State shares 2025 moose hunting results

November 6, 2025  |  By Waterbury Roundabout

A bull moose in the Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area in the Northeast Kingdom. Vt. Fish & Wildlife photo

After issuing 180 moose hunting permits this year, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says that hunters harvested 68 moose this fall. 

The archery moose hunt ran for a week, Oct. 1-7, and the regular season was Oct. 18-23, according to the department. Moose hunting was only allowed in Wildlife Management Unit E in northeastern Vermont, where moose are abundant. 

Nick Fortin, the state’s moose biologist, said a goal of this year’s hunt was to reduce the concentration of moose in that part of the state. “This high density of moose contributes to high winter tick numbers that can negatively impact moose health and survival,” he said. 

Moose management goals were informed by years of monitoring data and extensive research on moose and winter ticks from the northeastern U.S. and Canada. Vermont research has shown that chronic high winter tick loads have caused the health of moose in northeastern Vermont to be very poor. Survival of adult moose remains relatively good, but birth rates are very low, and many calves do not survive their first winter.

“This year’s hunt in [Wildlife Management Unit E] was another step towards achieving a healthy, sustainable moose population,” Fortin said.

The department said it issued 174 hunting permits by lottery, for which nearly 6,000 hunters applied. The department reserves the first five lottery permits for Vermont military veterans. Three non-lottery permits are reserved for persons with life-threatening illnesses; an additional three are auctioned as a fundraiser for conservation efforts.