When it comes to the Maine Moose Permit Lottery, it’s just better to assume that you aren’t going to get drawn.
That was my mental approach for the umpteenth year going into Saturday’s highly anticipated announcement event in Augusta and it will be my mantra going forward.
Admittedly, it’s what golfers might call a negative swing thought: “I’m going to hit this shot into the pond.” But with 72,530 other hunters having put their name into the hat, it’s some really long odds.
Regardless, I still have never been drawn.
I take considerable solace in knowing there are thousands of moose hunters out there who came away from the drawing equally disappointed not to hear or see their name among the list of 4,106 moose hunt permit recipients.
I have learned not to take it personally, even as some of my best hunting buddies, and other friends and acquaintances, have combined to claim seven permits since I first applied back in 2007.
Perhaps I have nobody to blame but myself. I clearly haven’t applied every year, since I only have 18 bonus points to my credit. That accounts for 11 years’ worth of points. There’s a reason my buddies send out repeated reminders about entering the lottery.
However, upon reaching my 65th birthday in four years, I’ll have both the minimum age and the 30 points required to be guaranteed a moose permit. I’m hoping to not have to wait that long, but the end is in sight.
It’s hard not to come away from the process shaking your head a little bit. There are lots of folks who have been drawn multiple times and numerous others who are still waiting for their first opportunity.
There are an assortment of factors that can reduce a hunter’s chance of being drawn, including specifying only certain Wildlife Management Districts, choosing to hunt only a bull, and limiting the available hunting weeks.
Not being a math guy, it’s nonetheless natural to want to second-guess the state’s high-tech permit selection program. And I know the frustration has been significant enough for some people that they completely give up on applying.
I do know that, as with any lottery, you’ve got to be in it to win it.
Last Saturday, I really enjoyed seeing the smiling faces and mini celebrations that erupted as hunters in attendance at the lottery announcement heard their name read live over the PA system. Equally touching was the appreciative applause of other participants in acknowledging the winners.
I can’t ever recall seeing so many permit winners there in person to enjoy that special moment. Some of them got picked for the first time in 20 years or more and there was genuine surprise when they heard their name called.
Even without ever carrying a rifle on a moose hunt, it has been my privilege to join a passionate crew made up of former BDN colleague John Holyoke, the Lander boys — Chris, Billy and Timmy — and my older son William on hunts.
We all go into every permit lottery hoping that at least one of us is drawn so we can get together for another memorable week of fun in the Maine woods.
This year, the luckiest of the bunch — Chris — got drawn for the third time. Better yet, he received a bull permit for the Wildlife Management District and the week he selected.
Seeing his name on the list means all of us will have the chance to be back in the game, pursuing a big bull come October.
The group has been blessed to harvest three bulls from the same area in the past, so our familiarity and comfort with the terrain in Somerset County should take at least some of the guesswork out of the process. There are, of course, no guarantees.
Having a good friend drawn for a moose permit definitely takes some of the sting out of my getting shut out. However, it doesn’t lessen my enthusiasm for eventually getting the chance myself.
I’ll plan to be in Fort Kent next June, when the St. John Valley will put on what is sure to be one of the more memorable moose permit lottery events. Until then, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
