Apply for an Antlerless Deer Permit

You need a valid hunting or sporting license to apply for an Antlerless Deer Permit in Massachusetts. An antlerless deer is any deer without antlers or any deer with both antlers less than 3 inches long measured on a straight line from the center of the front base of the antler burr to the tip.

How to know if you have already applied

1. Log into MassFishHunt.
2. In the My Account menu, select ADP Application History.

• If you have NOT applied, you will see your ADP status from a previous year.
• If you HAVE applied, your status will say "Entered" for the current calendar year. If you have applied, this is what your Application History will look like:

How to change your zone selection

You can change your ADP application zone any time before July 16. To edit your zone choice:

1. Log into MassFishHunt.
2. In the My Account menu, select ADP Application History.
3. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of your current application, click Edit Choices.
4. Select a new zone.
5. Go back to your ADP Application History to confirm that your zone selection is accurate.

More about Antlerless Deer Permits

Antlerless Deer Permits (ADP) are required to harvest antlerless deer (deer without antlers or antlers less than 3” long) in Massachusetts. You can only harvest antlerless deer in the zone specified on your ADP.

Each year, MassWildlife allocates a certain number of ADPs for each wildlife management zone to meet deer management goals in different areas of the state. Hunters with a valid hunting or sporting license can apply for an ADP in the wildlife management zone of their choice; the deadline for applying is July 16 each year. The difference between allocation and demand determines the odds of winning an ADP.

If you apply for an ADP by the July 16 deadline, you can check to see if you have been awarded the right to purchase the permit starting at 8 a.m. August 1. You can check your permit status any time between August 1 and December 31. Your odds of winning a permit are the same regardless of when you check your permit status.

In some years, and in some zones, hunter demand is lower than the number of allocated ADPs. When this happens, the odds of winning a permit in that zone are 100% and MassWildlife can offer Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits. Hunters with a valid hunting or sporting license can buy Surplus ADPs even if they did not previously apply for a permit. Surplus ADPs usually go on sale in late September and provide additional opportunity for hunters and minimize the number of permits that go unused.

Learn more about deer management in Massachusetts.