This year I was lucky enough to be drawn for a moose permit. We have some very high moose densities, and getting an opportunity to pursue one is always a treat. My permit was for an antlerless moose, in the November week. This is only the second time the state has offered a November hunt in the Wildlife Management Districts around me, and my first opportunity to hunt that week. I had been out scouting several times, and spent a lot of time talking to everyone I know that spends a lot of time in the woods, to try and get a pin point on where I would have the best opportunity. I was hunting in WMD 2, which essentially encompasses everything west of Rt.11 and East of the Allagash River. South of the St. John River, and North of the Realty road, which runs west out of Ashland. It is a large piece of real estate, and I wanted to refine my strategy as much as possible. I had decided on hunting a region in the western portion of the town of Wallagrass into the eastern part of the town of St. John. There has been some substantial harvesting activity in the last few years, offering lots of browsing opportunities, as well as visibility for us to see the moose. I had three volunteers to come with me on my expedition, my uncle Dick drove up from Texas, and two of my friends Blake and George drove up from the Washburn area. We all left the house bright and early at 4:00 a.m. to get ourselves in position. We arrived, and didn't have to wait too long until we found out that we definitely were not alone, with pickups everywhere. As the day progressed, we headed deeper into the WMD trying to get away from the crowds. We managed to get away from them, but it didn't help us see any moose. We were seeing sign everywhere, but just weren't seeing the animals. As we headed out at dark, a large cow stood on the side of the road to tempt us, but is was 7 minutes past legal shooting, so it was back to making plans for Tuesday. Dick had to head out back to Texas, and George had some trapping commitments to return to, so Blake and I were on the drawing board for what Tuesday's plan was. We decided to try to ditch the crowds early and head deep into the WMD before daylight. Leaving the house at 3:30 a.m. put us 40 miles into the woods by daybreak. We covered lots of beautiful country, and managed to see 4 bulls, but the cows were evading us. We made our way back to the Wallagrass area as the day progressed, and we were in a prime spot for the last precious hour of daylight. We met a truck hauling wood chips, so we pulled over to let him pass, but he came to a stop, and rolled his window down. "There's a pair of cows in the clearcut by the crooked bridge", he hollered, and I thanked him, as I took off. I knew the location well, from previous trips in the area, but I also knew it was a mile and a half away, so we covered the ground fast. As we neared the location, I slowed and could see the two cows through some hardwood poles. I stopped the truck, grabbed the rifle and loaded it as I walked forward to get a clear shot. As soon as I got past the hardwood poles, I dropped to my knee and pulled the rifle to rest on her shoulder. I squeezed the trigger, and I could tell it was a solid hit, but I put in another for insurance, and down she went. Blake and I exchanged high fives and a cheer, but now the work began. It was getting dark fast, and we had a lot of work to do. I pulled the trigger at 4:15, and we headed out at 8:15, dead tired, but extremely happy! The moose weighed in at 500 pounds, which is perfect for me. Check out some of the pictures below:
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