Maine Bowhunter Laws and Regulations

Do you need Maine Bowhunter education?

Maine

Any person (resident or non-resident) who applies for an archery license must show proof of having successfully completed an archery hunter education course or of having held an adult archery license in any year after 1979.

Do you need a separate Maine Crossbow education course?

You do not need a separate course to hunt with crossbow in Maine. On January 1, 2024, the crossbow unit was incorporated into the bowhunter education course and allows you to purchase a Maine archery license upon completion. This allows you to hunt with a bow or crossbow in Maine.

You must be at least 10 years old to take this online course.

You do not have to be a resident of Maine to take this online course.

Elsewhere

Hunter education is currently required in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, three Northwest Territories, and Mexico. A separate bowhunter education course is required in many of the states, provinces, and other countries to comply with the bowhunting laws and regulations in those jurisdictions.

The states and provinces requiring an IBEP course are:

• Alaska
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Maine
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Brunswick
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Nova Scotia
• Quebec
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

Why Bowhunter Safety Education Is Important

Bowhunting is a challenging sport! This type of hunting is done at a much closer range and requires a high degree of stealth, perseverance, patience, and effort. Bowhunters must become adept at scouting, tracking, and recovering game. Bowhunters must master new archery techniques and learn the anatomy and behavior of the game. Before attempting to use archery equipment as a hunting tool, each bowhunter should become a proficient archer. This requires dedication, practice, and good distance-judging ability.

Reciprocity

All U.S. states, provinces, and other countries that have mandatory bowhunter education requirements will accept the Maine Bowhunter Education Certificate. Likewise, Maine will accept Bowhunter Education certifications that are issued by other jurisdictions that meet official IHEA-USA requirements. (This is known as “reciprocity.”)