Junior Hunters

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On this page:

  • Inferior Hunting License
  • Supervision of Inferior Hunters
  • Youth Hunting Days

Junior Hunting License

All children that have non all the same reached their 16th birthday must have a junior hunting license to chase. There is no minimum age to purchase a junior hunting license.

After a junior hunter'due south 16th birthday, they may go along to hunt on their junior license for the remainder of the calendar year with or without taking the hunter safe course. If the junior hunter does take the hunter
safety class it must exist appropriate for the method in which they intend to hunt with. He or she may and then hunt without supervision and keep all the junior hunter permits but must carry their valid junior hunting license every bit well every bit their hunter prophylactic menu.

The junior hunter is not required to upgrade to the adult license until the calendar year they turn 17 but they may upgrade to the adult license in their 16th year. Upgrading while they are sixteen years of age will require them to purchase any necessary permits. Inferior license holders can chase with a firearm, bow and pointer, or crossbow (meet Laws Pertaining to Hunting Equipment for more crossbow information).

The license includes hunting permits for muzzleloader, spring and autumn turkey, carry, coyote night chase, pheasant, state migratory waterfowl, one expanded archery antlerless deer permit, and one expanded archery either sex permit.

Annotation: A lifetime license purchased for a hunter under 16 years of historic period is considered a junior license until upgraded to an adult license which tin can exist done by contacting MDIFW.

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Supervision of Inferior Hunters

  • Hunters from 10–15 years of age must exist in the presence of, and under the effective command of, a junior hunter supervisor.
  • Hunters under the age of 10 must be in the presence of, and nether the effective command of, a junior hunter supervisor who remains at all times within 20 anxiety of the hunter.

A. A "Inferior Hunter Supervisor" means:

  1. The parent or guardian of the inferior hunter who holds or has held a valid Maine hunting license or successfully completed a hunter safety grade.
  2. A person 18 years of historic period or older who:
    1. Is approved past the parent or guardian of the inferior hunter; and
    2. Holds or has held a valid Maine hunting license or successfully completed a hunter safe course.

Note: On Youth Simply Hunting Day, the accompanying parent, guardian, or qualified adult shall not possess a firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow while accompanying a participating youth hunter.

B. "In the presence of" means:

"In the presence of" means: in visual and voice contact without the use of visual or audio enhancement devices, including but not limited to binoculars and citizen band radios.

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Youth Hunting Days

Junior hunters who hold a valid inferior hunting license (including a lifetime license) can participate in special youth hunting days for comport, deer, leap and fall wild turkey, and migratory waterfowl.

If a person is continuing to hunt on a junior license and has turned xvi they may hunt on youth hunting days. If that 16 yr old who is hunting with a inferior hunting license has completed their hunter safety course they yet must have adult supervison on the youth days merely.

On these days, all laws pertaining to hunting deer, bear, leap and autumn wild turkey and waterfowl apply. The accompanying parent, guardian or qualified adult, shall non possess a firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow, except on youth waterfowl days*. On youth deer, deport and spring and fall turkey days the parent, guardian or qualified developed may deport a handgun pursuant to Title 25 M.R.S. SS 2001-A, merely the handgun may not exist used for the purpose of hunting.

16-twelvemonth-olds all the same hunting on valid inferior hunting licenses may hunt on youth hunt days without purchasing additional permits, except for migratory waterfowl youth hunt days, which crave anyone 16 or older to obtain a valid Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp.

Youth Hunting

Species Youth Hunting Days(s) Regulations Pertaining to Junior Hunters
Bear August 28, 2021 A licensed junior hunter may hunt conduct with a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow during the youth bear hunting day. Apply of dogs is prohibited; hunting over bait or still hunting is permitted.
Deer Oct 23, 2021 Participants are allowed to have one antlered deer in WMDs where antlerless deer permits are
not issued or are but issued for a portion of the WMD or participants may take i deer of
either sexual practice in WMDs where antlerless deer permits are issued for the entire WMD. If a junior
hunter shoots a deer on youth deer hunting day, they are prohibited from taking additional
deer, unless they have been awarded a bonus antlerless-deer let or participate in the expanded archery season (designated areas but) with advisable expanded archery permits.
Leap Wild Turkey Apr 30, 2022 Participants may take up to two bearded wild turkeys with a shotgun, bow and pointer, or crossbow, but cannot exceed an individual WMD pocketbook limit. See Wild Turkey Hunting.
Fall Wild Turkey September 18, 2021 Participants may take up to two wild turkeys on this 24-hour interval, with a shotgun or bow and arrow, but cannot exceed an individual WMD bag limit. If hunting in different WMDs, the order in which they are taken does not matter.
Waterfowl North Zone:
September 18, 2021 & Dec xi, 2021		 ALL duck species except Harlequins, Barrow's Goldeneye, Moorhens and Gallinules, may exist hunted on these days, including geese. For the Sep 25, October sixteen, Oct 23 and December 11 youth days, the goose limit is under the Regular Season limit. On youth waterfowl hunting days, scoters, eiders, and long-tailed ducks may be taken as part of the half-dozen bird daily limit on regular ducks. Also on these dates, 2 Black Ducks may be taken.) Must follow regular flavor bag limits and exceptions.

*The supervisor may non bear a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow while accompanying a youth hunter on a youth chase day except when information technology occurs during the early on goose flavour the accompanying adult may hunt for geese merely.

Southward Zone:
September 25, 2021 & October 16, 2021
Coastal Zone:
September 25, 2021 & October 23, 2021

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