2026 New Hampshire Moose Hunt Highlights

CONTACT:
Henry Jones: 603-788-3164
Linda Verville: 603-271-1122
October 28, 2026

Concord, NH – New Hampshire’s 2026 moose hunting season ran from Saturday, October 17 through Sunday, October 25. There were 34 lottery-issued permits and one permit each was donated to the Dream Hunt Program and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire for a total of 36 either-sex permits. Lottery hunters harvested 29 moose: 23 bulls, 5 cows, and 1 calf. This translates to an 85% success rate, which is higher than the 10-year-average of 70%.

“The short moose hunting season is subject to highly variable weather and this year had intermediate conditions for hunting,” said Henry Jones, New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Moose Project Leader. “A cold front on opening day brought snow squalls and accumulating snow to northern areas which made the moose active. Stable, clear weather with moderate temperatures for the remainder of the season was more challenging because the moose were primarily active during the night and at daybreak. This year’s group of hunters seemed more motivated than usual.”

The heaviest moose weighed 878 pounds dressed and was taken in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) C1 by Donald Hamilton. The largest antler spread was 57 inches, taken in WMU B by Ryan Dube.

Each year, check station staff hear exciting stories about individual hunts and this year was no exception. One group in particular went above and beyond. Dan Ellingwood and Todd Soucy, longtime friends who met while conducting moose research in northern New Hampshire, finally got their dream A2 permit, Ellingwood as the permittee and Soucy as the subpermittee.

After multiple weekends of scouting and many hours of preparation, the duo were excited to get in the woods and hunt moose by “spotting and stalking” with calling mixed in. They hunted from dawn to dusk each day and would see moose on their drive in and out, but except for two cows that were seen on their second day, the moose seemed to vanish at daylight. As the days marched by, Ellingwood and Soucy grew concerned and worn down. Were they doing something wrong? Are the moose in different habitat or better found using other techniques? It seemed they were doing everything right, but the moose were primarily active during the night and at dawn, and luck had not found them.

On the second to last day of the season, Ellingwood spotted two bulls. After a few calculated steps he had a clear 80-yard shooting lane and cleanly took one of the animals. As ethical hunters, the pair were prepared to efficiently remove their moose. In four hours, they quartered the nearly 500-pound dressed-weight bull and dragged the pieces 200 yards back to their truck using a jet sled. Once back at their lodging, they loaded the moose quarters into a pre-chilled freezer with additional ice. The meat was then rapidly cooling and they could now go to the check station.

Hunting often rewards those who are patient and persistent, as exemplified with this hunt. It can be tough in the moment, but you learn valuable lessons. For check station staff, it was rewarding to see conservation-minded people take a moose and refreshing to witness their efforts to maximize meat quality.

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

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