In 2017, ten nonresidents will hunt moose in Maine, paying between $14,444 and $16,510 for their permits. Most will also hire guides, some priced at $6500 or more. Yes, Maine’s moose hunt is valuable!
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife auctions off ten moose hunting permits every year. The average bid for permits this year was $15,023, and the total paid for the ten permits was $150,234.50.
All of the money goes to youth conservation education scholarships. More than 600 Maine boys and girls got scholarships to several of the state’s conservation camps last year. Conservation camp programs are designed to teach Maine boys and girls the importance of conservation, a respect for the environment and a working knowledge of a variety of outdoor skills. Subjects taught at camp include wildlife identification, fishing, boating safety, archery, firearms handling, hunter safety, forest conservation, map and compass work and much more.
The legislature created the auction which began in 1995, and applicants must submit bids through a written bid process. Winning bids are selected in February.
DIF&W has submitted a bill to increase the auction to 20 permits next year. That bill has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing, but it’ll be hard to turn it down, given the significant amount of money the agency can raise from this auction. The next ten bids in this year’s auction would have paid $133,995 for their permits.
The draft of the agency’s new moose management plan also calls for increased permits for raffles and auctions, to provide needed funding for moose research and management.
The 2017 Moose Auction Winners
$16,510 Lawrence Costa, Nottingham, New Hampshire
$16,001 Tracy Hauck, New London, New Hampshire
$15,151.51 Claude Warren Jr, Champions Gate, Florida
$15,001 Dustin Parent, Laconia, New Hampshire
$14,900 Michael Gleason, Berlin, Massachusetts
$14,601 Howard Ludington, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
$14,599.99 Carl Baker, Hyde Park, Vermont
$14,526 Craig Willis, Hico, Texas
$14,500 David Thayer, Farmington, New Hampshire
$14,444 John Lovetere, Greenland, New Hampshire