A Maine moose hunt is one of America’s most accessible adventures. Any licensed hunter can apply. If your name is drawn in the state licensing lottery, you get to take a friend on the hunt.
Unlike some wilderness quests, game is abundant and hunting pressure relatively light due to the limited number of permits issued. License-drawing day is a huge celebration, when hundreds of prospective hunters gather for the drawing. Check out all the action in this Bangor Daily News post from John Holyoak.
Ina H. Cyr showed up plenty early for the Maine moose-permit lottery on Saturday afternoon and took a seat right in the front row, even though nothing in her history with the event told her she should be optimistic.
Cyr said she might not have applied for a moose permit for a few years in the early 1980s, but has been a regular entrant ever since.
Just five minutes into the annual event, the 82-year-old Cyr was smiling from ear to ear, and accepting the congratulations of friends and strangers alike.
Cyr is going on her first moose hunt: She was drawn to hunt bull moose in Wildlife Management District 6 during the September hunt. She’ll be joined on her hunt by her son-in-law, Larry Murphy.
In all, 3,095 permits were awarded to applicants.
