Changes coming to next year’s moose lottery

The Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department is aggressively examining the Moose Permit Lottery due to the concerns and complaints heard over the past years.
Commissioner Chandler  Woodcock made it one of his first priorities in the new administration.
    According to Commissioner Woodcock, the moose lottery is being changed through legislation to reflect specific suggestions entrants have offered. He said he expects the new system will level the playing field.
While the new law goes into effect the end of September 2011, the changes will take hold with the 2012 lottery as this year’s lottery already has occurred.
The changes include: Residents will have one chance in the lottery. In previous years, residents could purchase one, three or six chances. Individuals who could not afford the additional entries said they considered the multiple chance system to be unfair and beginning in 2012, the points system will be changed. Points already accumulated will be grandfathered or carried over into the new system.
Starting next year, entrants will receive: One (1) point each entry year their name is not drawn in years one through five. (Five new total points); Two (2) points each entry year their name is not drawn in entry years six through 10. (10 points total for these five years. After 10 consecutive unsuccessful years, entrant has 15 new total points); Three (3) points each entry year their name is not drawn in entry years 11 through 15. (15 points total for these five years. After 15 consecutive unsuccessful years, entrant has 30 new total points.); Ten (10) points each entry year their name is not drawn for every year after 16 consecutive unsuccessful years and a person can enter the moose lottery and designate that they do not want a permit that year in order to earn points.
Also, a permittee will be able to change their subpermittee up to 30 days before the start of moose season, beginning in 2012; a two-year grace period in which people who did not enter the lottery for whatever reason in one or two consecutive years will retain – and not lose – their points; a moose research and management fund will be established with partial revenue from the sale of non-resident permits.