How to Look Up Your Maine Hunter Safety Card
Looking up your Maine hunter safety card runs through the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), whose Recreational Safety Office keeps records of past graduates and can find yours by phone or through an online request form. Hunters who took Hunter-Ed's course at age 16 or older can skip the request and print a new card from their course account.
Maine sells each hunting license type only against a certificate from the matching course (firearms, archery, or trapper education) or an earlier license of the same type. For firearms licenses, an adult license held in any year since 1976 meets the requirement. Students must be at least 10 to take the course.
This guide walks through the request process, a fix for records that don't match, replacement routes by course type, and the paperwork to keep with you, so you can find a lost hunter card before your next trip afield.
How to Look Up Your Maine Hunter Safety Card
Maine routes lookups through its Recreational Safety Office, while Hunter-Ed students 16 and older can print straight from their course account.
- Start with your Hunter-Ed account if it applies: Log in and print your card if you took the online course at age 16 or older.
- Send MDIFW your request: Request your card through MDIFW using the online form, or call the Recreational Safety Office at 207-287-5220.
- Include your course details: The form asks for your name, birth date, phone, and email. It also wants your current address, the address you used when you took the course, and the course type, format, year, and location.
Note: MDIFW handles each request individually, so allow 24-48 business hours for the card to reach you by email and mail.
How to Proceed When MDIFW Finds No Record
No match usually means a detail on the form didn't line up with the department's file. Work through these options:
- Recheck the course type and year: Maine keeps separate courses for firearms, archery, and trapping, so choose the one that matches the card you lost and the year you finished it.
- Call the Recreational Safety Office: Staff at 207-287-5220 handle duplicates by phone and can talk through the details you remember.
- Consider the notarized affidavit: Download the Hunter Safety Affidavit, complete the paragraph that fits your situation, and sign it in front of a notary.
Resolve a missing record before you try to buy a license, because Maine sells each license type only against a matching certificate or an earlier license of the same type.
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Maine Hunter Safety Card
Maine matches the replacement route to how you certified, so pick the option that describes your course:
- Hunter-Ed students 16 and older: Log in to your course account and print a new Hunter Education Firearms Card whenever you need one.
- Hunters 15 and younger, and in-person graduates: Order the duplicate from MDIFW through the request form or by phone.
- Older certifications: MDIFW's records cover graduates of previous safety courses, so the same form and phone line apply to cards from earlier years.
Certifications from other states that meet IHEA-USA standards count toward a Maine license. Request any duplicate of those cards from the state that issued them.
Remember: A hunter who registered for the online course before turning 16 receives the card only after the Skills and Exam Day, so a missing card for a young hunter may point to an unfinished course.
Which Documents Should Every Maine Hunter Keep in the Field?
Maine ties each license to a hunter education certificate or an earlier license of the same type, and species permits add to what you carry afield.
Documents You Need to Hunt in Maine | |
| What You Need | Where to Get It |
| Hunter Education Card | Maine firearms safety course |
| Hunting License | Maine online licensing |
| Tags and Permits | Maine permit requirements |
Next on the list is getting your Maine hunting license. Maine licenses follow the calendar year. With your license in hand, find a mentor or hunting buddy to help you as you get into hunting.
Find Your Maine Hunter Safety Card Before the Season Begins
A short request to MDIFW's Recreational Safety Office usually brings a replacement within days. However, Hunter-Ed students 16 and older can skip even that step.
Need to certify first? Hunter-Ed's online course for Maine lets hunters 16 and older print their card the moment they pass.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is there a fee to look up or replace my Maine hunter safety card?
A: MDIFW's lost-card page for hunter safety certifications lists no charge for a lookup or a duplicate. Hunter-Ed students 16 and older can print a replacement from their course account, and the Recreational Safety Office at 207-287-5220 can confirm whether any fee applies to a mailed copy.
Q: What if my record can't be found?
A: If Maine can't find your hunter safety record, start by double-checking the course type, format, year, and location you entered on the lost-card form. When the record still doesn't surface, call the Recreational Safety Office at 207-287-5220 or ask about the notarized Hunter Safety Affidavit.
Q: Do archery and firearms hunters get separate Maine cards?
A: Maine runs separate firearms hunter safety, archery hunter safety, and trapper education courses, and state law requires the course that matches the license you want to buy. The lost-card form asks for the course type, so name the one you completed.
Q: Can Maine replace a hunter safety card from a course I took years ago?
A: MDIFW says it keeps records of all graduates from previous safety courses, so older Maine certifications are worth requesting. Call 207-287-5220 or submit the lost-card form with the year and location of your course.
Q: What is Maine's Hunter Safety Affidavit?
A: Maine's Hunter Safety Affidavit is a notarized statement in which a hunter swears to a completed safety course or to an adult license held since a set year, such as 1976 for firearms. Falsely completing the affidavit can lead to a charge of false swearing, which is a Class D crime.
Q: Can a hunter under 16 print a Maine hunter safety card online?
A: Maine hunters who register for Hunter-Ed's course before turning 16 print only proof of online completion, then attend a Skills and Exam Day. MDIFW issues the card after that session, while hunters 16 and older print their permanent card right after passing.
Q: Can I use my Maine hunter safety card to buy a license online?
A: Maine hunters can use a hunter education card, or the course completion voucher from the online course, to buy a firearms hunting license online. A licensing agent, such as a town office or sporting goods store, accepts the same proof.
