Originally published Sept. 19, 1980, with the first modern Maine moose hunt just days away.
GREENVILLE, Maine — Preparations for the Great Moose Chase are taking shape and already one party has established a base camp in the north woods so the occupants can “scout the territory.”
The first legal Maine moose hunt in 45 years begins Monday, a six-day shoot for 700 resident permit-holders and another 700 accomplices, or permittees.
The six-day sweepstakes starting Monday and running concurrently through Sept. 27, a Saturday, will be the most closely viewed event since the burlesque says at Boston’s Old Howard.
Aside from being controversial and emotional — seemingly no two neighbors agree on the matter of a season or how it should be run — the hunt will be observed by reporters from afar, New York, Philadelphia, and would you believe, Los Angeles.
Greenville, meanwhile, is primping up to become the unofficial “moose capitol of Maine.”
Except for having a supply of motel and camp rooms for hire, plus a warden headquarters with far-reaching communications facilities, Greenville is but one of five landmarks designated as hunt checkpoints.
But Greenville has gone about the business of gearing up through local enterprise. This means things begin taking shape Saturday and Sunday at the town fire hall.
A briefing or crash course will be offered anyone interested in attending the moose seminars. The program being whipped up includes film, lectures on Maine hunting law, the territory being opened to hunting and once an animal is downed, how it should be field-handled.
Tony Atwell, northeast correspondent for the monthly magazine, Outdoor Life, arrives in Greenville Friday and will direct the seminar proceedings. Atwell’s employer, Outdoor Life, will in fact provide coffee and doughnuts during the daily sessions.
One of the country’s leading taxidermists, Forest “Toby” Hart will be one of the lecturers. He will offer instruction and tips with respect to preserving trophy heads should a shooter have mounting in mind.
Hart will show a small number of his exquisite studio mounts from his Hampden studio.
A beefed-up warden force will rule the hunting territory.
“You can bet your bottom dollar,” one officer said here 24 hours ago, “we will not stand for any hanky-panky. If we find there is illegal goings-on, someone’s apt to be jailed.”
STARTING at sunrise, the woods opened to those 700 permit-carriers and their accomplices will be handed the luxury of a hunting sanctuary — for moose only.
“The territory north of the C-P railroad line all the way to the U.S. and Canadian Boundary is closed during the six days of the hunt, to the possession of firearms by persons other than those licensed to hunt moose. Persons without a moose permit and possessing firearms are subject to arrest,” advised Chief Warden Mickey No-ble.
Interest in the hunt has stimulated an outbreak of “office pools.” One pool will reward one of 50 guesses, each paying $10 and the privilege of one prediction, with a $500 winner’s pot.
Guesses run from 300 to 640 moose. Not one person in the 50 putting up $10 forecast a wipeout of 700 moose, the maximum number allowable to be killed under the terms of the present law.
Exactly 32,269 Pine Tree Staters took part in a public drawing of 700 permits by gambling a $5 entry fee.
Penobscot County residents led the lottery winners, 108 of its taxpayers having had their names selected.
Here is the county-by-county shakedown with the number of permit-holders in parenthesis: Penobscot (108), Aroostook (102), Cumberland (78), Kennebec (71), York (67), Oxford (39), Hancock (36), Somerset (36), Piscataquis (31), Androscoggin (29), Lincoln (21), Waldo (20), Washington (20), Franklin (16), Sagadahoc (16) and Knox (10).
The six-day sweepstakes starts Monday and already, the excitement is in the early building stage.