a one-and-done deer season. Deer hunters under the age of 16 are allowed to take a doe or buck during the youth deer hunt (Oct. 24-25 this fall). If a young hunter harvests a deer no matter if it is a buck or a doe, they are done for the rest of the season unless they have a doe tag and can continue to hunt for a doe to fill that tag. For the rest of us, this year things are changing again. Hunters in Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs) 21-25 and 29 will be able to take either a buck or a doe with their hunting license, not both. If a hunter in WMDs 21-25 and 29 wants to take both, they will still need a hunting license and an antlerless deer permit. These six districts cover a large portion of the state.