REGION – The deadline to apply for a 2021 Vermont moose hunting permit is June 30. Moose permit applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website, www.vtfishandwildlife.com, for the hunt limited to Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit E in the northeastern corner of the state.
“Moose density in WMU E is more than one moose per square mile, significantly higher than any other part of the state,” said Nick Fortin, Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s biologist in charge of the moose project. “Moose densities greater than one per square mile support high numbers of winter ticks which negatively impact moose health and survival.”
The department will issue 60 either-sex moose hunting permits and 40 antlerless moose hunting permits available this year for a hunt limited to WMU E in the northeastern corner of the state. The science-based hunt will result in an estimated harvest of 51 to 66 moose, or 5% of the more than 1,000 moose currently estimated to live in WMU E.
Hunters who held a permit within the past five years are not eligible to apply for a permit or to buy a bonus point. Also, although a “bonus point freeze” was in place for the 2018 and 2019 moose seasons, due to limited or no moose permits being available for those years, that is no longer in place and applicants must continue to annually submit a moose permit application if they wish to retain their past bonus points.
By law, five permits will be available to Vermont military veterans, three permits will be auctioned in accordance with regulations, and up to three permits will be available for “Special Opportunity” recipients with life-threatening illnesses.
A drawing for permit winners is scheduled for Aug. 4.