WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) – Hunters killed 539 moose during the state’s annual moose hunt.

The 850 hunting permits issued for the six-day hunt last month is the highest number since the state reinstituted its moose hunt in 1993.

That year the state gave out 30 permits and 25 moose were killed by hunters.

The moose population has expanded in Vermont since then.

One prime area is in the northeast corner of the state.

It’s estimated that there are about 3.4 moose per square mile in Essex County, said Cedric Alexander, state moose biologist.

This year the largest moose was shot in Norton in Essex County. It weighed 964 pounds.

AP-ES-11-01-04 1445EST