Maine’s adaptive moose hunt winds down

By V, Paul Reynolds

For the 2025 Maine moose hunt, the harvest numbers are in. Of the 4,075 moose hunting permits issued for last fall, 2,309 hunters filled their tags. If you do the math, those numbers translate to an overall harvest success rate of about 57 percent. That’s the lowest kill ratio in the past five years. The five -year success rate average hovers around 60 percent. In 2024 the moose harvest rate was about 64 percent.

According to the Bangor Daily News, “Overall, nine districts posted year-over-year increases in success rates, while five declined and four were unchanged.”

The average age of tagged moose last fall was 4.4 years, with a statistical trend of younger moose in the harvest.

Which wildlife management districts (WMDs) proved most productive in the hunt? The most northerly WMDs, 1, 2,5 & 6 accounted for about half of the statewide moose kill. WMD 6 experienced a 78 percent success rate! No doubt attributable to the warmer weather early in the season, the October bull season produced higher bull kills than the September season: September bull hunters reported a 51 percent success rate compared with a 75 percent success rate for October bull hunters.

For me, the most eye-catching statistic from the 2025 moose hunt tally was the precipitous decrease in the moose harvest numbers in the final year of the experimental  Adaptive Unit cow hunt. Hunter success rates in that unit plummeted from 52 percent in 2021 to just 27 percent in 2025!

Maine moose biologist Lee Kantar attributes the reduced moose harvest numbers more to a combination of hunting conditions  (warm and dry) and the low kill ratios in the Adaptive Unit cow hunt than the statewide moose populations. I asked Kantar, “Why was the Adaptive Unit hunt success rate so low?  His response,“Is it less moose, hunter effort, weather, or some other factors?” He adds, “I can tell you that when we fly the helicopter post hunt survey, moose are there.  More moose in the SW than the SE.   More moose in the NW than the NE.   More moose south than north.  But in some years we had higher success in the northern part of the Adaptive hunt, which is interesting since we count more in the south.  Then again it is all related to habitat and how that lies on the landscape.”

By the way, the five -year experimental Adaptive Unit cow hunt has officially ended. Kantar will submit a report with his findings this summer. As for the tick study, he indicates that it will take a new tack and will concentrate on forest management and how it relates to the moose-tick issue.

As one of the permitted cow hunters in last fall’s Adaptive Unit hunt, I was lucky enough to be one of  the 27 percent to fill a tag. Before the hunt, while doing some advance scouting, a cynical guide that I bumped into said with a smirk,”Good luck with that hunt. You might as well stay home and buy a beef critter!”

I confess it was a tough slog, but we got a break late in the hunt week. A lot of advance scouting, some good advice from guides and others in the know – plus just plain good luck – made the difference.

If you are blessed with a Maine moose hunt next fall, do your home work and put in your time. No guarantees, but due diligence gives you a leg up.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.