Some hunters have already found success on the first day of Maine’s moose hunt. At the weigh station at the S.W. Collins lumber yard in Fort Kent, three different hunting parties pulled in within minutes of one another this morning.
Hunters weighing their moose at the Aroostook station included Josh Caron of Fort Kent, who shot a 893 pound bull in Estcourt at 6:25 a.m., and Nick Hawkes of Gorham, who shot a 703 pound bull in Allagash.
Hunting for Maine’s largest game animal is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. This year, nearly 70,000 people, including 45,302 Maine residents and 24,249 out-of-state hunters, applied for a permit, but the state issued only 4,080 permits in the June lottery.
The season began with bulls-only week in Wildlife Management Districts 1-6, 10, 11, 18, 19, 27 and 28.
Jessica Potila contributed reporting.