Moose numbers in: 78 percent of hunters successful

The numbers are in, and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife officials have announced that a record number of moose were taken by hunters during the 2012 Maine moose-hunting sessions.

 

BDN photo by John Clarke Russ Gateway Variety in Ashland was bustling with hunters as 22 moose were tagged there by noon Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 on the first day of hunting season. Helping hoist and weigh a bull is Matthew Bert, 15, of Presque Isle, a member of the family that owns Gateway Variety.

According to a DIF&W press release, 2,895 of 3,725 permit-holders — 78 percent — were successful in 2012. The department says that’s a 12 percent increase from 2011, when temperatures were warmer and moose-hunting was more demanding.

A further breakdown: Of the moose hunters who participated in “traditional” moose hunting areas in northern Maine, 81 percent were successful.

Those hunters who had permits in the more southerly zones — Wildlife Management Districts 15, 16, 22, 23, 25 and 26 — found the hunting tougher: Only 18 percent of those hunters were successful.

The DIF&W announced that a total of 11 bulls, all taken in far northern Maine, weighed in at more than 1,000 pounds. One of those moose had antlers with a 66-inch spread, and 17 bulls had spread in excess of 60 inches.

Successful hunters can find out the age of each moose taken at http://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting_trapping/hunting/moose_age.htm

For more information on moose hunting in Maine, go to www.mefishwildlife.com.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.