Take time to enter lottery for moose hunt – Bangor Daily News

By John Holyoke

BDN Staff

Take time to enter lottery for Sometime in June, hundreds of prospective moose hunters will head to L.L. Bean in Freeport to find out if this is finally the year they get to enjoy the hunt of a lifetime.

Of course, if you want to be included on the list of lucky hunters, you’ve got to enter the state-run permit lottery. And there’s no time like the present to take care of those simple logistics.

I know, I know. You’ve got plenty of time between now and then. You’ll get around to entering the lottery eventually.

Unfortunately, I’ve heard that before. Several times, in fact. Truth be told, three close acquaintances, two of whom I’ve actually gone moose hunting with, have missed out on past lotteries because … well … they just never got around to entering.

Believe me: You don’t want that to happen to you. Think of how sad you’ll be. Or, if that doesn’t work, think of how much grief your hunting buddies will give you. (If you want proof, I’ve got a couple of hunting buddies who can provide it).

This year a total of 3,140 moose permits will be allotted to hunters. No more than 10 percent of those permits will go to non-residents. The rest are for Mainers.

This year’s two primary moose seasons will run from Sept. 27 through Oct. 2 and from Oct. 11 through Oct. 16.

Additional hunts with fewer permits outstanding will be staged from Nov. 1 through 6 in Wildlife Management Districts 2, 3, 6 and 11, and from Nov. 1-27 in WMDs 15, 16, 23 and 26. A Maine hunt for Maine residents will be staged on Oct. 30, preceding the monthlong November season, in WMDs 15, 16, 23 and 26.

The simplest way to register for the permit lottery is to go to the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Web site — www.mefishwildlife.com — and use the MOSES system.

Since the state has moved toward on-line lottery registration, and has stopped mailing out application forms to those who registered in past years, a number of people have voiced frustration with the process.

And while the DIF&W wants as many people as possible to register via the Internet, it understands that some folks just don’t have Internet access.

For those, there are a couple of options. First, the state will accept paper applications that you print off a computer and mail to them.

If that’s not an option, you can visit the DIF&W office in Augusta and fill out an application.

Finally, the DIF&W will send you an application if you send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to them at this address: Moose Permit Application Request, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 41 State House Station, 284 State –Street, Augusta, 04333-0041.

The deadline for entry via the Internet is 11:59 p.m. on May 14. Paper applications must be postmarked by April 1 or delivered personally to the DIF&W before 5 p.m. on April 1.

For Maine residents, one chance in the lottery will cost you $7, three chances cost $12 and six chances cost $22. Non-resident fees: $15 for one chance, $25 for three, $35 for six, or $55 for 10. Non-residents are allowed to purchase multiples of 10 chances at $55 each. Maine residents may only purchase seven or fewer chances.

Resident hunters who are selected in the lottery will then be required to pay a $52 permit fee before their hunt. Non-residents pay a $484 permit fee.

via Take time to enter lottery for moose hunt – Bangor Daily News.

His hunting buddy died. The DNR gave him a new one. | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Santo Antonutti’s hunting buddy died a day before his moose hunting license notification arrived in the mail. Now, that license will go to another friend.

By: Sam Cook, Duluth News Tribune

For 37 years, Ray Rizzi and Santo Antonutti had been applying unsuccessfully for a Minnesota moose license.

This was almost their year.

On May 21, the 69-year-old Antonutti, of Esko, got a letter from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources saying he’d been drawn for the hunt in the state’s lottery. He called his 80-year-old friend, but Rizzi, of Duluth, said he hadn’t received notification yet.

The next day, May 22, Rizzi joined some friends at a fishing camp near Orr.

“He died Friday night at the dinner table,” Antonutti said. “His license came Saturday morning.”

Antonutti and Rizzi grew up in Gary-New Duluth. They had worked together for a time at the U.S. Steel Plant in Morgan Park. Their fathers had immigrated to America from the same region of Italy.

Understandably, Antonutti gets a little emotional when he talks about his old friend.

“Rizzi had so much enthusiasm for the outdoors,” Antonutti said, sitting on his porch Thursday morning. “He was a tough old buzzard. Best brook trout fisherman I’ve ever seen. … It was like we became brothers.”

When his moose hunting partner died, Antonutti had to decide what to do. He still wanted to hunt moose, but he has stents in his heart and is a Type 2 diabetic. He would need another partner, he told Lou Cornicelli, big-game program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Antonutti told Cornicelli he would like to hunt with his and Rizzi’s longtime friend Ray Rybos, 79, of Gary-New Duluth. Rybos had not applied for a moose permit this year.

