moose season opens for a lucky few

This past weekend kicked off nine days of legal moose hunting in New Hampshire. The state distributed 675 permits through a lottery system that allows moose hunters to prowl the woods in search of big game through Oct. 28. The lottery was held this past June and elicited more than 16,750 applicants.

New Hampshire is divided into 22 wildlife management units, which helps N.H. Fish and Game monitor the moose population. The management of each unit depends on several factors, including moose population and available habitat.
“For example, in the Pittsburgh (N.H.) area, they’re going to have to manage the moose population differently than they would on the Seacoast,” said Linda Verville, of N.H. Fish and Game. 

The number of permits allowed for each WMU depends on the management plan for that unit. Just over 100 permits were distributed in WMU-A2, which includes the Pittsburgh, Clarksburg and Colebrook areas. Ten permits were given for WMU-M, which includes the Seacoast and other towns in southeastern New Hampshire. The total number of permits given each year fluctuates depending on moose populations. Last year, 675 permits were given out—the same as this year. Of the 675 permits issued, 85 are for moose without antlers.

Moose hunting season is short, especially considering the large number of applicants. “For the big game species, it’s the shortest season,” Verville said. “They’re one of those big game trophy animals, and they’re not always available in other states,” Verville said. In New Hampshire, hunters are only allowed to bag one moose per permit.

After killing a moose, hunters have the animals weighed at one of seven moose check stations around the state. There, wildlife biologists check each moose for indicators of the herd’s overall health. Hunters typically have the best luck in the North Country, where there are greater numbers of moose and more access to hunting land.

The current moose population in New Hampshire is estimated at 7,000. That number is up from just 50 animals in 1950 and 4,100 in 1988. Every hunter entering the lottery pays a $10 application fee. The permit costs $100 for New Hampshire residents and $300 for non-residents. All proceeds go into the moose management program.

YMCA works to activate America

It might be the perfect time to establish a workout routine, before the long winter sets in and relegates us all to a fireside seat on the couch. The Seacoast Family YMCA recently introduced a program called Activate America. The nationwide effort is aimed at reducing obesity in the United States.

“It effectively was designed after childhood obesity was defined as an epidemic,” said Mary Ann Simms, fitness director at the Seacoast Family YMCA. “The YMCA said, ‘We’re in a position to do something about what is the new epidemic.’”

Instead of focusing just on adults or solely on children, the YMCA tailors the program to entire families. “The idea being, if the parents are healthy, then the kids are going to be healthy, too,” Simms said.  

Participants in the Activate America program take aim at achieving a healthy weight, the right amount of exercise and proper nutrition, all with the help of the Y’s professional staff. But, the most important element of the program, according to Simms, is to develop “functional fitness.” Achieving functional fitness means improving your ability to perform daily functions without becoming exhausted, sore or frustrated. The YMCA designs a fitness program for each individual, depending on the demands of his or her daily life.

In the national Activate America campaign, participants take part in a weeklong challenge to walk 2,000 more steps per day and decrease their caloric intake by 100 calories per day. Each YMCA facility has its own specific adaptation of the Activate America program in order to help members get fit. 

“The way we try to encourage our members to do that is set up programs that would be attractive to a variety of people,” Simms said.

That includes traditional and non-traditional aerobics, interval training with jump ropes, boxing, hip-hop and ballroom dance, tai chi, reflexology, self defense and other classes that “appeal to people who don’t consider themselves the choreographed aerobics type,” Simms said.

The Seacoast Family YMCA is now offering a running class. Jeff Cullinane, who recently competed in the World Masters Athletic Championship as a U.S. track and field runner, teaches the “Walk-to-Run” class. Cullinane ran the 800- and 1,600-meter races at the competition in Italy. According to Simms, the 48-year-old Hampton resident does all his training at the Seacoast YMCA.

“He has invaluable expertise,” she said.