The deadline for applying for one of the state’s annual moose permits through its lottery system is almost here.
The application deadline is at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. The only way to enter is electronically on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website. The state began accepting moose permit applications on April 1.
The annual drawing for permits will occur on June 21 in Farmington.
The annual moose hunt draws thousands of people from Maine and across the country to apply for the state’s coveted permits disseminated through a lottery system.
The state will issue 4,105 permits, which is the same as last year. The permits will include 2,645 for antlered moose and 1,460 antlerless, with 550 permits in adaptive hunt region WMD 4A.
The department adjusts the number of annual moose permits in each wildlife management district based on data about the state’s herd collected through helicopter surveys used to estimate moose numbers and herd composition, plus hunter success rates, ages of moose killed in the previous season and reproduction rates.
The state’s biologists also discuss Maine’s approach to moose management annually with other moose biologists across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, according to the DIF&W.
A total of 72,126 hunters applied for moose permits in 2024, with only 4,105 issued. Of those, 1,460 were for antlerless moose. Among non-resident applicants, 393 permits were awarded out of the 25,412 applications. Among residents, 3,712 permits were awarded out of 46,714 applicants.
