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Moose Hunting Permits
General Information Alces alces americana According to state wildlife biologists, Maine's moose population is estimated at 29,000. For the 2008 season, the success rate for hunters was 74 percent. Hunters killed 2,241 moose out of a possible 3,015 permits issued. Every year, several moose exceed 1,000 lbs. dressed weight. Trophy racks are not uncommon. Who May Hunt Only holders of a valid moose hunting permit and their sub permittee may hunt moose. Legal Methods for Taking Moose Moose may be hunted with rifle, shotgun, handgun, muzzleloader, or bow and arrow. Shotguns using shot loads and .22 caliber rimfire firearms are prohibited. Other Restrictions The bag limit is one moose per permit holder. The moose may be shot by either the permittee or the subpermittee. It is illegal to drive moose in the State of Maine. For more information on moose hunting laws and rules (including registration stations, moose meat processing facilities, etc), see the Moose Hunter's Guide below.
Hunters holding valid moose permits and their designated subpermittee may hunt moose in one of twenty three Wildlife Management Districts (WMD's), which cover over 21,000 square miles. Successful bidders of the moose auction may select the hunting zone of their choice.
Applicants may indicate season and WMD preferences, and may check a box if they do not want an antlerless-only permit. Successful applicants will receive either a bull only permit or an antlerless only permit. Permits for the November season are any-moose permits (which allow the taking of either a bull or a cow). Number of Permits to be issued in 2010: 3,140 - No more than 10% of the permits in each District will be issued to nonresidents. Notice: Beginning in 2009, paper applications were no longer automatically mailed. As a result of the need to reduce our spending, the Department will no longer be automatically mailing paper applications for the Moose permit lottery. Everyone is strongly encouraged to help the Department in its efforts to save money by applying for the Moose permit lottery using the online application process. The online application process is quick and easy. Applicants will get instant confirmation of their entry into the lottery. If an applicant does not have access to a computer or the Internet at home, the Department has the following suggestions for applying online:
If you have no way to apply online, the Department is offering the following options to apply for the Moose permit lottery:
Moose Application Deadline: You can apply online until 11:59 PM on May 14, 2010. If you must use a paper application, they must be postmarked by April 1, 2010, or delivered to 284 State Street in Augusta by 5:00 PM on April 1, 2010. Multiple Choice Options and Fees Participants in the annual moose lottery have had the opportunity of increasing their odds of being selected for a moose hunting permit by purchasing additional chances. The so-called "multiple choice option" works like this:
Applicants who apply online will receive a confirmation number at the end of the online moose lottery application. Applicants who choose to apply using a paper application will not receive confirmation of their application. Bonus points are awarded if a person is unsuccessful in obtaining a moose permit through the drawing, beginning with the 1998 drawing. One point is awarded for each consecutive year the applicant applies and is not selected for a moose permit. Each bonus point accumulated gives the individual an additional chance in the drawing. Bonus points are tracked by the Department using the applicant's name and date of birth. Bonus points are not transferable. To receive bonus points, please make sure to enter your correct name and date of birth on the application. Also, you need to indicate that you applied for the lottery last year. The online application will search our database for your name and date of birth, and indicate the number of bonus points you have. If you do not agree with the number of bonus points indicated, you should contact the Department. For those who choose to apply using a paper application, please be sure to enter your correct name and date of birth, and indicate that you applied last year. Department personnel will make sure you get the correct number of bonus points. Important - Bonus Points are forfeited if the applicant:
2010 Permit Allocations by Wildlife Management District - No more than 10% of the permits in each District will be issued to nonresidents.
Anyone receiving a Maine moose hunting permit must wait two years before being eligible to hold another one. If you received a permit in 2008 or 2009, you may not apply in 2010. This requirement affects permit holders only; it does not affect hunters who were a subpermittee, nor does it prohibit a hunter from being a subpermittee during the two-year waiting period. You are eligible to apply for the Maine moose lottery if:
Note: Although a junior hunting license can be pre-issued before the holder is 10 years old, be advised that the license and permit cannot be used until the youngster is 10 years old. Junior hunters are eligible to apply if they are at least 10 years old by the last day of the season for which they apply. All applicants 16 years of age and older must comply with Maine's hunter safety law before a big game hunting license can be issued. Click here for current safety courses being offered. Subpermittee and Alternate Subpermittee At the time of application, each applicant may select one person as a subpermittee to participate in the moose hunt. An alternate subpermittee may also be designated at the time of application. By law, no one other than these two people may be designated as the subpermittee. The permittee may authorize the alternate subpermittee to participate in the hunt in place of the subpermittee, if the permittee notifies the Department in writing no later than five business days before their hunt begins. Only one moose may be taken per permit, and it may be shot by either the permit holder or subpermittee. Other individuals may accompany the moose hunters, but only the permit holder or subpermittee may hunt or kill the moose. The permittee must be present during the hunt or the subpermittee cannot hunt. The Moose Permit drawing is held annually in mid-June. The 2010 moose permit lottery drawing will be held on Thursday, June 17th at L.L Beans in Freeport. The results will be posted here after the drawing. Applicants are assigned, in the order drawn, to their highest choice of available Wildlife Management Districts (WMD's) until all permits are awarded. If you are drawn to receive a permit and your preferred WMD's are already filled, you will be assigned to a WMD as close geographically as possible to your first choice (unless you check the box on your application indicating you only want the districts that you have chosen). If the district you are assigned to has both a September and an October hunting season, you will be assigned to the September season (unless you check the box on your application indicating that you only want to hunt in October) until all available permits are filled, then subsequently drawn applicants will be assigned to the October season (unless you check the box indicating that you do not want to hunt in October). Drawings for residents and nonresidents will be held separately. Individuals selected to receive a moose permit, but who decline the permit for which they applied will lose their bonus points. Each successful applicant in the permit drawing will be notified by mail within a few weeks after the drawing. The successful applicant will then have a designated period in which to acquire the permit. It is very important that you provide a mailing address where you can be reached during this time. Applicants not selected in the drawing will not be notified. We also post the names of the winners here on our web site after the drawing. Successful applicants are required to pay a permit fee before they may obtain their permit. Permit fees are as follows:
Moose permit winners are allowed to swap their moose permit with another moose permit winner. There are no restrictions on swapping other than only one swap is allowed, and both moose permits must be paid for before swaps can be made. Moose permit winners who wish to swap their permit with another moose permit winner will need to do all their own work to identify and contact potential permit winners to swap with. If you are interested in registering or finding someone who wants to swap moose permits, please visit the one of the sites listed below.
