THE NATURE OF MAINE

FIELD IN THE FIELD

By David Field

Read other Field in the Field Columns

David Field with his 711 pound Bull Moose

Monday, October 8, 2007 was the opening day for the second season of the moose hunt.  I was drawn for a bull permit in zone 11.  We were staying in a camp located in Township 8 Range 4.  My wife, Gale, was my sub-permitee, and my friend’s son had a cow permit.

We hunted the woods on day 1, drove the roads, and also looked over a brook at sunset.  No sightings, just 3 partridge for our troubles.  Day 2 was similar.  Day 3, we set to the woods again.  I was in a thick area and heard a bull grunting.  My friend and his son were seated at the base of a ridge and heard the same animal.  We never put our eyes on him.  Mid day rolled around my friend and his son left for home, we grabbed some lunch and scanned the roads by truck.  By three o’clock, I was ready for the tree stands, so we headed back in. 

Hawkins Brook at 5pm

Around 5pm, 2 shots rang out from the area we had hunted in the morning.  The shots stirred my drowsy being and I became curious.  At 5:30, I descended from the stand and Gale and I headed for the truck.   Gale took a glance up the road before we got in and she spotted a moose.  I quickly ran up the road and the moose came into clearer view.  I drew my gun and had to twist the scope up to 7 power to ensure that the animal I was looking at had no antlers.  I confirmed it didn’t but still watched.  I heard the truck behind me and still waited.  The cow finally got tired of the attention and entered the woods.  As soon as she was gone, a calf sprinted across the road.  Two moose in seconds!  The sighting got the adrenalin flowing. 

Moose Scrapes next to Hawkins Brook

We drove a little further and retrieved our cell voice messages.  With AT&T/Cingular in that area, getting a signal is like threading a needle.  We proceeded down the hill with our eyes scanning for the large dark beings.  After a quarter mile, Gale quickly spoke that there was a moose with antlers in the road, “That one’s got antlers!”  I jumped out and loaded my gun.  The time was 6:10pm and darkness was settling in on the already overcast sky. 

I didn’t have a good shot.  The bull was facing away from me and had started moving.  I aimed high at the backside and squeezed.  I saw a leg kick out and knew I had made contact.  The moose then turned left and darted for the woods.  I squeezed off a couple more shots that Gale told me later caused dirt to fly. 

I went back to the truck to reload a fresh clip and begin the search.  I encouraged Gale to park and load up to help me find our target.  We had searched for about 10 minutes or so and the visibility was shaky, even though it was still legal hunting.  We were talking when all of a sudden the bull stood up approximately 40 feet from us.  He had lain down in a bed of raspberries and had maintained his silence.  I immediately took aim and fired three shots to his chest.  I didn’t dare aim at the beautiful head sporting the rack he was carrying.  He took 2 steps and collapsed.  Basically, the rest is now history and the hard work was about to begin.

We left him and drove back to the needle eye to call in some reinforcements.  As luck would have it, my good friend Ron Richards was at his camp on East Grand Lake.  I called and got voicemail.  I left an urgent message that Bullwinkle was down and we needed help.  Back to camp we drove to get the 4-wheeler, trailer and chainsaw. 

Ron arrived about five minutes after we got back to the moose.  Work started around 7:15 and finished at 11pm, when the bull was finally laid to rest on our trailer.  It took a combination of 4-wheeler winching, truck and snatch block dragging and careful head manipulation to get him to the spot where we could field dress him.  The temperature was 52 degrees and while I worked on the evisceration, I was constantly sweating even though being dressed in only a t-shirt. 

Ron offered us lodging with a shower, which I gratefully accepted.  We got to his camp just after midnight. A neighborly fox came out and sniffed the moose blood in the yard.  We had carefully stowed the trailer in a garage. 

The next morning we set off for Topsfield for the tagging process and then headed to D&R Custom Meat Cutting located in Wytopitlock.  We were fourth in line and that took 3 hours. 

The final stats on the bull are 711 pounds, 40 inch rack spread and 17 points. 

Discuss this article in the hunting section of our new forums

http://www.mainesportspages.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=19&sid=4dff4d1d5fa52a574c9a14339c482153

COMMENTS:

Great Story! Loved the reference to the use of cell phones to get it done.

- AC

David (right) gives a lot of credit to his wife Gale (left). "She is a great hunting partner. She has eagle eyes. How many women would rough it with no electricity and no running water to hunt North America's largest beasts with their husbands?"

More Information:

Cow: Female Moose

Bull: Male Moose

Doe: Female White Tail Deer

Buck: Male White Tail Deer

Legal hunting starts 1/2 hour before sunrise and ends 1/2 hour after sunset. This is a recent change. IF&W changed many years ago to 1/2 before sunrise and sunset to prevent hunting accidents and hunters becoming lost. However that change was not met with success and they changed it back to 1/2 hour after sunset.

Moose hunting was banned in 1935 due to a decline in population. In 1980, a restricted hunt was held and a formal moose hunt was established in 1982. Today, moose hunters are randomly selected through a lottery process by zone and by sex. Approximately 3000 permits are issued statewide for a split season and by bull or antlerless permit.