Antlerless Deer Permit Announcement

Antlerless Deer Permits (ADPs) are required to harvest antlerless deer (deer without antlers or antlers less than 3” long). You can only harvest antlerless deer in the zone specified on your ADP. Allocations are set by wildlife management zone to help meet deer management goals. 

ADP award period underway

Hunters who applied for an Antlerless Deer Permit before the July 16 deadline can now return to MassFishHunt to see if they were awarded the $10 permit. You can check your permit status any time between August 1 and December 31; your chances of being awarded a permit are the same regardless of when you check your permit status. The easiest way to check your award status and purchase your ADP is online through MassFishHunt. In-person sales are also available at select license vendor locations and MassWildlife offices. 

New licensing system

MassWildlife transitioned to a new MassFishHunt licensing system in December 2021. MassWildlife is aware that some hunters who attempted to apply for antlerless deer permits before the July deadline this year did not successfully complete the submission process. After thoroughly investigating the issue, it was determined that some hunters selected a zone in the online system but did not complete the checkout process required to fully submit their application. Therefore, these customers did not receive a receipt of a completed transaction and were not entered for a permit. While the great majority of customers applied without issue, MassWildlife is working with our licensing vendor to improve the ADP application process for next year to ensure a successful application process for all customers. MassWildlife sincerely apologizes to all customers who did not have their application successfully submitted this year.

Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits

All hunters will have the opportunity to buy surplus permits in September for zones 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. MassWildlife makes surplus permits available for zones that have permits remaining after the Application/Award process. Surplus permits provide additional opportunity for hunters and minimize the number of permits that go unused. Anyone with a valid hunting or sporting license can buy a surplus ADP. You do not need to have applied for an ADP by the July 16 deadline to be eligible for surplus permits. The easiest way to buy a license or a surplus permit is online through MassFishHunt. In-person sales are also available at select license vendor locations and MassWildlife offices. 

Limited permits available for Zones 3, 9, and 12: A limited number of Antlerless Deer Permits are available for zones 3, 9, and 12. Surplus ADPs for zones 3, 9, and 12 will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28. Limit 1 ADP per zone per day until they sell out.

• *TIPS: Limited surplus permits for Zones 3, 9, and 12 will sell out very quickly. To improve your chances of getting a limited surplus permit in zones 3, 9, or 12, prepare ahead of time. Make sure you know your email address and password to log in. Have a credit card ready. Log in by 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28 and refresh your page beginning at 9 a.m. Do not log in on more than 1 internet browser or device. After you add a surplus ADP into your cart, it will be reserved for 15 minutes. If you do not complete the checkout process in 15 minutes, the permit will be removed from your cart and other customers will be able to claim it. Once all permits have been claimed, you won’t see these products available for purchase and you will not be able to add permits to your cart. There is a limit of 1 permit per transaction. This keeps the surplus process fair for all hunters.

Unlimited permits available for Zones 10, 11, 13, and 14: There is no cap set for Antlerless Deer Permits in zones 10, 11, 13, and 14. Surplus ADPs for zones 10, 11, 13, and 14 will go on sale starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27 and will be available throughout the entire deer season. Limit 1 ADP per zone per day for Zones 10 and 11; Limit 4 ADPs per zone per day for Zones 13 and 14.

After purchasing a surplus ADP, you will receive an email with your permit attached so you can print it from the convenience of your home. You can also access your permit to reprint at any time by logging into your MassFishHunt account. To reprint:

• Log into MassFishHunt
• Once you’ve logged in, click on My Account

• From the My Account menu, select Active Licenses, Permits & Privileges
• Select Print Active Licenses (make sure pop-up blockers are turned off)

Number of surplus ADP available by zone