CONTACT:
Kent Gustafson: (603) 271-2461
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
January 28, 2005
2005 MOOSE HUNT LOTTERY APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
CONCORD, N.H. -- If you'd like to try for a chance to hunt moose this
fall, it's time to enter N.H. Fish and Game's 2005 moose hunt lottery.
Applications for this year's hunt are now available online at
fee for entering the moose hunt lottery is $10 (nonrefundable).
"We encourage people to apply online if they can," said N.H. Fish
and Game Wildlife Biologist Kent Gustafson.
In 2004, more than 15,000 applicants entered the lottery for the
chance to win one of 525 permits issued for the moose season.
Lottery winners are selected through a computer-generated random
number draw; the drawing for the 2005 hunt will take place on June 17.
Those who are lucky enough to take part in the hunt have an excellent
chance of success: about three-fourths of permit holders harvested
moose in 2004.
Your chances in the lottery can improve with time. Unsuccessful
applicants accrue one bonus point for each consecutive year in
which they apply for the lottery. Applicants must apply each year
to keep the bonus points improving their chances in future years.
Applicants lose all accrued points if they do not apply for the lottery
one year, or if they are offered and accept a moose permit. This is
the second year of the bonus point system.
New Hampshire's moose hunt is nine days long, starting the third
Saturday in October. This year, it runs from October 15-23. Each
permit-holder may select another hunter of any age to accompany
him or her on the hunt. Only one moose may be taken per permit.
Applications for the 2005 hunt must be postmarked by midnight,
May 27, 2005; delivered to N.H. Fish and Game headquarters in
Concord by 4:00 p.m. that day; or submitted online prior to the
4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time deadline that day. Hunters who
are offered a permit must pay a $100 resident or $300 nonresident
permit fee, as well as hold a valid New Hampshire hunting license.
It is not necessary to have a current hunting license to enter the
lottery. Hunters who receive a permit are not eligible to take part in
the lottery for the following three years.
Moose permits are issued to both state residents and nonresidents.
The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based
on the prior year's sales of nonresident hunting licenses; generally,
about 10 to 15 percent of the permits are issued to nonresidents.
The overall odds of being selected are usually about 1 in 25 for
residents, and 1 in 75 for nonresidents, some of the best odds
in the nation for moose hunting.
All proceeds from the sale of moose hunt lottery applications and
permits are used to support New Hampshire's comprehensive moose
management program, which includes education, research, protection
and management. The state's current moose population is estimated
to be about 6,500 animals. N.H. Fish and Game is the guardian of
the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources. Visit
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