How to Fill Out the Maine IFW Moose Permit Swap Form

Every year, hundreds of Maine moose hunters find themselves holding a permit for the wrong zone, the wrong season, or the wrong permit type. The good news: Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW) allows hunters to swap permits with another drawn hunter, as long as both parties complete the official Moose Permit Swap Application and submit it before the deadline.

The bad news? The form is deceptively simple, and small mistakes — a wrong permit number, a missing signature, or the wrong payee on your check — can delay or even kill your swap. This guide walks you through every field so you get it right the first time.

Before You Start

Before you sit down with the form, make sure you and your swap partner have gathered everything you need:

• Both permit numbers — each hunter's unique permit number from their confirmation letter or InforME account.
• Full legal names and addresses — these must match what IFW has on file from the original application. Middle initials matter.
• Agreement on terms — both parties should have a clear understanding of what is being swapped. Are you trading WMDs straight across? Is cash involved? Sort this out before you fill in a single field. If cash is part of the deal, consider using MooseTrader's escrow protection to keep both sides safe.
• Both permits must be fully paid — IFW will reject a swap if either permit has an outstanding balance. Confirm with your swap partner that their permit fees are paid in full.
• A $7 check — more on this below.

Download the Form

The official Moose Permit Swap Application is available from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. You can find it on the IFW website at maine.gov/ifw — navigate to the moose hunting section and look for “Moose Permit Swap Application” under forms and applications.

The form is a single page. It looks straightforward, but every field matters. Print two copies — one to practice on and one to submit. Or better yet, let MooseTrader auto-fill it for you.

Field-by-Field Guide

The form is divided into two main sections: one for each permit holder. Here is exactly what goes in each field.

Permit Holder A

This is typically the hunter who initiated the swap, though IFW does not technically distinguish between A and B.

• Name: Full legal name exactly as it appears on your moose permit confirmation. If your confirmation says “James R. Smith,” write “James R. Smith” — not “Jim Smith” or “J. Smith.”
• Address: Your current mailing address. Again, match what IFW has on file. If you have moved since applying, update your address with IFW first.
• Permit Number: The unique number assigned when you were drawn. This is on your confirmation letter and your InforME account. Double-check every digit — transposing two numbers is one of the most common mistakes.
• WMD (Wildlife Management District): The zone number you were drawn for. For example, WMD 1, WMD 4, WMD 8. Write the number, not the zone name.
• Season: Your assigned hunting season — September, October, or November. Write the full month name.
• Permit Type: Bull, cow, or either-sex. Write exactly what appears on your confirmation.

Permit Holder B

Same fields, same rules. Your swap partner fills in their information identically: name, address, permit number, WMD, season, and permit type. Every detail must match IFW's records exactly.

If you are filling out the form together in person, have both confirmation letters side by side. If you are doing this remotely, exchange photos or scans of your confirmation letters so you can cross-reference.

Signatures

Both permit holders must sign the form. This is non-negotiable. IFW will reject any application with a missing signature. If you cannot meet in person, one hunter fills in their section and signs, then mails (or scans) the form to the other hunter to complete and sign. The final, fully-signed original goes to IFW.

Electronic signatures are not accepted on the paper form. Both signatures must be original ink on the same physical document. This is one of the biggest logistical challenges of paper-based swaps — and one of the reasons MooseTrader's e-signature feature can save you significant time and hassle.

Date

Write the date both parties signed. If you signed on different days, use the date of the second signature. Make sure the date is before the September 1 deadline.

The $7 Check

Every swap application must include a $7 processing fee, payable by check or money order. The payee line must read:

Not “Maine IFW.” Not “MDIFW.” Not “State of Maine.” The exact payee is Treasurer, State of Maine. Get this wrong and your check may not be processed, which means your swap may not be processed.

One check per swap. If both hunters are swapping permits (which is how it works — A gets B's permit, B gets A's permit), you only need one $7 check total. Decide between yourselves who writes it.

Where to Mail

Send the completed, signed form and your $7 check to:

Use certified mail or a trackable shipping method. This is a time-sensitive, one-of-a-kind document — if it gets lost in the mail, you lose your swap. A few dollars for tracking is cheap insurance.

Deadline

The swap application must be received by IFW by September 1, 2026. Not postmarked — received. Mail from within Maine typically takes 2–4 business days. Mail from out of state can take longer.

Our advice: mail by August 20 at the latest. If you wait until the last week of August, you are gambling on USPS delivery times. If your form arrives September 2, your swap is dead — no exceptions.

September moose season opens in late September, so hunters with September permits have the least margin for error. If you have a September permit, start your swap search early and aim to mail by mid-August.

Common Mistakes That Delay Your Swap

IFW processes hundreds of swap applications each year. These are the mistakes they see most often — and each one can delay or reject your swap:

1. Missing signatures. Both hunters must sign. If only one signature is on the form, it gets returned. That round trip can eat two weeks.
2. Wrong permit numbers. Transposed digits, copied from the wrong line of your confirmation, or using last year's number. Triple-check every digit.
3. No check or wrong payee. The $7 check must be made out to “Treasurer, State of Maine” — not IFW, not MDIFW, not the Department of Inland Fisheries. Include the check in the envelope.
4. Permits not fully paid. If either hunter has an outstanding balance on their permit fees, IFW will not process the swap. Verify with your partner before submitting.
5. Missing the deadline. September 1 is a hard cutoff. Applications received after that date are returned unprocessed. Mail early.
6. Name or address mismatches. If your name on the form does not match IFW's records, the application gets flagged. Use your legal name exactly as it appears on your permit.
7. Illegible handwriting. IFW staff have to read your form. If they cannot make out a permit number or address, your swap gets delayed while they contact you for clarification. Print clearly, or use a typed/pre-filled form.

How MooseTrader Auto-Fills This For You

Every mistake on the list above is a data-entry problem. Wrong numbers, missing fields, mismatched names — all of it comes from humans copying information by hand onto a paper form.

MooseTrader eliminates these errors. When you find a swap match on our platform, we generate pre-filled swap documentation using the verified permit data both hunters provided during registration. Every field is populated automatically: names, addresses, permit numbers, WMDs, seasons, and permit types.

Both hunters review the pre-filled form, e-sign it through our platform, and receive a print-ready PDF. All you have to do is print it, write the $7 check, and mail it to Augusta. No manual data entry. No transposed digits. No “which line was my permit number on again?”

If IFW ever opens electronic submission, MooseTrader will be ready to submit directly on your behalf. Until then, we make the paper process as painless as possible.