WMD 17, Maine
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Moose, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- WMDs 10–19
- Area
- 1,458 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Moose — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 0
Draw odds for Moosearen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 67
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 5,618
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for Moose, Black Bear, White-tailed Deer so far. Deer, Turkey, Bear also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedWMD 17 (North-Central Maine Farm-Woodlands) is widely recognized as Maine's top deer-producing district, covering a broad swath of central Maine from the Kennebec River corridor east through Piscataquis and Penobscot counties. The mix of active farmland, former agricultural fields, logging cuts, and mature forest creates exceptional edge habitat that supports high deer densities, solid moose numbers, and a growing turkey population. Hunters gain access to large tracts of private timberland (much of it open to public hunting), several MDIFW Wildlife Management Areas, and Bureau of Parks and Lands public reserved land.
Gently rolling north-central Maine interior, roughly 900-1,400 sq miles bounded by I-95 (Fairfield to Hampden), the Kennebec River on the west, Route 16 on the north to Milo, and the Eastern Maine Railroad south. Landscape is a mosaic of mixed hardwood-softwood forest, active and abandoned farmland, river bottomlands, bogs, and regenerating clearcuts. Elevations are modest (400-800 ft), with no major mountain terrain. The agricultural fringe around towns like Newport, Dexter, Canaan, and Carmel provides the high-quality edge habitat that makes this district exceptional for deer.
moderate-high
Any-antlered buck available on standard Maine hunting license. Antlerless (any-deer) permits are allocated by lottery each summer — WMD 17 historically receives among the highest antlerless quotas in the state due to its large deer population. Apply by late July deadline. Expanded archery season open in designated areas. Archery season Oct 3-30; Firearms Nov 2-28; Muzzleloader Nov 30 - Dec 5 statewide, extended through Dec 12 in WMD 17 (included in WMDs 12, 13, 15-18, 20-26, 29 extended muzzleloader).
DEER: High deer density driven by farm-forest edge. Archery Oct 3-30; Youth Hunt Oct 23-24; Resident Only Day Oct 31; Firearms Nov 2-28; Muzzleloader Nov 30-Dec 12 (extended). Antlerless permits by lottery — historically generous allocations. MOOSE: Bull-only permit season Oct 12-17. Apply April-May. Permit-only, 1 moose per year limit. BEAR: Statewide season — bait season Aug 31-Sept 26 (bait can be placed Aug 1); hunting with dogs Sept 12-Nov 28; general firearms season through Nov 28. Baiting on public land requires Bureau of Parks and Lands permit. 2-bear annual limit (1 hunted, 1 trapped). TURKEY (FALL): Open Sept 14-Nov 7, archery or shotgun, up to 5 birds seasonal bag. TURKEY (SPRING): Open May 3-June 5, 2 bearded birds, archery or shotgun.
Maine's single most productive deer WMD according to MDIFW biologists — more deer harvested here than any other district. Outstanding mixed farm-forest edge habitat. Active moose permit zone. Turkey hunting available both spring and fall. Black bear hunting with bait permitted statewide. Large accessible tracts of private timber and public WMA land. Convenient access off I-95 corridor.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMD 17— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about WMD 17.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: MDIFW official Wildlife Management Districts. Community info last updated 23d ago.