CONCORD - As of Wednesday, October 21, 2015, a total of 64 moose had been taken in the 2015 New Hampshire moose hunt (41 bulls and 23 cows). That means that 59% of the 108 hunters holding moose permits had succeeded by the midway point in the state's moose hunt. This percentage is exactly the same as last year (2014) at this point in the season.

"The hunt is proceeding at a steady pace," reports N.H. Fish and Game Department Moose Project Leader Kristine Rines. "Hunters are still seeing rutting activity, as bulls court the cows."

With regard to winter tick, "We are seeing some moose with heavy tick loads, and others with low tick numbers," said Rines. "Until the hunt is over and we look at all of the data, we won't have final information on the tick loads at this point in the season." She noted that it is important to remember that "tick loads during the hunting season are just one piece of the puzzle -- ticks will continue to get on moose until there is snow on the ground or multiple days of freezing temperatures."

New Hampshire's nine-day moose hunt continues through Sunday, October 25, 2015. This year, more than 9,500 people entered the moose hunt lottery for a chance to win a permit for the New Hampshire moose hunt.

For more about moose hunting in New Hampshire, including a list of check stations and a photo gallery of successful moose hunters, visit www.huntnh.com/hunting/moose.html.