VERMONT – The winners of Vermont’s 2024 moose hunting permits were determined Wednesday, July 17, by a lottery drawing at the Fish and Wildlife (F&W) office in Montpelier.
Eighty either-sex moose hunting permits and 100 antlerless moose hunting permits were awarded to lottery winners.
As part of the regular lottery drawing, a “special priority drawing” was held for five permits to go to applicants who are Vermont resident veterans. The unsuccessful applicants from the veteran drawing were included in the larger regular drawing that followed. All applicants for both drawings who did not receive a permit were awarded a bonus point to improve their chances in future moose permit lotteries.
Permits allow hunting only in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Units (WMU) E1 or E2 located in the northeastern corner of the state on a line roughly from Holland through Burke to Concord and east to the Connecticut River. The hunt will result in an estimated harvest of about 94 moose, or 10 percent of the moose currently estimated to live in WMU E.
Applicants who were successfully drawn in the lottery process will receive a winner’s packet in the mail within a few days of the lottery. The winner’s packet will contain time sensitive information that must be returned to the F&W office by the deadline date. If they do not return the winner’s packet in time, they will forfeit the winning moose lottery permit.
Those entering the lottery whose name was not drawn, can bid in Vermont’s auction for three moose hunting permits. Sealed bids must be received by Vermont Fish and Wildlife by 4:30 p.m. that day. A minimum bid of $1,500 is required. The deadline to apply is August 7. Contact the department to receive a moose permit bid kit. Telephone (802) 828-1190 or email (cheri[email protected]).
All proceeds from the auction support the F&W conservation education programs, including Green Mountain Conservation Camps.
An important goal of the department’s 2024 moose harvest recommendation is to improve the health of moose in WMU-E by reducing the number of moose and thereby reducing the abundance and impact of winter ticks.
“Moose are abundant in WMU E with significantly higher population density than in any other part of the state,” said Nick Fortin, Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s moose project leader. “Moose are the primary host for winter ticks and higher moose densities support high numbers of winter ticks which negatively impact moose health and survival.”
Winners in this year’s moose hunting lottery are posted in a searchable database on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website, vtfishandwildlife.com.
Area permit winners include Aleila J. Clark, Plainfield, E1; Peter B. Dailey, E. Calais, E2, antlerless only; Kenneth H. Denton, Cabot, E1, antlerless only; Matt E. Hill, Hardwick, E2; Eathan P. Pike, Calais, E2; Dennis L. Pudvah, Hardwick, E2, antlerless only; Stephen H. Whelpley, Craftsbury Common, E2, antlerless only.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
