2025 New Hampshire Moose Hunt Highlights

CONTACT:
Henry Jones: 603-788-3164
Linda Verville: 603-271-1122
October 27, 2025

Concord, NH – New Hampshire’s 2025 moose hunting season ran from Saturday, October 18 through Sunday, October 26. In advance of this year’s hunt, 32 permits were issued through the annual lottery process and one permit each was donated to the Dream Hunt Program and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire for a total of 34 either-sex permits. Hunters harvested 25 moose: 20 bulls and 5 cows. The success rate for lottery hunters was 72%, which is slightly higher than the 10-year-average of 69%.

“The short moose hunting season is subject to highly variable weather and this year had better conditions for hunting than in many recent years,” said Henry Jones, New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Moose Project Leader. “An active weather pattern resulted in moose moving and feeding during the day, particularly during the middle and late week when a front with cool rainy weather settled over northern New Hampshire.”

The heaviest moose weighed 825 pounds dressed and was taken in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A2 by James Slater. The largest antler spread was 57.5 inches, taken in WMU B by Parker McMurray.

Each year NH Fish and Game donates one moose hunting permit to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, the non-profit partner of Fish and Game, which they auction off as a fundraiser. This year’s auction winner, Adam Millburn, was focused on cherishing the opportunity to step away from the face-paced world and experience nature with his son Blaine.

The Millburn’s story began 25 years ago when Adam drew a permit in northern New Hampshire, and with the unplanned but necessary help of a young local, he took a nice bull on the third day of the season. This chance to hunt a large and mysterious animal in rugged undeveloped landscapes ignited Adam’s passion for moose hunting, which is shared by his son Blaine, taking them across North America most years. This year, however, Adam and Blaine wanted to hunt moose in New Hampshire, celebrating the 25 years since Adam drew his first permit, and coincidentally, the year that Blaine was born.

This year, the Millburns rented a cabin in Colebrook for October and scouted daily. They scoured the region for moose sign and studied their behavior. As the month progressed, moose transitioned from the rut to post-rut, calling less but still moving from feeding areas at dawn and dusk and to bedding areas located at higher elevations in mature forest during the day. Their hunting strategy was to occupy vantage points or spot/stalk their quarry. Heavy fog on the third day of the season was conducive for their strategy, and after a few strike outs, they sneaked into a smaller cut where they discovered a large cow with a nice bull. Blaine shot the bull and the experienced hunters processed their moose in 90 minutes to help it cool and facilitate packing it out.

This hunt was about a family making time to experience nature with respect for the animal being paramount. The adventure was cherished from preparation to registration with enthusiastic Fish and Game staff.

To learn more about moose hunting in New Hampshire visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/moose-hunting-new-hampshire.