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Moose Hunting
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Moose Hunting Permit
Maine's moose hunt is a "permit only" hunt issued by season for bull moose or antlerless moose. A bull moose permit allows the permittee to harvest a male moose with hardened antlers. An antlerless moose permit allows the permittee to harvest a female moose without antlers or a male calf moose without antlers. A total of 3,705 moose hunting permits were issued through the 2026 lottery. Each permittee may select a subpermittee to hunt with them. A person may not hunt moose with an apprentice hunter license. The bag limit is one moose per year, by either permittee or subpermittee. A person 10 years of age or older on the opening day of the moose hunt is eligible to apply for a moose hunting permit in that calendar year.
A person under the age of 10 on the opening day of the moose hunting season may apply to earn a point in the lottery system, but cannot receive a permit.
Permit Donation to Veterans: A person who receives a moose permit may transferred that permit to a disabled veteran or may return the permit to MDIFW so the permit can be transfered to a disabled veteran through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The disabled veteran must meet eligibility and permit requirements. A transferor and a transferee of the permit are subject to the elimination of any accumulated points and the transferee is subject to a 3-year ineligibility period to reapply for a moose permit.
Permits for 65 years old and older: A resident 65 years of age or older with 30 points or more in the moose lottery system who applies for a moose permit is guaranteed a permit.
Permits for Hunting Lodges:The Commissioner may allocate up to 2% of the moose hunting permits for a special chance lottery that is separate from the regular moose permit lottery, to hunting outfitters who meet the specific requirements defined in the law. If a qualified applicant is drawn in the lottery, the cost to purchase the permit is $1,500.
2026 Moose Permit Hunt Seasons & Bag Limits
| Seasons | WMDs*** | Seasons*** | Limits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Day | Annual Bag & Possession | |||
| Bull-Only | 1-7, 10-13, 15, 18, 19, 27 and 28 | September 28, 2026 | October 3, 2026 | 1 Moose Per Year In order to harvest a moose a person must be either the permittee or sub-permittee. |
| Bull-Only | 1-15, 17-19, 27, 28 | October 12, 2026 | October 17, 2026 | |
| Antlerless-Only | 1-6, 8 | October 26, 2026 | October 31, 2026 | |
All dates are inclusive except that hunting is prohibited on Sunday