Hunting News

Moose hunt lottery now open; closes May 28

Moose hunt lottery now open; closes May 28

By New Hampshire Fish and Game

A chance to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall, begins by entering the 2021 moose hunt lottery, now open. The lottery entrance fee is $15 for New Hampshire residents, and $25 for nonresidents. A total of 40 permits have been proposed for this year.

The state’s nine-day moose hunt starts the third Saturday in October, and runs October 16–24.

Hunters who do not have internet access can call (603)271-2461 and request an application by mail, or can enter or print a mail-in application online.

Lottery applicants are encouraged to apply online and early, so there is less chance of submitting an incomplete application. Moose hunt lottery applications for 2021 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight, Eastern Time, May 28

Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 18 at Fish and Game Department headquarters.

Applicants can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonus-point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply in each consecutive year. Each point translates to a chance in the drawing.

For example, last year the overall odds of a resident applicant being drawn were 1 in 80, while resident applicants with a total of 17 points had a 1 in 30 chance of being drawn.

For nonresidents, odds increased from 1 in 344 overall to 1 in 146 for applicants with 17 points. The chance of being drawn and offered a permit improves if you rank all wildlife management units on your application. You will have the option to decline a permit if drawn for a unit you prefer not to hunt.

In 2020, 6,013 people entered the lottery for the chance to win one of 49 permits. More than 1,100 people continued to accrue bonus points because they submitted an application for a point only in order to not lose their accrued points. Hunters from six states in addition to New Hampshire won permits in the lottery.

While people travel from all over the country to take part in the New Hampshire moose hunt, about 85% of the permits are awarded to New Hampshire residents. The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based on the prior year’s sales of nonresident hunting licenses.

The number of moose hunt permits to be offered this fall has not yet been determined because harvest and survey data are currently under review. Final numbers will be released later this spring.

New Hampshire applicants should note the NH Division of Motor Vehicles started a new driver’s license number format in 2017. As a result, New Hampshire driver’s license numbers will be changing over the next five years.

Because bonus points are tracked via driver’s license number, pay close attention when completing the application, and indicate if your license number has changed.

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