BETHEL, Maine (AP) -- The Bethel Maine Moose Festival & Moose Lottery will soon get underway with the qualifying rounds of its Moose calling championship.
The moose calling contest begin at 6 p.m. on Friday at Gould Academy's Bingham Auditorium and concludes with the finals at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the town common. Contestants are judged on their bull moose call, cow moose call, showmanship and use of decoys and other noisemakers. The winter gets $500.
The moose festival lasts through Sunday in Bethel. The signature event is the annual moose hunting permit lottery, held under a big tent on the town common. That begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is planning to issue 2,740 moose permits, the fewest in 12 years.
