Is Maine’s moose permit lottery truly fair?

By V. Paul Reynolds

In Maine, the annual moose permit lottery is a high-profile event. For many big game hunters, winning a permit means a chance at the hunt of a lifetime. But with thousands of permits available and far more applicants than permits, the odds of being selected can be formidable. Maine allocated 3,631 moose hunting permits to residents and nonresidents in 2026. Last year, 76,217 people applied for a permit.

Every year, there are far more unsuccessful applicants than winners, and some skeptics who follow the list of winners ask the same questions: “Is the lottery really fair?” “I have been applying for more than 20 years unsuccessfully, yet my neighbor has been drawn three times? How can that be fair?” Or, “I know a family that got three permits the same year.”

To address these concerns, the Northwoods Sporting Journal asked the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife how it accounts for every paid chance, including additional chances purchased by nonresidents, and who independently verifies the drawing. The questions also addressed software audits, recordkeeping and whether an outside auditor has certified that the lottery follows its published rules.

The lottery is administered through a rigorous, impartial and carefully verified process, with multiple levels of review and safeguards in place to ensure that the rules are applied consistently, applicant information is accurate and every eligible applicant has an equal opportunity in the drawing, the department said.

“We spend weeks checking and rechecking the data, the program, the results, and after the lottery is complete …” the department said.

As a public agency in Maine, MDIFW is audited by the Maine State Auditor every three to five years, the department said. Because it receives federal funds, it also undergoes additional oversight. Multiple department employees review the lottery process, and the final applicant and chance database is independently reconciled. The department said checking and vetting the database takes several weeks.

The lottery process works by assigning a random number to each purchased chance and each preference point associated with an application. The lowest random number drawn is assigned to the application. After every application has a random number, the applications are sorted, and permits are assigned to those with the lowest numbers.

The computer program is independently tested in multiple ways, both as a complete program and through tests of its individual components, the department said. Multiple people repeatedly test the program to ensure it functions as intended and that the lottery is conducted accurately. After the lottery, the results are retained and reviewed to ensure the drawing was conducted properly.

For more information about the lottery process, contact Mary Ellen Wickett at 207-215-6974 or maryellen.wickett@maine.gov.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and author of four books on hunting and fishing.