Try Your Luck in the 2011 N.H. Moose Hunt Lottery

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Try Your Luck in the 2011 N.H. Moose Hunt Lottery

CONCORD, N.H. -- Lottery applications are now available for the adventure of a lifetime -- hunting moose in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's 2011 moose hunt lottery is open! The nonrefundable application fee is $15 for New Hampshire residents and $25 for nonresidents.

New Hampshire's moose hunt is nine days long, starting the third Saturday in October. This year's hunt runs from October 15-23, 2011. The overall odds of being selected in last year's lottery were 1 in 27 for New Hampshire residents and 1 in 82 for nonresidents, some of the best odds in the nation for moose hunting.

To enter the moose hunt lottery, visit the Fish and Game website at www.huntnh.com to enter online or print out a mail-in application. You can also get an application from any Fish and Game license agent. Moose hunt lottery applications for 2011 must be postmarked or submitted online by May 27, 2011, midnight Eastern Time, or they may be delivered to the Licensing office at N.H. Fish and Game headquarters in Concord prior to 4:00 p.m. that day. Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 17.

Last year (2010), more than 14,000 applicants entered the lottery for the chance to win one of 395 permits. Both state residents and nonresidents may enter the moose lottery. The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based on the prior year's sales of nonresident hunting licenses (about 15 to 17 percent of the total).

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. For example, last year those resident applicants that had a total of 7 points had a 1 in 14 chance of being drawn and a non-resident with 7 points had a 1 in 45 chance of being drawn.

You don't need a current hunting license to enter the lottery, but hunters who are offered and accept a permit must buy a $150 resident or $500 nonresident moose hunt permit, as well as a N.H. hunting license.

Those who are lucky enough to take part in the hunt have an excellent chance of success. In 2010, 76% of N.H. permit holders got their moose. Permit holders can choose another hunter of any age to accompany them on the hunt, but only one moose may be taken per permit.

Find more information on moose hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm, including a moose hunt Q&A, success rates by region and WMU, photos from past New Hampshire moose hunts and more.

The state's current moose population is estimated at about 4,500 animals. N.H. has had an annual moose hunt since 1988, when 75 permits were issued for a three-day hunt in the North Country.

The availability of moose hunting permits, with some issued for every area of the state during the nine-day season, is made possible by careful management of moose populations. The resulting sustainable annual harvest of moose helps to regulate moose numbers and provides a unique recreational opportunity considered by many the adventure of a lifetime.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to conserve, manage and protect the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats; inform and educate the public about these resources; and provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate them. Visit www.huntnh.com.

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