New Hampshire Moose Lottery Is On!

[Len Backus]

CONCORD, N.H. -- If you want to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall, enter the lottery and try your luck on the adventure of a lifetime. Applications for the lottery cost $15 for residents and $25 for non-residents (nonrefundable) and are available online at N.H. Fish and Game Department - Welcome, or from any Fish and Game license agent. The deadline for entering the 2008 lottery is May 30. New Hampshire's moose hunt runs from October 18 to 26, 2008.

"New Hampshire offers a variety of quality moose hunting opportunities," said Kristine Rines, Moose Project Leader for New Hampshire Fish and Game. "Whether you're looking for a trophy bull, a wilderness hunting adventure or simply filling your freezer with meat, you can expect the moose hunt to fill your expectations, right here in New Hampshire. Most permits are for the taking of either a male or female, giving hunters greater opportunities to fill their tags, and, except in the Southeast region, the state still has large undeveloped areas in which to hunt." The state's current moose population is estimated at about 6,000 animals.

More than 16,700 applicants entered the lottery for the chance to win a permit for the 2007 moose season. Permit holders can choose another hunter of any age to accompany them on the hunt, but only one moose may be taken per permit. Each applicant can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonus point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply each consecutive year. Don't miss a year, or you'll lose your points! Hunters who get permits are not eligible to enter the lottery for the following three years.

Success rates are highest in the northernmost Wildlife Management Units, running as high as 91% in 2007. Last year, the statewide success rate was 71%. The largest bull weighed 900 pounds dressed, while the largest cow weighed 750 pounds dressed. The average weight for an adult bull (bulls 5.5 years of age and older) was 736 pounds. The average spread of adult bulls was 52.8 inches. Greatest spread taken last year was 65 inches.

Enter the lottery by visiting the Fish and Game website at http://www.HuntNH.com; you can also print out a mail-in application. Lottery applications for 2008 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Eastern Time, May 30, 2008, or delivered to N.H. Fish and Game headquarters in Concord before 4 p.m. that day. Applicants are encouraged to apply online since there is less chance of submitting an incomplete application.

"Don't wait until the last minute to apply," said Rines. "If paper applications are incomplete or not filled out properly prior to the deadline, they are returned and you may have an opportunity to correct and resubmit the application before the deadline." Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 20, 2008.

Both state residents and nonresidents can enter the moose lottery. The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based on the prior year's sales of nonresident hunting licenses (recently about 15 to 17 percent of the total). The odds of being selected last year were about 1 in 18 for residents and 1 in 57 for nonresidents - some of the best odds in the nation for moose hunting. It is not necessary to have a current hunting license to enter the lottery. Hunters who are offered and accept a permit must buy a $150 resident or $500 non-resident moose hunt permit, as well as a New Hampshire hunting license.

For more information on moose hunting in New Hampshire, visit Hunting Moose in New Hampshire - N.H. Fish and Game.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources. Visit N.H. Fish and Game Department - Welcome to learn more about Fish and Game or to enter the moose lottery and try for the adventure of a lifetime.