Once you find someone to swap your moose permit with, you must send a written letter (one letter only signed by both permittees) to: Moose Permit Swap, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, 41 SHS, Augusta, ME 04333. The fee to swap permits is $7.00 (one check for $7.00 covers both of you). The letter must include your name, permit number, permit type, season, and WMD, as well as the name, permit number, permit type, season, and WMD of the person you are swapping with. Remember, the letter must be signed by both permittees. The letter, as well as the $7.00 fee permit swap fee, must be received by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in Augusta by July 31, 2009 in order to make the permit swap. Make checks payable to: "Treasurer, State of Maine". Please do not send cash. The Department auctions 10 moose hunting permits annually to applicants who submit the highest bids through a written bid process. An applicant must submit the permit bid form along with a non refundable $25.00 bidding fee by the bid receipt deadline. Each person awarded a permit must pay the bid amount and must select a hunting district, hunting week, and permit type (bull only or antlerless only) within 30 days after the permit is awarded. If the permit winner wants to hunt with a subpermittee, that person must be designated within the 30 day response period. A person may apply in both the public chance drawing and in the auction but can receive only one permit. If a successful bidder receives a permit in the public chance drawing, the person is no longer eligible in the auction; and the bidding fee and bid amount submitted by that person will be refunded. All other provisions of the moose hunting laws and regulations apply. All funds from the sale of these permits, including bidding fees, will be deposited in a non lapsing fund to be used to pay the costs to administer the program and to fund Youth Conservation Education Programs in Maine. A successful bid will guarantee you an opportunity to take part in Maine's moose hunt in either September or October. Maine is one of a few states in the country that permit the hunting of moose with shotgun, handgun, muzzleloader, or bow and arrow, as well as conventional rifle. Winning bids for 2009 ranged from $9,111.11 to $10,313.00. General Moose Permit Auction InstructionsBids must be submitted on the standard bid form provided by the department. A person may submit more than one bid but may only receive one moose hunting permit. For any person submitting more than one bid, the highest bid submitted will be the official bid. If you would like to receive an moose permit auction bid packet, please send us an email, call our office at (207) 287-8000, or write to the address below: Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Deadline - Note: New deadline for bids for 2010 is February 17, 2010.)Bids must be received at Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333 no later than 5:00 P.M. on February 17, 2010. FeesA non refundable bid fee of $25.00 in U.S. funds must accompany each bid. Bid AmountThe bid amount is the total you bid for a moose permit. The amount includes the resident or the nonresident moose permit fee but does not include the resident or nonresident hunting license fee. Bid HandlingWhen the bid is received at the office, the mail back envelope will be opened and the bid envelope and bid fee removed. If the fee is correct, and the bid envelope is correctly completed, the bid envelope will be stored unopened in a secure location. Incomplete or inaccurate bid packages will be corrected by phone or returned to the bidder. Bid OpeningBids for the moose hunt auction will be opened on February 19, 2010, and the ten highest bidders will be declared the winners. A list of the next five highest bidders will be maintained as alternates. NotificationSuccessful bidders will be notified by mail. Unsuccessful bidders will not be contacted. Successful bidders will be given 30 days to send in the bid payment and select a moose hunting district, hunting week, and permit type. A subpermittee, if desired, must also be selected within 30 days of notification. If payment is not received within 30 days, the next highest unsuccessful bidder will be notified and offered the permit. If a successful bidder applies and is selected in the public chance drawing, the person will be refunded the bid amount and bid fee, and the next highest unsuccessful bidder will be offered the permit. Once the drawing is completed, fees are paid, and subpermittee is selected, the successful moose auction bidders will be treated like all other moose permit holders. Maine Conservation Camp Proceeds from Maine's Moose Auction are used to help send Maine youngsters to a one-week session of summer conservation school at the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp (formerly the Maine Conservation School) and Greenland Point Center. Boys and girls ages 10 through 14 take part in a wide array of outdoor activities including sportsman's ethics, wildlife identification, boating safety, fishing, firearms handling, hunter safety, map and compass work, woods survival and much more! |
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