Coyote Hunting Laws in Maine: Seasons, Permits, and Rules Explained
July 26, 2026
Maine is one of the most permissive states in the Northeast for coyote hunting, offering year-round access during daylight hours and a structured night hunting window for permit holders. The eastern coyote (Canis latrans) has established a strong presence across the state’s vast forests, agricultural edges, and rural corridors, making it a target for hunters managing predator populations and pursuing fur.
Whether you are a resident planning a winter night hunt or a non-resident heading north for the first time, understanding exactly what the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) requires will keep you on the right side of the law. This guide covers every regulation you need — from season dates and license requirements to trapping rules and landowner provisions — based on current MDIFW rules for the 2025–2026 season.
Important Note: As of early 2025, a legislative bill (LD 716) was proposed to restrict coyote hunting to a six-month season (October 1–March 31) and increase penalties. As of the 2025–2026 season, the existing year-round daytime framework remains in effect. Always verify current rules at the MDIFW official website before heading out.
Is Coyote Hunting Legal in Maine?
Yes, coyote hunting is fully legal in Maine. Coyote hunting is permitted year-round during daylight hunting hours. There is no closed season for daytime hunting, and there is no limit on the number of coyotes you can take. This makes Maine one of the more open states for predator hunting in the region.
One important restriction applies to Sunday hunting. You cannot shoot a coyote on Sunday in Maine — the Sunday hunting ban applies to all species, including coyotes. This is a long-standing rule that applies statewide regardless of the species you are pursuing.
If you take a coyote, registration matters depending on what you plan to do with it. Coyotes taken by hunting must be tagged and registered prior to being bought, sold, traded, or transported out of state — however, unregistered coyotes can be gifted. Maine also allows hunters to compare notes with other states through resources like coyote hunting laws in New York and coyote hunting laws in Pennsylvania for a regional perspective.
Coyote Hunting Season Dates in Maine
Maine does not impose a closed season on daytime coyote hunting. According to the 2025–26 Maine Hunting Seasons summary published by MDIFW, coyotes may be hunted statewide during daylight hunting hours with no closed season and no bag limit. This applies to all Wildlife Management Districts across the state.
Night hunting operates under a separate, defined window. A Coyote Night Hunting Permit is available for $4 plus agent fee and allows a person to hunt coyote at night from December 16 through August 31. The gap between September 1 and December 15 is a blackout period for individual permit holders hunting at night.
Pro Tip: The Sunday ban does affect your night hunting window. Hunting coyote during the coyote night hunting season is legal from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, but shall cease at midnight each Saturday and resume at 12:01 AM on Monday.
| Hunting Type | Season Dates | Bag Limit | Permit Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime Hunting | Year-round (no closed season) | No limit | Hunting license only |
| Night Hunting | December 16 – August 31 | No limit | Hunting license + Night Hunting Permit |
| Night Hunting (blackout) | September 1 – December 15 | N/A | Not permitted for individuals |
| Sunday Hunting | Prohibited statewide | N/A | N/A |
License and Permit Requirements for Coyote Hunting in Maine
A valid Maine hunting license is the baseline requirement for all coyote hunters. A valid Maine hunting license is required to hunt coyotes, along with a night hunting permit if pursuing them after dark. Residents and non-residents both need a license — owning land in Maine does not exempt you from this requirement for most species.
Generally, you cannot hunt your own land without a license in Maine. Owning the land does not waive the license requirement. There are limited exceptions for some small game, but for most regulated species, you still need the proper hunting license and permits.
For non-residents specifically, non-residents can hunt coyotes in Maine with a small game license. Junior hunters have additional options. The junior hunting license includes hunting permits for muzzleloader, spring and fall turkey, bear, and coyote night hunt. Junior hunters do not need to obtain a physical permit for the permits listed above, as they are included in the license.
Resident hunters looking for an all-in-one option should consider the Superpack. The Super Pack license is available only for Maine residents at a yearly cost of $212 and covers hunting, fishing, archery, spring/fall turkey, muzzleloader, migratory waterfowl, pheasant, bear hunting, and coyote night hunt, among other permits.
