MONTPELIER — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board voted on April 6 to have 60 either-sex moose hunting permits and 40 antlerless moose hunting permits available this year for a hunt limited to Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state. The science-based hunt will result in an estimated harvest of 51 to 65 moose, or 5 percent of the more than 1,000 moose currently estimated to live in WMU E. 

Permit applications are now available on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

The Fish and Wildlife Department recently partnered with University of Vermont researchers to conduct a study of moose health and survival in WMU E. The results of this study, in which 126 moose (36 cows, 90 calves) were fitted with GPS tracking collars, clearly showed that chronic high winter tick loads have caused the health of moose in that part of the state to be very poor. Survival of adult moose remained relatively good, but birth rates were very low and less than half of the calves survived their first winter.

The goal of the Fish and Wildlife Department’s 2022 moose season recommendation is to improve the health of moose in WMU-E by reducing the impact of winter ticks. 

Lottery applications for hunting permits are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is June 22.  Winners of the permit lottery will purchase resident hunting permits for $100 and nonresident hunting permits for $350. 

Hunters who held a permit within the past five years are not eligible to apply for a permit or to buy a bonus point. Applicants must continue to annually submit a moose permit application if they wish to retain their past bonus permits and accumulate subsequent bonus points.

Five permits will be available to Vermont military veterans, three permits will be available for “Special Opportunity” recipients with life-threatening illnesses, and three permits will be auctioned in accordance with regulations. 

The 2022 Moose Season Recommendation and related information about moose research and management are available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website at www.vtfishandwildlife.com.