Moose Hunt Lottery FAQs

The easiest and fastest way to apply for the New Hampshire Moose Hunt Lottery is by entering online. You can also download a printable lottery application, pick up an application at a local fish and game license agent, or call 603-271-2461 to get one by mail. Applications for the current year's moose hunt are available from late January through the lottery closing date in May.

To apply for a moose permit as a resident, you must possess a valid N.H. Driver's License or non-driver's identification card issued by the N.H. Dept. of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles by the moose lottery application deadline. Residents are persons who reside in New Hampshire and do not claim residence in any other state for any purpose.

Since 2004, the Fish and Game Department has offered a bonus point system to help repeat unsuccessful applicants in obtaining a permit. Unsuccessful applicants accrue one point for each consecutive year that they apply for the lottery. Each point translates to a chance in the drawing; that is, the first year you apply, you have one chance in the lottery; in the second year, you have two chances; etc. Applicants lose all accrued points if they do not apply to the lottery for one year or if they accept a moose permit.

In order for points to be tracked accurately, applicants are required to provide their driver's license number or a state-issued non-driver ID number. Bonus points will be assigned to the number on your application. You are also required to indicate on the application whether your driver's license number or state-issued non-driver ID number has changed. Any applicant wishing to accrue a point only(and not lose existing points) without being considered for this year's lottery must submit a completed application which indicates this. The $15 resident/$25 nonresident application fee is required for the application to be processed. Bonus points cannot be accrued during the 3-year waiting period after accepting a moose permit. For Frequently Asked Questions about the bonus point system, click here.

Moose population density and hunter success rates generally decline from north to south. However, selecting units in which you live or with which you are familiar can give you a head start on the road to success. Pre-season scouting can greatly enhance the quality of your hunt and chances for success. All units of the state provide opportunities for large moose (in excess of 700 pounds dressed weight) or the potential for large racks (in excess of 40 inch spread). However, greater pre-season effort will provide greater post-season satisfaction. Below are the average success rates by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) for 2009-2010. (For a comparison of recent moose season harvest results and success rates in recent years, click here.)

WMU	2010/2011 Average Hunting Success Rate
A1	80.2%
A2	85.3%
B	82.5%
C1	88.9%
C2	88.8%
D1	61.4%
D2	70.0%
E1	60.0%
E2	80.0%
E3	90.0%
F	52.3%
G	67.3%
H1	47.0%
H2N	91.7%
H2S	50.0%
I1	60.0%
I2	62.5%
J1	69.2%
J2	72.5%
K	50.0%
L	40.0%
M	30.0%
Statewide	67.25%

The moose hunt lottery drawing is held on the third Friday of June at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at Fish and Game's Concord, NH Headquarters. A list of winners is posted on the N.H. Fish and Game website after 11 a.m. that day. Successful applicants are notified by mail within 10 working days of the drawing.

The odds of winning a New Hampshire moose hunt permit in 2012 were about 1 in 36 for New Hampshire residents, and 1 in 120 for nonresidents. These odds are among the best in the nation for moose hunting. Click here to see the most recent available statistics on the moost hunt lottery applications, permits drawn, and odds. The percentage of permits issued to nonresidents shall not exceed the percentage of hunting licenses sold to nonresidents the previous year (recently about 15 to 17 percent of the total).