The state gave out 3,725 permits this year, some for bull (boys with antlers) and some for cows (girls). The state is broken up into zones and you are assigned to a specific zone to hunt in. People from all over the United States apply to get these permits and many Mainers apply their whole lives and never get one. With this being said, I, yes me the Duchess of Fabulous Fowl, has gotten not 1 but 2 permits. My husband on the other hand, never a one. Come to think of it no one in his entire family has ever gotten one. I had no interest in ever doing it again but this year I applied once again because my son is now legal hunting age. (There are 2 people on each permit and if I had got one he would be able to shoot it if I let him.) So on a rainy Saturday night in June thousands of people waited by their computers to see if they were one of the lucky 3,725. Low and behold there was my little boy's name. He had a bull permit for the zone that we have a hunting camp in, thank goodness.
So begins the months of prep, new gun, new boots, another freezer, the list goes on and on. Those who say that it's great because of all the meat you get and it costs almost nothing, is DEAD wrong. I can buy a lot of meat for what it costs to hunt moose. (You do get a huge amount of meat and it is soooooo good.) I make it sound bad but really it is a very exciting thing.
This moose season started Monday morning at 6:12 am. It ends Saturday night at around 6:25pm. The first day of the hunt was unsucessful for us but there are 5 more to bag the big one.
