The southern Maine moose hunt will occur during the regular firearms deer season, from Nov. 3 to Nov. 29 with a resident's only day on Nov. 1 in WMD 15, 16, 23 and 26.

Sufficient permits will be allocated to allow a slow to moderate decrease in moose number to address highway safety concerns while eliminating or greatly reducing conflicts between moose hunters, landowners and the general public.

Moose hunting in southern Maine will be very different from moose hunting that occurs in western, northern, and eastern areas of the State because hunters participating in a southern Maine moose hunt will be hunting largely on small, private landholdings, according to Wildlife Biologist Sandy Ritchie, who manages habitat conservation and special projects at IF&W. Success will likely be low, especially for hunters not from the immediate area who do not use a guide. It may also be more difficult to remove moose from private land in southern Maine, and the means required to remove a harvested moose from private land could be of concern to some landowners.

IF&W staff is working with the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine to ensure that landowners are aware of the hunt. Also, staff is working with hunters who drew permits to hunt in the southern districts to draw attention to a number of things they can do to help ensure a quality hunting experience while maintaining good landowner relations and future public access, according to Ritchie.