Lottery for 2023 moose permits in Maine is now open

AUGUSTA, Maine (WMTW) - The application process for the 2023 Maine moose permit lottery is now open.

Applications will only be accepted online. When you apply, you will need to pick which areas of the state you would be willing to hunt, your preferred hunting season, whether you would accept a permit to kill an antlerless moose and who your sub-permittee would be.

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on May 15. The lottery permit drawing will be held on Saturday, June 10, in Augusta.

Maine has more moose than any other state in the lower 48 states, estimated at 60,000-70,000. Every year an average of about 50,000 people apply for the 2,000 to 3,000 moose permits typically issued. In 2022, nearly 70,000 people applied, and 4,000 permits were issued.

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the 2022 moose hunt had a 58% success rate, with 2,334 moose killed during the season.

Ninety percent of all permits in Maine’s 21 eligible Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs) are allocated to Maine residents, no more than 8% to non-residents, and no more than 2% to hunting lodges.

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