Massachusetts hunting license

How much is a Massachusetts hunting license?

A resident Massachusetts hunting license costs $40.00, as listed by MassWildlife for the current license year. That base price already includes 2 antlered deer tags that work statewide, which is a better deal than it sounds: in many states the deer tag is a separate purchase. Hunters who also fish can pick the Resident Sporting license for $75.00, a hunting and freshwater fishing combination with the same 2 deer tags.

Small add-ons stack up, so plan for them. A $5 Wildlands Stamp is added to the first license a resident buys each year (and to every nonresident license), and a $2.75 administrative fee applies to each license. Online buyers also pay a 4.95% convenience fee, while license vendors and town clerks charge an agent fee. Buying at a MassWildlife office avoids those extras, though the offices take only cash or check.

The table below lists every license and permit type. Prices change between license years, so check MassWildlife's license types and fees page before you buy.

Who needs hunter education to hunt in Massachusetts?

Yes, if you are a first-time adult hunter. Massachusetts does not use a birth-year cutoff. Instead, state law lets you buy a license if you have a government-issued Basic Hunter Education certificate from any jurisdiction, or if you held a hunting or sporting license anywhere before January 1, 2007.

You do not upload a card when you buy a Massachusetts hunting license. Online, you confirm your eligibility with an electronic affidavit (a checkbox); at a vendor or office, you state it out loud. Either way it is a declaration under penalty of perjury, so be sure it is true.

The course itself is free. MassWildlife's Basic Hunter Education class runs about 15 hours and is offered in several formats. Because Massachusetts honors government-issued certificates from any jurisdiction, a card earned in another state works here too, which helps hunters who moved in or are visiting. Find class listings on the Massachusetts Hunter Education Program page.

There is no apprentice or mentored license for adults in Massachusetts, so an adult who has never been licensed needs to finish the course before buying. Teens are the exception, as the youth section below explains.

Where can you buy a hunting license in Massachusetts?

Most hunters buy online through MassFishHunt, the state's licensing system. You can also buy from a license vendor such as a sporting goods store or bait shop, from a city or town clerk, or at a MassWildlife office. Questions about which license or permit fits your hunt go to MassWildlife at (508) 389-6300.

Decide on permits at the same time, since a deer, bear or turkey hunt usually needs more than the base license. Buying everything in one transaction also means the Wildlands Stamp is charged only once for residents.

1. Confirm you qualify: a Basic Hunter Education certificate from any state, or a hunting license held before January 1, 2007.
2. Choose a Hunting or Sporting license, then add the permits and stamps you need (antlerless deer, archery, primitive firearms, turkey, bear, waterfowl).
3. Buy on MassFishHunt, at a license vendor, a town clerk or a MassWildlife office, and expect the Wildlands Stamp and admin fee.
4. Keep your license, permits and tags with you while hunting, and tag and report any deer you take.

Buy a Massachusetts hunting license on the official site

How do deer, turkey and bear permits work in Massachusetts?

Your license covers 2 antlered deer, but most other big game needs a permit or stamp added on. Residents pay $10 each for an antlerless deer permit, the archery deer season stamp, the primitive firearms stamp, a turkey permit and a bear permit; nonresidents pay $30 for each.

An antlerless deer permit is what lets you take a deer without antlers, and it is bought on top of the license. The archery stamp is needed to hunt deer in archery season, and the primitive firearms stamp covers the muzzleloader season. Bear and turkey each need their own permit, which you can add when you buy the license.

Antlered deer work differently from many states. The 2 antlered deer tags come printed with the hunting or sporting license and are valid statewide, so a buck hunter does not need to buy anything extra for those two deer. Antlerless hunting, the bowhunting and muzzleloader seasons, turkey and bear are where the add-ons come in, so price your season by the hunts you plan rather than by the base license alone.

After the shot, fill out the paper tag and attach it to the deer right away. Report the deer online through MassFishHunt or at an official check station within 48 hours. During the first week of shotgun season, every deer must be reported in person. The full rules are on MassWildlife's deer hunting regulations page.

How old do you have to be to hunt in Massachusetts?

The minimum age is 12. Hunters aged 12 to 14 need no license or stamps, but they may hunt only with a licensed adult 18 or older. The rules are strict: one minor per adult, the pair shares a single bag limit, and if a firearm is used they share one gun between them.

At 15 the requirement changes. Hunters aged 15 to 17 must buy a Resident Minor Hunting license, which costs $6.50. A parent or guardian must consent and must affirm that the minor either holds a Basic Hunter Education certificate or will always hunt with someone 18 or older. That second option means a teen can start hunting before taking the course.

Youth hunters aged 12 to 17 can also get free permits for the youth deer, turkey and bear hunts. MassWildlife explains the age rules on its hunting information for minors page.

What do nonresidents pay to hunt in Massachusetts?

A nonresident big game license costs $112.00 for hunters 15 and older and includes the same 2 antlered deer tags residents get. Bird and small game hunters can save with the Non-resident Small Game license at $78.00. Each nonresident license also carries the $5 Wildlands Stamp.

Permits cost more for visitors: $30 each for turkey, bear, antlerless deer, archery and primitive firearms. There is no general short-term hunting license in Massachusetts; the only one-day option is the Commercial Shooting Preserve license ($20 for nonresidents, $10 for residents), valid on licensed preserves.

Nonresidents face the same eligibility rule as residents, so bring a hunter education certificate from your home state or proof of a license held before 2007. If your trip crosses state lines, compare the New Hampshire hunting license and Connecticut hunting license rules, or see every hunting license by state.

What other rules come with a Massachusetts hunting license?

Every Massachusetts hunting license follows the calendar year and expires on December 31, no matter when you buy it. A license bought in late fall covers only a few weeks, so buying early in the year gets the most use out of it.

• Blaze orange: in the youth deer hunt and the shotgun, primitive firearms, winter and early deer seasons, all deer hunters wear 500 square inches of orange on chest, back and head. In archery season, an orange hat is required on WMAs stocked with pheasant or quail.
• Agricultural landowners: people who own or lease land used mainly for farming, and family living there, can hunt that land without a license. Permits and stamps still apply, and deer, turkey or bear need a Farmer/Landowner permit.
• Seniors: residents 65 to 69 pay $20 for hunting or $37.50 for sporting, and residents 70 and older get a free sporting license. These discounts are for US citizens.
• New for this cycle: a Winter Deer Season begins January 1, 2027. Because licenses run by calendar year, hunting it takes a 2027 license rather than the one you hunted with this fall.
• Paraplegic hunters, resident or nonresident, can get a free license.
• Massachusetts does not list a lifetime hunting license; check MassWildlife's licenses, permits and stamps page for current options.