New Hampshire moose WMU L: permits, hunter success and the 2026 season
New Hampshire Fish and Game issues 3 either-sex moose permits for WMU L in 2026, part of the Southeast region. In 2025, 3 permits there took 0 moose (0 bulls, 0 cows), and lottery hunters in WMU L have filled 39% 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 landState forest and park landNational wildlife refugeMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Moose WMU LNeighboring WMUsHighway
| Permits, 2026 | 3 either-sex |
|---|---|
| Permits and moose taken, 2025 | 3 permits, 0 moose (0 bulls, 0 cows) |
| Hunter success, 2016 to 2025 | 39% on 31 lottery permits |
| Management region | Southeast: 0.06 moose per square mile against a goal of 0.10 |
| Season, 2026 | October 17 to 25 |
| Size | 514 square miles |
| Public land | 6.3% (20,557 acres) |
| Deer WMU | WMU L: 1,610 deer in 2025 |
How many moose have hunters taken in WMU L since 2016?
Lottery hunters filled 39% of the 31 permits NHFG issued for WMU L from 2016 to 2025. Success reached 67% in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024. Permits fell from 4 in 2016 to 3 in 2025 as NHFG cut issuance across the state.
| Season | Lottery permits | Success |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0% |
| 2024 | 3 | 67% |
| 2023 | 3 | 67% |
| 2022 | 3 | 33% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0% |
| 2020 | 3 | 67% |
| 2019 | 3 | 67% |
| 2018 | 3 | 33% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0% |
| 2016 | 4 | 67% |
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 Southeast moose region managed?
The Southeast region has no cut-off: NHFG aims to keep moose low there (goal 0.10 per square mile, current 0.06) to limit collisions with cars, so light either-sex hunting continues.
| 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 Southeast moose WMUs
| WMU | Permits 2026 | Moose taken 2025 | Success 2016 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WMU M | 2 | 1 | 22% |
How much public land is in moose WMU L?
6.3% of WMU L is public land: 20,557 of its 328,905 acres. The largest share is state forest and park land, 16,372 acres. Towns inside: Deerfield, Barrington, Nottingham, Rochester, Hooksett and Epsom.
| Manager | Acres | Share of WMU L |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and park land | 16,372 | 5% |
| Fish and Game land | 4,185 | 1.3% |
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 9, US 4, NH 16 and NH 101.
Questions hunters ask
How many moose permits are there for WMU L in 2026?
3, 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 L?
39% over 2016 to 2025 on 31 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 L get 3 permits?
NHFG sets permits by region. The Southeast region has no cut-off; NHFG keeps moose there low (goal 0.10 per square mile, now 0.06) to limit moose-vehicle collisions (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.