The applications have all been sent in, the online registrationclosed weeks ago, and the waiting is nearly over: On Saturday,prospective moose hunters will flock to Cabelas in Scarborough forthe states annual moose permit lottery, during which a record 3,862permits will be handed out.
Many of the winners have hunted moose before. Others have beenwaiting since 1980 for the chance to participate in a hunt for thestates largest game animal.
Twenty-six years Ive tried to get a tag. I have not been drawn,said Greg Sirpis, the events host as Cabelas retail eventscoordinator. And I have to tell you, if Im drawn this year theresgoing to be an awful lot of ribbing going on about it because itsbeing held here. But I can promise you that its only by chance.
While recent moose permit lotteries have been staged on Thursdayevenings, Cabelas lobbied the Maine Department of Inland Fisheriesand Wildlife, which conducts the lottery, for a Saturday event thatwould be more easily targeted toward families and those who wouldtravel to the event. Activities will begin at 10 a.m. this year andcontinue throughout the day. The actual drawing will begin at 4 p.m.
Prospective moose hunters looking to find out whether their nameshave been drawn in the lottery will not be able to see the list onthe Internet before names are read aloud in Scarborough. The DIF&Wwill embargo the release of the list until 8 p.m., according to anews release.
At that point folks can go to www.mefishwildlife.com to find outtheir status. Or, they can go to www.bangordailynews.com, where wellalso have the complete list. Additionally, at the BDN website wellprovide a nifty map that will show where all 3,862 winners are from.
Sirpis said he has been planning the lottery for 14 months and iseager to unveil his companys vision for an event that has become aMaine outdoor tradition.
I think the single biggest thing that will set us apart from theones that Ive been to in the past is that we have a huge program puttogether for kids, Sirpis said. I did that intentionally because Ivenoticed in the last three or four drawings that Ive been at therewas really nothing there for the youth.
This years event will be the 31st moose permit lottery. Mainesmodern moose hunt was held on an experimental basis in 1980. After aone-year hiatus, the hunt has been staged annually since 1982.
And after the Legislature approved a plan to increase the numberof permits that will be allotted for this years hunt, the largest-ever crop of hunters will head afield during the 2011 huntingsessions.
The addition of 657 permits over the original plan brought thisyears total to 3,862. A year ago a then-record 3,140 permits wereallotted. In 2009 and again in 2008 the state allotted 3,015 permitsthrough the lottery system. The vast majority of those permits go toMaine residents: According to state law no more than 10 percent ofallotted permit may be claimed by nonresidents.
Sirpis said focusing on young attendees was a natural. Happy kidsmake for happy parents. Bored kids lead to parents leaving thefestivities early if they attend at all. And Sirpis saidintroducing youths to outdoor activities is a personal priority.
Ive had a theory for a lot of years that kids that hunt and fishdont mug old ladies, Sirpis said. So I think its important to getthem interested in [the outdoors]. I also believe it makes thembetter citizens.
Kid-centered activities on tap include face-painting and a boothwhere kids can make personalized moose place mats. Cotton candy andpopcorn will be served. The Maine Bowhunters Association and theNational Rifle Association will run youth programming throughout theday. In addition, ATV Maine will be on hand to stage a riding andsafety rodeo, during which kids will get the chance take rides safely, of course on real ATVs.
About 35 vendors will staff tents at the lottery, which willitself be held in a large tent outside the Cabelas store. Sirpissaid the seating capacity in the lottery tent will be about 500.
A variety of regional and national outdoor personalities will beon hand for the festivities. A crew from Cabelas Television willcapture footage that will be used on a national outdoor channel. Inaddition, a barbecue competition is scheduled, and Sirpis said thecrew from Grill Seekers, a NESN TV series, will be in Scarborough tocover that facet of the lottery.
Bangor hosted the first moose permit lottery back in 1980, whenabout 60 people gathered for the drawing. In recent years thelottery has turned into a traveling road show with communities andbusinesses vying for the chance to be host of the event.
Last years drawing was held at L.L. Bean in Freeport. Before thatit was held at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, Kittery TradingPost, and at sites in Phippsburg, Rumford, Presque Isle, Bucksport,Old Town, Boothbay Harbor and Millinocket. After Saturday,Scarborough will have held the lottery three times.
And if you arent going to have Internet access, you can stillrely on the BDN for your results. On Monday, as we always have, wellprint the complete list of names. Even if you already know yournames on the list, you might want to buy a copy of the paper tostick in your scrapbook.
jholyoke@bangordailynews.com
990-8214
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