After weighing the decision for about a week, the DNR granted Antonutti’s request and notified him of the decision Thursday. Rybos’ moose permit is in the mail, Cornicelli said. The decision to issue the permit was made by Dave Schad, director of the DNR’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, Cornicelli said.

“We got authority to do this, and it’s the right decision to make,” Cornicelli said. “It’s a reasonable request given an extraordinary set of circumstances.”  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via His hunting buddy died. The DNR gave him a new one. | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota.

Vt. moose hunting applications available | The Burlington Free Press

April 29, 2009

WATERBURY – Vermont moose hunting permit applications are now available for the upcoming 2009 hunting season.

Season dates are October 17-22, or October 24 through November 1. A total of 1,230 hunting permits would be issued, and about 600 moose are expected to be taken.

“We are managing Vermont’s moose population to keep it in balance with available habitat,” said Cedric Alexander, Vermont’s lead biologist on moose. “Carefully constructed hunting regulations enable us once again to enjoy having moose in Vermont on a sustained basis, while their numbers are maintained at levels that fit habitat capacity and the needs of people.”

Applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Web site and at license agents statewide. On the Web site, look under “Hunting and Trapping,” and then click on Lottery Applications.

Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is June 2.

Winners of the permit lottery will purchase resident hunting permits for $100 and nonresident hunting permits for $350. Hunters also will have the option to bid on five moose hunting permits in an auction to be announced later.

Vermont’s 2008 Moose Harvest Report is also available on the Fish and Wildlife Web site

via Vt. moose hunting applications available | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press.

Vermont moose hunting applications available: Times Argus Online

WATERBURY — Vermont moose hunting permit applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com ) and at license agents statewide, the department said in a release issued today.

On Fish & Wildlife’s website, look under “Hunting and Trapping,” and then click on Lottery Applications.

Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is June 2.

Winners of the permit lottery will purchase resident hunting permits for $100 and nonresident hunting permits for $350. Hunters also will have the option to bid on five moose hunting permits in an auction to be announced later.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will propose a regulation including permit numbers for the hunting season at a February 18th meeting of the Fish & Wildlife Board. Vermont issued 1,251 permits in 2008, and hunters took 605 moose in the 2008 hunting season. Proposed 2009 hunting season dates are October 17-22, or October 24 through November 1

via Vermont moose hunting applications available: Times Argus Online.

Minnesota trying to save its moose | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Wildlife experts from across North America were in Duluth Monday to help jump-start an effort to save Minnesota’s moose.

Hit hard by parasites and warmer weather, Minnesota’s moose population is shrinking, and experts fear the state may lose the big, beloved animal for good.

“We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to set a course that’s proactive,’’ said Laurie Martinson, deputy director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, which held its first-ever moose summit at the Inn on Lake Superior.

“There’s nothing that makes your heart beat faster [than seeing a moose], and we want to make sure we save that for future generations,’’ she said  Click Link Below For Full Story!

Minnesota trying to save its moose | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota.

Hunting with Hubby – Press and Journal

Middletown woman goes along for dream hunt, takes moose, caribou

by Ashley Carelock, Press And Journal Staff : 10/8/2008

It was her dream vacation, but there were no spa packages, no beach nearby and no thoughts of 400-threadcount bed sheets for Sue Zimmerman.

Instead, there was the cold backdrop of the Northwest Territories of Canada, tents pitched at Lonely Creek and a dog named Moose keeping a watchful eye out for grizzly bears.

For her vacation, Sue embarked on a 10-day wilderness hunt, guided by Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters. Her goal: Taking down a caribou and a moose. Dan Zimmerman, her husband, came along for support. With her rifle and over 25 pounds of equipment in tow, Sue successfully completed the “dream hunt,” gunning down a moose the size of a truck and an elusive caribou.

“The fourth day of the hunt, we saw a moose from the top of the mountain,” Sue said. “We went into the willows while our guide did a bull call.”

“It was cool; we got to experience the bull shaking his head, trying to intimidate what he thought was another bull.”

For Sue, the best part of the trip was hunting caribou. Perseverance was the name of the game throughout the trip, as the team had to stop a few times to catch their breath while climbing the mountain in search of caribou.

“That was the toughest hunt,” said Sue. “We spotted the caribou way up on the mountain in the snow on the sixth day. I didn’t think I could do it.”

Her husband and guide behind her, Sue scaled the mountain in search of the animal. Not even a fear of heights could hold her back  Full Story

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