New Hampshire moose WMU D1: permits, hunter success and the 2026 season
New Hampshire Fish and Game issues 1 either-sex moose permit for WMU D1 in 2026, part of the North region. In 2025, 1 permit there took 0 moose (0 bulls, 0 cows), and lottery hunters in WMU D1 have filled 48% of their permits over the ten seasons from 2016. The 2026 season runs nine days, October 17 to 25.
Data updated October 2026. Permits: NHFG 2026 Moose Hunting Season and Management. Harvest: NHFG 2025 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary.
Fish and Game landNational forestState forest and park landNational wildlife refugeMoose WMU D1Neighboring WMUsHighway
| Permits, 2026 | 1 either-sex |
|---|---|
| Permits and moose taken, 2025 | 1 permits, 0 moose (0 bulls, 0 cows) |
| Hunter success, 2016 to 2025 | 48% on 44 lottery permits |
| Management region | North: 0.84 moose per square mile against a goal of 1.28 |
| Season, 2026 | October 17 to 25 |
| Size | 241 square miles |
| Public land | 9.1% (14,056 acres) |
| Deer WMU | WMU D1: 238 deer in 2025 |
How many moose have hunters taken in WMU D1 since 2016?
Lottery hunters filled 48% of the 44 permits NHFG issued for WMU D1 from 2016 to 2025. The best season was 2019, at 80% on 5 permits. Permits fell from 8 in 2016 to 1 in 2025 as NHFG cut issuance across the state.
| Season | Lottery permits | Success |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0% |
| 2024 | 3 | 33% |
| 2023 | 3 | 67% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0% |
| 2021 | 5 | 50% |
| 2020 | 5 | 60% |
| 2019 | 5 | 80% |
| 2018 | 5 | 60% |
| 2017 | 5 | 40% |
| 2016 | 8 | 50% |
Source: NHFG 2025 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, ten-year moose hunter success by WMU (Dream Hunt and auction permits left out).
How is the North moose region managed?
NHFG counts moose density from deer hunters' moose sightings. The North region sits at 0.84 moose per square mile; its goal is 1.28 and permits stop if density falls to 0.68. Above the cut-off and below the goal, NHFG issues either-sex permits at a light level, about 1 to 2% of the population. Winter ticks limit northern moose: NHFG's 2014 to 2018 research found 50 to 75% of calves dying in heavy tick years.
| Region | Goal (moose per sq mi) | Cut-off | Current | 2026 strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Lakes | 2.24 | 1.06 | 1.40 | Light harvest |
| North | 1.28 | 0.68 | 0.84 | Light harvest |
| White Mountains | 0.47 | 0.24 | 0.14 | Permit suspension |
| Central | 0.25 | 0.20 | 0.18 | Permit suspension |
| Southwest | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.09 | Permit suspension |
| Southeast | 0.10 | None | 0.06 | Light harvest |
Source: NHFG 2026 Moose Hunting Season and Management, Table 2.
Other North moose WMUs
How much public land is in moose WMU D1?
9.1% of WMU D1 is public land: 14,056 of its 154,361 acres. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 6,331 acres. Towns inside: Bethlehem, Jefferson, Lancaster, Littleton, Northumberland and Whitefield.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU D1 |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge | 6,331 | 4.1% |
| National forest | 4,350 | 2.8% |
| State forest and park land | 3,330 | 2.2% |
| Fish and Game land | 45 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the WMU line from NH Conservation and Public Lands (GRANIT, via NHFG) for state and Army Corps land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land. Highways: NH 116, US 3, NH 135 and NH 142.
Questions hunters ask
How many moose permits are there for WMU D1 in 2026?
1, all either-sex, out of 35 statewide (NHFG 2026 Moose Hunting Season and Management). Each permittee may bring one subpermittee, and the limit is one moose per permit.
What is the moose hunter success rate in WMU D1?
48% over 2016 to 2025 on 44 lottery permits, and 0% in 2025 (NHFG 2025 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary). Statewide, lottery hunters filled 72% of their permits in 2025 against a ten-year average of 70%.
Why does WMU D1 get only one permit?
NHFG sets permits by region. The North region has a moose density of 0.84 per square mile, below its goal of 1.28 but above the cut-off of 0.68, so NHFG offers light either-sex hunting (NHFG 2026 Moose Hunting Season and Management).
How do you get a New Hampshire moose permit?
By lottery. NHFG had 7,283 entries for the 2025 drawing, and published drawing chances of 1 in 110 for residents and 1 in 500 for nonresidents (NHFG 2025 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary). Permits are assigned to one WMU, and a permittee may hunt only that unit.
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Where these numbers come from
- Permits and regions: NHFG 2026 Moose Hunting Season and Management; NHFG Moose Hunting in New Hampshire.
- Harvest and success: NHFG 2025 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary.
- WMU boundary: NHFG Wildlife Management Units. Public land: NH Conservation and Public Lands (GRANIT, via NHFG) for state and Army Corps land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, towns (county subdivisions).
FilledTag is not part of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
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