New Hampshire Opens 2026 Moose Hunt Lottery With May 29 Deadline

New Hampshire opened the 2026 moose hunt lottery, with entry available online, by mail, or at Fish and Game regional offices.

Applications must be submitted or postmarked by midnight on May 29. No late submissions will be accepted. Applications can also be dropped off at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, in Concord, before 4 p.m. Winners will be selected through a random computerized drawing and announced on June 19.

According to a New Hampshire Fish and Game Department news release, applicants can enter the lottery once per year. A bonus-point system adds one point per year to entrants to boost odds, with higher points meaning a significantly better chance.

In 2025, 5,968 entrants competed for 33 permits, and 1,188 hunters earned bonus points. Some permits in the 2025 lottery went to hunters from five other states.

According to the news release, approximately 85% of permits are awarded to Granite State residents, with nonresident permits capped based on the prior year's nonresident license sales.

The 2026 moose hunt runs for nine days, from Oct. 17 to Oct. 25, starting on the third Saturday in October.

The Fish and Game Department noted that New Hampshire has held an annual moose hunt since 1988. The hunt not only helps collect data on moose health, but it also assesses the overall productivity of the moose population, which numbers approximately 3,000.

Learn more about moose hunting in New Hampshire on the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department website.