Bear, bird and waterfowl guns for Maine

Maine's fall starts in August with bear and runs to the end of December with grouse, and the state has more black bear and more woodcock cover than anywhere else in the northeast. The guns are not the same for each, and neither are the rules. This guide covers the 2026 seasons and the shotguns and rifles that suit them.

Black bear

Maine holds the largest black bear population in the eastern United States and runs the longest season. In 2026 the general bear season ran August 31 to November 28. Hunting over bait was open August 31 to September 26, and hunting with dogs September 14 to October 30. Bait may be placed earlier under the department's rules, and baiting on a wildlife management area needs a permit from the regional biologist. A bear permit is required in addition to the hunting licence and is inexpensive for residents.

Most Maine bear are shot over bait at 20 to 40 yards from a stand, in fading light, at an animal that will not hold still. That argues for a rifle you can shoulder quickly with a bright, low-power optic.

• .30-30, .35 Remington, .444 and .45-70 lever guns: the traditional bait-site rifles, heavy bullets at short range.
• .308 and .30-06 bolt rifles: versatile, and the same rifle you will carry in November for deer.
• 12-gauge slug guns: a rifled barrel with a modern sabot slug is an honest 100-yard bear gun and doubles as a deer gun in the shotgun-only towns.
• Handguns: legal for bear with suitable ammunition, though most hunters treat a revolver as a backup rather than a primary.

Whatever you use, put a bonded or heavy-for-caliber bullet in it. Bear are heavily muscled, they bleed poorly into thick fur, and a bullet that fails to exit makes for a long night on a blood trail.

Grouse and woodcock

Ruffed grouse open September 26 and run to December 31; woodcock open the same day and close November 17. Maine is the best grouse state in the northeast and holds a large share of the flight woodcock that come down the coast in October. The cover is alder runs, old apple orchards, cut-over softwood and the edges of the blueberry barrens down east.

The classic bird gun here is light. A 20 gauge over-and-under or side-by-side at six pounds, or a light 16 gauge if you can find one, will carry all day and swing fast in tight cover. Many hunters use a 12 gauge semi-auto because they already own one, and that is fine; just fit it with an improved cylinder or skeet choke and forget about long shots.

• Loads: 7.5 or 8 shot in a one-ounce or lighter load for grouse, 8 or 9 for woodcock.
• Chokes: cylinder to improved cylinder. Most flushes come inside 25 yards.
• Fit: a gun that comes up pointing where you look matters more than any other feature in grouse cover.

Turkey

Spring turkey ran May 4 to June 6 in 2026 and the fall season September 14 to November 7. A 12 or 20 gauge with a full or extra-full turkey choke and a modern heavy shot load covers it. A red dot on the receiver takes a lot of the guesswork out of a head shot at 40 yards.

Waterfowl

Maine splits ducks into North, South and Coastal zones, each with its own dates. In the 2026-27 framework the North Zone ran September 28 to December 5; the South Zone ran October 1 to 10 and October 29 to December 26; the Coastal Zone ran October 3 to 10 and November 5 to January 5. Goose seasons and sea-duck rules sit on their own schedule. Read the migratory bird season sheet every year, because these dates shift with the calendar.

The water runs from the Merrymeeting Bay rice flats above Bath, through the Penobscot and the Kennebec, out to the ledges off Rockland, Machias and Cutler where eider and scoter gunning is a tradition. Inland, beaver flowages and the Aroostook river bottoms hold black ducks and teal.

• Gun: a 12 gauge pump or semi-auto with a 3-inch chamber does everything. A 20 gauge is plenty over decoys on a small flowage. Sea-duck hunters lean toward 3-inch and 3.5-inch 12 gauges.
• Plug: federal rules cap a shotgun at three shells total for migratory birds. Carry the plug.
• Shot: non-toxic shot is required for all waterfowl. Steel in 2 or 3 for ducks, BB or larger for geese and sea ducks, or one of the denser tungsten loads if you want to shoot a smaller gauge.
• Finish: salt water eats blued steel. A synthetic stock and a coated or camouflaged receiver will outlast a walnut field gun in a layout boat.

One gun for the whole fall

If you want a single shotgun for Maine, a 12 gauge semi-auto with a 26 or 28 inch barrel, interchangeable chokes and a 3-inch chamber will shoot grouse in the morning, ducks in the evening and slugs in November. It will never be the best gun for any of them, and it will be good enough for all of them, which is why so many Maine trucks have one behind the seat.

For rifles and the November deer season, see our deer and moose rifle guide. For what you need to buy any of this, see the Maine gun laws guide and our Bangor buying guide, or go straight to the catalog.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.