Official Maine Bear Trapping Ed Course on Trapping Bears Responsibly and Safely

The Maine Bear Trapping Course fee is $29.95.

A bear trapping permit and a trapping license or a big game hunting license are required to set a trap for a bear during the bear trapping season (September 1 to October 31). You are allowed to take one bear by trapping and one bear by hunting annually.

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 fee for a bear trapping permit is $10 for residents and $67 for non-residents.

There are 3 options to purchase a bear trapping permit:

Option 1: Must have completed a regular Maine Trapping Education course at some time since 1978 OR have held a Maine Bear Trapping permit prior to 2022.

Option 2: Must have completed the new Maine Bear Trapping Education course AND hold a valid Maine big game hunting license.

Option 3: A person may trap for bear under the supervision of and in the presence of a licensed hunting guide who has successfully completed the Maine Bear Trapping Education course. Person must hold a valid Maine big game hunting license.

* Person must state the name of the guide they are trapping with at the time of applying for a bear trapping permit. Guide must have a Maine Bear Trapping Education certificate on file.

**A bear hunting permit is required when bear hunting.

All first-time trapping licenses and bear trapping permits must be purchased either at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) office in Augusta or by mailing a Trapping License Application to the MDIFW office in Augusta:

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Licensing Division (Trapping)
353 Water Street – 41 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333 Trapping license renewals, including bear trapping renewal permits, may be purchased online.

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

Important: This is recognized and approved by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife as proof of home study. This certificate is your permanent certificate and allows you to legally purchase a bear trapping permit where required.

If you fail a unit quiz, you must restudy the unit and take the quiz again until you pass. You must score at least 80% 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 the Final Exam and pay for the Bear Trapping Course Completion Certificate, you will be able to immediately print out the Bear Trapping Course Completion Certificate. This is your proof of online course completion. You can print the Bear Trapping Course Completion Certificate right then, and/or request that a PDF be emailed to you.

To replace a lost or destroyed Bear Trapping Course Completion Certificate, log in to the course and print a new one.