AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ Maine officials say that nearly two-thirds of moose hunters were successful last year.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said that out of 3,095 permits that were issued in 2014, 2,022 hunters succeeded in harvesting a moose.
That's down from a success rate of 73 percent in 2013. Hunters in parts of Aroostook County saw an 80 percent success rate, while only 10 percent of hunters harvested a moose in parts of Waldo and Knox Counties.
Moose Biologist Lee Kantar says that warm spells last fall played a role. Warm weather makes moose travel less and spend more time in cover.
There were also fewer moose to hunt than in the past as the population was impacted by winter ticks last year.