Maine’s moose season opened Monday in the rain, with wet weather from a nor’easter expected to continue through Tuesday.
Despite the gloomy skies and damp woods, the weather didn’t deter hunters, with several moose brought to check stations across the state.
As of noon Tuesday, 148 moose had been tagged. The state allocated 1,150 bull permits for the week across 16 wildlife management zones.
Several guide services reported success early in the week, including Cold Brook Guide Service in Stratton. Guide Mike Moody called in four bulls by 9:30 a.m. One of his clients, Scott Stevens of Coplin Plantation, shot an 847-pound bull with a 50-inch spread. Stevens’ daughter, Jocelyn, joined him for the hunt.
Another bull harvested with Moody on opening day belonged to father-and-son duo Zach and Tim Smith of Kearneysville, West Virginia. Their bull weighed 845 pounds and had a 44-inch spread.
Both bulls were shot in Zone 7.
The wind and rain really affected their hunt, Moody said, with bulls located off the roads. “But the rut is definitely on,” he said. “And we were in them.”
Bull Run Guide Service, also in WMD 7, had a family from Suffolk, Virginia, tag out around 10 a.m. Monday.
“It was quite the recovery,” guide Bill Libby said. They had delayed the hunt about an hour waiting for the rain to pass before hiking about a mile into the woods. After moving to a second location to call, the bull responded immediately, and Libby started a cat-and-mouse game of calling. The bull eventually came within 15 yards.
The bull weighed 859 pounds and had a 48-inch spread.
Courtney, Adam and Ellie Zydron (left) of Virginia celebrate after successfully harvesting a bull moose in Maine on opening morning. The Zydrons’ 859-pound bull had a 48-inch spread. Credit: Courtesy of Bull Run Guide Service
And many residents chose a DIY hunt, including Sarah Miner of Rome, who was soaking wet by the time she got her bull in Zone 5.
Miner, who had a baby just three months ago, shot the moose about a mile into the woods. To recover it, her boyfriend drove his Tacoma along an overgrown road as far as he could to help drag the animal out.
They had kept access in mind throughout the hunt because they knew how physically demanding it would be to haul the meat out.
The rain finally stopped around 4:30 p.m., just before she took the shot.
“We believe he was bedded most of the day, and when he heard us call, he came in running,” she said.
Tony Breton of Bridgton was hunting for meat in Zone 12 with his son, Tyler. After getting soaked during their morning sit, the pair took a break before heading to a spot they had scouted earlier in the summer. They walked about 500 yards into the woods and began calling. About 45 minutes later, at 10:45 a.m., a bull came in behind them and stopped about 75 yards away. With help from friends and an ATV, they had the 713-pound bull with a 34.5-inch spread loaded onto a trailer by 2 p.m.
Flagstaff General Store in Stratton has tagged about a dozen moose so far this week, including eight on opening day, owner Ryan Cowper said. All were harvested in Zone 7 or 14, and Cowper said the bulls coming in have been unusually large.
Garrett Hall (left) with his 805-pound bull tagged at the Flagstaff General Store. Marshal Richardson (right) with an 830-pound bull, the second moose tagged at the Flagstaff General Store on Monday. Credit: Courtesy of Flagstaff General Store
The first week of Maine’s moose season runs through Saturday.