Expanded archery areas are delineated areas of the State that are open to deer hunting during the expanded archery hunting season. Most of the expanded archery areas are characterized by intensive residential development interspersed with small woodlots, and many areas within them cannot be hunted with firearms due to municipal ordinances banning the discharge of firearms. Current expanded archery areas include portions of Wildlife Management District (WMD) 29, a portion of WMD 24, and nine smaller areas.

Most lands in the expanded archery areas are privately owned, and some are not deer habitat. Parts are unhuntable due to the existence of sanctuaries, municipal ordinances against archery discharge, or simply because individual landowners do not support hunting on their lands. We strongly urge all hunters to obtain landowner permission during the expanded archery season.

In 2020, MDIFW revised the expanded archery area written descriptions to include additions to the Augusta, Camden, Lewiston, and WMD 24 expanded archery areas. The dataset was re-digitized using aerial imagery to reflect the description updates and to more accurately reflect the boundaries.

Please refer to Department Rule Chapter 16 for hunting rules (09-137c16):

https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/09/chaps09.htm