SKOWHEGAN, Maine - On Saturday, 2,500 permits to hunt moose will be awarded. The number of permits has been increased from last year's 2,080 permits. 90 percent of the 2500 permits up for grabs are reserved for Maine residents, with the remainder awarded to out of state applicants. In all, 54,000 people applied.

In recent years, moose health has been affected by parasites such as winter ticks, which can keep calves from thriving, and ultimately increase mortality across the population.

But Inland Fisheries and Wildlife moose biologist Lee Kantar says figuring out how many moose to cull is not a straightforward process. Sometimes, counterintuitively, when biologists start seeing lots of ticks and disease in one place, Kantar says it can be an indicator that hunting might be beneficial.

"That basically is telling you that the density of moose in those areas is probably too much," says Kantar. "Because with a high density of animals, you usually see these increases in parasite loads, or what some might term, poor health."

Kantar says the moose population, however, is being managed conservatively, with lower permit numbers than in years past. In 2013, prior the winter tick boom, moose permit numbers topped 4,000.

The department will continue to observe and assess the population as it embarks on a comprehensive new 10-year wildlife management plan, says Kantar, with multiple user groups in mind, including those who prefer to view live animals in the wild.

According to Kantar virtually 100 percent of those who win a permit on Saturday will go on to use it. Last year, hunters enjoyed a 72 percent success rate.

Permits will be drawn in a competitive lottery in Skowhegan Saturday afternoon as part of the town's Moose Festival. In recent years the state has taken its lottery on the road, with recent contests being staged in Greenville, Presque Isle, Bethel, Kittery and Caribou.