About MooseTrader
The Story
In 2023, my son was drawn for a cow permit in a zone we wanted a bull. I spent 40 hours on Facebook, forums, and phone calls trying to find someone willing to swap. When I finally found a match, the deal was a cow permit for a bull plus $2,500 — exchanged via PayPal Friends & Family to a complete stranger.
No verification. No escrow. No contract. It worked out. It easily might not have.
I looked at the existing options: moosepermit.com ($34.95, built on 18-year-old Joomla), mooseswap.com ($39.95, currently showing spam links), and various Facebook groups — free but chaotic with zero protection.
None of them offer verified permits, real matching, escrow, e-signatures, mobile UI, or pre-registration. None capture applicants before they win. None give IFW structured data they can actually use.
MooseTrader fixes all of that.
What Makes Us Different
- Verified permits — every permit cross-referenced against InforME results
- Capture everyone — not just winners; we pre-register every applicant
- Smart matching — scored by WMD, season, type, and cash preferences
- Escrow protection — optional Escrow.com for cash swaps
- IFW-ready documentation — structured data exports designed to simplify IFW swap processing
- Winner Watch — free, unlimited alerts for your whole hunting party
Legal Compliance
Maine IFW rule prohibits receiving compensation “solely as part of an exchange of moose permits.” MooseTrader's revenue comes from flat seasonal memberships, premium add-ons, affiliate partnerships, and guide directory fees — never from per-swap commissions or success fees.
We're building MooseTrader to work with IFW, not around them. Our swap documentation is designed to be compatible with IFW's processing requirements, and we're actively working toward official inclusion on the IFW moose permit page.
Who We Are
MooseTrader is a property of TownWebsite.com, a web development company specializing in municipal and outdoor recreation websites.