If you plan to use dogs to pursue coyotes, an additional permit is required. Anyone 16 years of age or older who is using a dog to hunt for bear, coyote, fox, bobcat, or raccoon must possess a Dog Training and Hunting permit, which can be purchased online or at a local license agent. You can also explore how other states handle licensing by reviewing coyote hunting laws in Ohio or coyote hunting laws in Michigan.
Pro Tip: A person who possesses a valid hunting license is eligible to obtain a night hunting permit from the commissioner, except that a permit may not be issued to a person who has been convicted of a violation of section 11206 within 5 years of the date of application. Check your record before applying if you have prior hunting violations.
Legal Methods and Weapons for Coyote Hunting in Maine
Maine gives hunters broad flexibility in choosing weapons for coyote hunting. The use of a firearm, crossbow, or bow and arrow is permitted to hunt for coyote during the open hunting season. Centerfire rifles and shotguns are the most commonly used firearms for coyote hunting in Maine, with an emphasis on choosing a reliable and accurate rifle that can withstand winter’s harsh conditions. Archery gear is also legal.
One restriction that often surprises hunters involves suppressors. It is unlawful to hunt with or possess for hunting any firearm fitted or contrived with any device for deadening the sound of the explosion without a permit. Verify the current status of suppressor permits with MDIFW before using one in the field, as this rule has been subject to legislative discussion.
Tracer and explosive ammunition are also off the table. It is unlawful to hunt with cartridges that contain tracer bullets or explosive bullets. Standard hunting ammunition is the safe choice for all coyote hunting situations.
- Centerfire rifles (all legal calibers)
- Shotguns
- Crossbows
- Bow and arrow
- Handguns (standard hunting use)
When it comes to using dogs during daylight hours, you can use up to six. A person may not hunt with a dog in pursuit of coyote unless the dog has a collar that legibly provides the name, telephone number, and address of the dog’s owner. A person or persons may not use more than six dogs at any one time to hunt bear, bobcat, and coyote. Any dog engaged in these activities must have a functioning tracking collar which allows the handler to track the dog’s location at all times, such as a GPS or VHF tracking device.
Hunters wearing hunter orange during firearms deer season is also a practical safety requirement. Hunters must wear hunter orange during firearms deer season and comply with landowner permission rules on private land.
Night Hunting and Electronic Call Rules in Maine
Maine’s night hunting framework is one of the more structured in the Northeast. A Coyote Night Hunting Permit (valid January 1 to December 31, available for $4) allows the permit holder to hunt coyote at night, defined as one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise. Hunters must be in possession of a predator calling device — electronic, hand-held, or mouth-operated.
The calling device requirement is not optional. A person may not hunt coyotes at night without possessing an electronic, hand-held, or mouth-operated predator calling device. A person who hunts coyotes in violation of this subsection commits a Class E crime. This means forgetting your call at home is not just an inconvenience — it is a criminal violation.
Artificial light is permitted during the night season. The use of artificial lights to hunt coyote at night is permitted. The Coyote Night Hunting Permit is available for $4 plus agent fee and allows a person to hunt coyote at night from December 16 through August 31. However, while night hunting is allowed with the use of predator lights, thermal and night vision equipment is restricted.
Dogs are not allowed during the night window. The use of dogs to hunt coyote at night is prohibited. This is a firm rule regardless of the type of dog or the purpose of its use.
Electronic calls are legal for coyote hunting in Maine. Electronic calling devices are legal for deer, bear, turkey, moose, and coyote, but are illegal for migratory game birds. Possession of a caller is required for night hunting coyotes. For daytime hunting, electronic callers are permitted but not mandatory.
During the September 1 to December 15 blackout period for individual hunters, the MDIFW commissioner retains authority to act. The commissioner may appoint and authorize agents to hunt coyotes at night during any open season on deer and may appoint agents to hunt for coyotes at night using artificial illumination from September 1st to December 15th. Private hunters cannot operate under this provision — it applies only to commissioner-designated agents.
For a comparison of how neighboring states handle predator calling and night hunting, see coyote hunting laws in New Jersey or review the broader hunting laws in Maine for context on other species regulations.
