Being a responsible user of the Maine outdoors means staying informed of, and complying with, the current laws and rules.

MDIFW’s popular summary guides make it easy to find and follow the laws and rules that apply to you. And now, our NEW digital formats allow you to quickly check a law, confirm legal hunting hours, look up best practices and more – from anywhere, anytime. 

Just visit mefishwildlife.com/laws

No cell coverage in the woods? No problem.

Just visit mefishwildlife.com/laws and browse by activity. Before you head into the woods, follow these instructions to save an offline law book or quick reference guide to your mobile device.

Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader or iBooks app. In Safari, go to: mefishwildlife.com/laws Click the link for the PDF you want to download. When it opens, tap on the share icon in the bottom center of the screen, then tap “Copy to Adobe Acrobat Reader” or “Copy to iBooks”. The file is now saved in your Adobe Acrobat Reader app and your iBooks app for offline viewing.

In Chrome, go to: mefishwildlife.com/laws Select the link for the PDF you want to download. Choose to download the file to your Downloads folder OR Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader app and open the PDF.

Go to mefishwildlife.com/laws to save a copy and/or print just the pages you need. You will find a series of helpful quick reference guides as well, including a legal hunting time table and a chart of the hunting seasons and bag limits.

Why digital law books?

In 2016, we printed over 700,000 law books. Thats a lot of paper and a lot of resources diverted from Maine’s fish and wildlife.

With 77% of the U.S. population using smartphones in 2017, our agency’s mission clearly directed us to make a shift. And while we’re still priting some books (available at licence agent locations), we’re asking you to do your part and make use of the convenient and responsible digital options.

As a bonus, the digital options are searchable and always on hand, as long as you have your mobile device. If you always keep it on you (and charged) to take photos or use the GPS, this is a no-brainer.

Hunting season is approaching! Be prepared and be sure to review Maine’s 2018-2019 hunting laws today.

Search Maine Hunting Laws Online 2018-2019 Maine Hunting Laws (PDF) Hunting Quick Reference (PDF) Migratory Game Bird Quick Reference (PDF)

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable hunting season in Maine!