PORTLAND, Maine - Maine's moose hunt begins today, but with several hundred fewer permits issued. Nearly 49,000 hunters entered the lottery for 2,140 moose permits, 675 fewer than last year.
State moose biologist Lee Kantar says the state issued fewer permits this year because certain targets for the number of moose - such as three moose per square mile -- and the number of moose that can be killed to reach those targets, changes from year to year.
"There's flexibility there so permits can go up and down over time, depending on what's going on with the population and where we are related to those goals," Kantar says.
Maine is working now on a long-term study to determine moose population trends; but it's suspected that the number is declining.
Meanwhile, state biologists are trying to meet demands for more moose in the woods, where people like to view them in the wild.
The moose hunt is broken up over several sections in different parts of the state. The hunt that began today ends Oct. 1, and is concentrated in the far north and eastern parts of the state.