The MDIFW Advisory Council is meeting to vote on hunting, fishing, and trapping rules.
On Wednesday, June 10, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) Advisory Council is holding a crucial public meeting to discuss several critical regulatory steps on game management and fishing rules that directly impact your time in the woods and on the water.
Anti-hunting groups and preservationists are constantly looking for ways to restrict our outdoor traditions. If sportsmen do not show up to these meetings, regulatory decisions get made without our voices in the room.
The council will review:
- Antlerless Deer Permits & Muzzleloader Season (Step 2): The council will advance discussions on permit allocations and season frameworks. We need to ensure that these regulations maximize hunting opportunities while maintaining healthy herd structures.
- Furbearer Rules (Step 2): Biologists will present updates on furbearer management. Our trapping heritage relies heavily on science-based population tracking rather than emotional, anti-trapping rhetoric.
- Expanded Archery (Step 1): Initial rule-making steps are beginning for expanded archery zones. Expanding these zones is a vital tool for local deer management and gives bowhunters more time in the field.
- Fishing Regulations (Step 1): Fresh proposals regarding inland fishing frameworks are being introduced. We must ensure these rules preserve both our cold-water fisheries and angler access.
How to Attend and Make an Impact
Decisions are made by those who show up. You can participate in this meeting either virtually or in person to ensure the voice of Maine’s sportsmen is heard.
- When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 9:30 AM EST.
- Where: 353 Water Street, Room 400 in Augusta
- Virtual Attendance: you must obtain specific log-in credentials by emailing Becky.Orff@maine.gov ahead of the meeting.
We cannot afford to let bureaucrats and activists dictate the future of our wildlife management. Let’s show the council that Maine’s outdoor community stands united.
Don’t forget to share this email with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. Urge them to attend this meeting in person or virtually and to join you, along with the Sportsmen’s Alliance, in standing on the frontline protecting our vital hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage in the Pine Tree State.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions.
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