Moose lottery

[KBCraig]

It's time to enter the moose lottery, for those who are interested.

http://www.newhampshire.com/pages/moose-lottery.cfm

Moose Lottery
By: New Hampshire Fish & Game Dept.
March 20, 2006

If you want to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall, it's time to enter the lottery and try your luck. Applications for the lottery cost just $10 (nonrefundable) and are available online, or pick up an application from any Fish and Game license agent. The deadline for entering the lottery is May 26. New Hampshire's moose hunt runs from October 21 to 29.

"New Hampshire offers quality moose hunting opportunities," says Kristine Bontaites, Moose Project Leader for New Hampshire Fish and Game. "Our success rates are high -- 77.6% statewide last year, with 408 moose taken. Most of our permits are either-sex, allowing hunters the chance to bag a moose of their choice. Except in the southeast, most of the state still has large areas of undeveloped woodlands in which to hunt."

In 2005, 15,837 applicants entered the lottery for the chance to win one of 525 permits issued for the 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.

Enter the moose hunt lottery online by visiting the Fish and Game website, or to print out an application to mail in. Lottery applications for 2006 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Eastern Time, May 26, 2006, or delivered to 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 23, 2006.

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 14 to 18 percent of the total). In 2005, the chance of winning a New Hampshire moose hunt permit was about 1 in 25 for residents, and 1 in 65 for out-of-staters (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.

Some fast facts about New Hampshire's moose hunt: The average dressed weight of all yearling bull moose taken in New Hampshire in 2005 was 463 pounds. The average dressed weight of all bulls aged 5.5 and older in 2005 was 751 pounds. The largest bull moose ever taken in New Hampshire (taken in 1993) weighed in at 1,040 pounds, dressed weight; the live weight of this moose would have been approximately 1,400 pounds.

For more information on moose hunting in New Hampshire, visit NH Fish & Game.

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 at about 6,500 animals. N.H. Fish and Game is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources. Visit NH Fish & Game to learn more about Fish and Game or to enter the moose lottery and try for the adventure of a lifetime.

About Moose:
Moose are big. An adult moose, averaging 1000 pounds and standing 6 feet at the shoulder, is the largest wild animal in North America. Moose have keen senses of smell and hearing, but they're also near-sighted. Their front legs are longer than their hind legs, allowing them to jump over fallen trees, slash, and other debris. Moose, like deer, lack a set of upper incisors; they strip off browse and bark rather than snipping it neatly. Bulls and cows have different coloration patterns. Bulls have a dark brown or black muzzle, while the cows face is light brown. Cows also have a white patch of fur just beneath their tail.

Only bulls grow antlers. Antler growth begins in March or April and is completed by August or September when the velvet is shed. Antlers are dropped starting in December; young bulls may retain their antlers into early spring. Yearlings develop a spike or fork; adults develop antlers that may weigh up to 60 pounds with wide sweeping palms with many long tines.