The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire reports a winning year all around for the organization and for the winning bidders in its annual moose hunt permit auction. A total of 12 bids were received this year, with bidders from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The average winning bid was consistent with last year’s winners. The auction raised a $40,900 for the Foundation, with the five winning bids ranging from $7,250 to $8,750.
“The quality of the hunting experience here in New Hampshire continues to be a big draw for both in-state and out-of-state participants,” said Steve White, Chairman of the Wildlife Heritage Foundation.
The annual auction is a primary fundraiser for the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, and a real boost to its ability to fund Fish and Game programs. The Foundation is the official non-profit partner of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. It raises money and works with wildlife professionals and conservation education partners to help fund Fish and Game’s conservation of wildlife and natural places important to New Hampshire’s family traditions such as hiking, hunting, fishing and watching wildlife. In recent years, the Foundation has supported publication of Wild Times for Kids, improvements at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, Fish and Game Law Enforcement’s Canine Search and Rescue/Anti-Poaching Program, aerial stocking of trout, creation of exhibits at the Great Bay Discovery Center, and restoration of Barry Conservation Camp in Berlin, NH, among others.
Each year, New Hampshire Fish and Game provides five moose hunting permits to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire under the authority granted by RSA 206:33-e. All funds generated from auction of the permits are used by the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of N.H. in accordance with RSA 206:33-c to fund N.H. Fish and Game conservation programs that might not otherwise be possible. The moose permits were authorized by House Bill 41, passed by the N.H. Legislature in 2009.
The NH moose hunt season is October 20-28, 2012. Winners of the moose permit auction are allowed to hunt in the Wildlife Management Unit of their choice, and may take either a cow or a bull.
In addition to the annual auction of fish and game permits and licenses, funding for the Foundation’s grant program comes from individual and corporate donors. In most cases, contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible. The Foundation accepts general and targeted cash donations, as well as annuities and endowments. To learn more about the Foundation and how you can help conserve New Hampshire’s wildlife and wild places, visit http://www.nhwildlifefoundation.org.