Official Maine Bowhunter Safety Course Online

The Maine Bowhunter Ed Course fee is $30.00.

Any person (resident or non-resident) who applies for an archery license must show proof of having successfully completed an archery hunter education course or of having held an adult archery license in any year after 1979.

Do you need a separate Maine Crossbow education course?

You do not need a separate course to hunt with crossbow in Maine. On January 1, 2024, the crossbow unit was incorporated into the bowhunter education course and allows you to purchase a Maine archery license upon completion. This allows you to hunt with a bow or crossbow in Maine.

Typically it takes about 3 hours to go through the online course, excluding any quizzes and/or exams and restudying that you may choose to do.

You must be at least 10 years old to take this online course.

You do not have to be a resident of Maine to take this online course.

The Maine Bowhunter Ed Course is approved and accepted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

All U.S. states, provinces, and other countries that have mandatory bowhunter education requirements will accept the Maine Bowhunter Education Certificate. Likewise, Maine will accept Bowhunter Education certifications that are issued by other jurisdictions that meet official IHEA-USA requirements. (This is known as “reciprocity.”)

If you fail a unit quiz, you can take it again until you pass. You must score at least 70% on the unit quizzes to pass.

The Final Exam is the exam you take at the end of the online course. You must score at least 80% on the exam to pass. You have unlimited attempts to pass the exam. If you don’t complete the exam in one session, don’t worry. When you log in later, you will be taken to the first unanswered question of the exam.

Once you pass and pay for the online course, you will be able to immediately print your proof of online completion and/or request that a PDF be emailed to you.

If you are under 16 years of age, you will need to bring this document with you to your Bowhunter Skills and Exam Day.

The Bowhunter Education Certificate is proof that you have successfully completed all the bowhunter education requirements and allows you to legally purchase an archery license in Maine.

Bowhunters 16 or older print out the Bowhunter Education Certificate after successfully completing this online course.

Bowhunters under 16 years of age will receive the Bowhunter Education Certificate from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife after successfully completing the Bowhunter Skills and Exam Day.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife keeps records of graduates from its safety courses. If you have lost your certificate, you may obtain a duplicate from the Safety Division at no cost.

Call: 207-282-5220
In person: 353 Water Street, Augusta, Maine
E-mail: [email protected]

Please include the following information with your request:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Telephone number
• Current mailing address
• Address where you lived when you took the course
• Year you took the course (include month if possible)
• Location where you took the course (including Instructor's name if possible)