AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife now is selling 2008 Hunting and Fishing licenses online through its 200 statewide agents and at its Augusta office.

To encourage enthusiasts to use its online licensing system – MOSES – to purchase their licenses, the Department is partnering with Kittery Trading Post and L.L. Bean Inc. to offer two Grand Prizes and 30 runners-up prizes as an incentive.

To be entered into the grand-prize drawing, purchasers must use MOSES either online from their computer – www.mefishwildlife.com or www.informe.org/moses – or at one of the more than 200 MOSES agents statewide. Also eligible for the drawing are people who use MOSES to apply for a moose permit or buy an any-deer permit once they are available in 2008.

MOSES gives sports enthusiasts the convenience of purchasing and printing their license from their computer as well as the ability to print out multiple copies of the license when needed. It’s also a way to help IF&W save the direct costs associated with the expense of manual paper licensing, thus allowing the department to apply these savings to the management of Maine’s fish and wildlife resources, according to Commissioner Roland “Dan” Martin.

Through the generosity of Kittery Trading Post and L.L. Bean, this year’s Grand Prizes are two $2,000 shopping sprees, one at each retailer. Thirty runners-up will receive a 2009 Combination Hunting and Fishing License.b More than 78,000 people who agreed to receive information and updates from the department via e-mail were notified of the current availability of the 2008 hunting and fishing licenses through an e-mail campaign this week. To purchase a license, visit www.mefishwildlife.com or www.informe.org/moses, IF&W at 284 State Street, Augusta, or a licensing agent.