MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says its annual moose hunting permit auction raised almost $31,000 for the department’s educational programs, such as the Green Mountain Conservation Camps for young people.
The five moose permits sold at auction were in addition to the 80 permits awarded last month by lottery.
The five winning bidders can choose to hunt in any one of Vermont’s Wildlife Management Units open for moose hunting.
The total number of permits issued this year is down from last year’s total of 165.
Vermont has an estimated moose population of about 1,750 with the greatest concentration in the Northeast Kingdom.
The number of moose in Vermont has fallen below the ideal number. Biologists hope that fewer moose permits will enable the herd to expand.
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