Trapping Coyotes in Maine
Trapping is a legal and widely used method for taking coyotes in Maine. A valid Maine trapping license is required to trap any furbearer, and trappers must follow all MDIFW trapping regulations in addition to the species-specific rules for coyotes. Coyote skins taken by trapping are subject to the same tagging requirements as those taken by hunting.
The skins of all beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, fox, marten, mink, and otter must be tagged within 10 days after the end of the season on each species. This tagging requirement applies whether you took the coyote by trap or by firearm, so plan accordingly before the season closes.
Incidental catches in coyote traps have their own rules. Trappers are permitted to keep any incidental opossum, raccoon, or skunk caught in fox and coyote traps. Any other furbearing animal caught incidentally in fox and coyote traps must be released alive immediately, except lynx, or if found dead, must be left in the trap and reported to a game warden as soon as possible.
Trapping within towns carries additional restrictions. Trapping is only permitted within the built-up portion of a city or town with the use of cage-type live traps and drowning sets, unless trapping on property owned by the trapper. If you are setting traps in or near a populated area, cage traps are your primary option.
Pro Tip: Coyote trapping in Aroostook County has been used as part of organized predator management programs. According to the Bangor Daily News, the Aroostook County Conservation Association runs a coyote control management program in which people trap or hunt the animals to reduce predation on the county’s struggling deer herd — in 2022–23, 150 coyotes were registered in the program.
For comparison on how trapping regulations differ across the region, the coyote hunting laws in Minnesota and coyote hunting laws in Wisconsin pages offer a useful side-by-side look at Midwestern approaches.
Landowner Rights and Depredation Rules in Maine
Maine landowners do not automatically receive a blanket exemption from hunting license requirements simply by virtue of owning property. Maine resident landowners and their immediate family members may hunt without a license using firearms, archery, crossbow, or muzzleloader on land they own and reside upon, provided the land exceeds 10 acres in size and is used exclusively for agricultural purposes. This is a narrow exemption — the land must be your primary agricultural property, not just any land you own.
The landowner privilege is not available to hunters with revoked or suspended licenses and does not apply to moose hunting, for which a license is still required. For coyote hunting specifically, if your land qualifies under the agricultural exemption, you can take coyotes without a standard hunting license on that property.
When coyotes are causing livestock losses or property damage, the MDIFW provides pathways for depredation control. Landowners experiencing significant livestock losses or crop damage due to coyotes can often apply for depredation permits. These permits allow for the take of coyotes outside of typical hunting seasons or with specialized methods, strictly for the purpose of protecting property. Contact the MDIFW Furbearer Biologist directly at (207) 287-8776 to discuss depredation situations specific to your property.
If you are hunting on private land that is not your own, you need permission. Maine’s general hunting laws require hunters to obtain oral or written permission from a landowner before setting up bait or hunting on private property. You must obtain oral or written permission from the landowner or landowner’s agent, plainly label any bait with a 2-inch by 4-inch tag containing your name and address, and clean up the bait site immediately upon landowner request or within 20 days of the last day the site is hunted.
Maine’s large proportion of privately owned forestland makes landowner relations especially important. About 94% of the state’s forested land is privately owned, with about half of that area open to hunters — roughly 10 million acres available for hunting. Respecting landowner access agreements is both a legal obligation and a practical necessity for maintaining hunting access across the state.
For a broader view of how depredation and landowner rights vary by state, the coyote hunting laws in Virginia and coyote hunting laws in Georgia pages cover two states with notably different approaches to predator control on private land. You can also review dog leash laws in Maine if you use dogs during your coyote hunts, as leash and collar requirements intersect with hunting dog regulations statewide.
Maine’s coyote hunting framework gives hunters real flexibility — year-round daytime access, a long night hunting window, no bag limit, and multiple legal methods — while keeping clear guardrails around Sunday hunting, night hunting permits, and calling device requirements. Before each season, confirm the current rules directly with MDIFW’s season dates and bag limits page, as legislative proposals have periodically targeted coyote hunting regulations in recent years.