Maine · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Maine Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Gray squirrel season | Statewide (all WMDs) | Sep 26 – Jan 30 |
| Gray squirrel season (falconry) | Statewide (all WMDs) | Sep 26 – Feb 27 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 4 |
|---|---|
| Possession | 8 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 26, 2026) 05:58 — 18:55
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — Maine's general rule, whose exceptions are coyote, raccoon and migratory game birds, not squirrel. NOTE: Maine's legal hunting hours are calculated from sunrise/sunset in BANGOR (Eastern Standard Time) and applied statewide, so the times do not track local sunrise in far western or northern Maine. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Maine sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Maine need a Maine hunting license — Hunting is prohibited on Sundays throughout Maine, for all species.
Where to hunt public land in Maine — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Maine?
The 2026–27 opener is September 26, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Maine?
The 2026–27 closing date is February 27, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Maine?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Maine per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 4. Possession — 8. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Maine?
On opening day (September 26, 2026) legal light runs 05:58 to 18:55. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — Maine's general rule, whose exceptions are coyote, raccoon and migratory game birds, not squirrel. NOTE: Maine's legal hunting hours are calculated from sunrise/sunset in BANGOR (Eastern Standard Time) and applied statewide, so the times do not track local sunrise in far western or northern Maine. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Maine sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Maine without a license?
A Maine resident and their immediate family may hunt without a license on land they're legally entitled to possess and actually live on, if it's 10 or more contiguous acres. Moose still needs a license regardless of land ownership.
Verified · Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Read directly from MDIFW's official '2026-27 Maine Hunting Seasons' summary PDF (the agency's own season chart, distributed alongside the printed Summary of Laws & Rules). The 'Other Species' table lists Gray Squirrel (All WMDs) Sept. 26, 2026 – Jan. 30, 2027, daily bag 4 / possession 8, and a separate Gray Squirrel (Falconry) segment, same WMDs and opener, running through Feb. 27, 2027 with the same 4/8 limits — both segments used here as methods rows since the falconry segment genuinely extends the outer season window. No zone split exists; 'All WMDs' means statewide. Maine has no closed season on woodchuck, porcupine, or red squirrel, and no open season at all on spruce grouse, lynx, or cottontail rabbit — irrelevant to gray squirrel but confirms the PDF's species table is exhaustive. Shooting hours were deliberately left out: MDIFW's general hunting-hours page (maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/hunting/laws-rules/legal-hunting-hours.html) states the default half-hour-before-sunrise-to-half-hour-after-sunset rule but documents species-specific exceptions for coyote, raccoon, and migratory birds, and does not confirm gray squirrel follows the default rather than being another undocumented exception, so per the no-guessing rule the field is omitted rather than assumed. Maine hunting is prohibited on Sundays statewide, per the PDF's closing note.