Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here.
Logan Grard, 11, shot his first moose Monday evening on the opening day of Maine’s October bull moose season.
Logan was hunting near Greenville with his father, Justin, his grandfather, Kim, and his friend Landon. They had spent the weekend scouting but came up empty-handed Monday morning.
That evening, as they drove down a road, Justin spotted the bull within 50 yards.
He slowed the vehicle as Logan grabbed his grandfather’s .270 rifle. The moose was heading toward a gravel pit behind some short saplings, but when it spotted the hunters, it began trotting away.
The group climbed out and followed the bull into the pit. When it disappeared behind a pine tree, they hurried after it. Justin called to the moose, and it stopped to look over its shoulder.
Logan fired, and the bull fell. When it tried to get back up, Justin fired a second shot, dropping it about 30 yards away.
The bull weighed 620 pounds and had a 33 1/2-inch antler spread.
Logan has been an avid hunter since he was old enough to hold a gun, his mother, Rachel Grard, said.
“He fell in love with the sport,” she said.
He shot a six-point buck in 2023 and a 10-point buck in 2024. This year, he has already taken a bear in September and a turkey a few weeks ago, leaving him one deer away from completing a hunting grand slam.
Logan’s family has entered him in Maine’s moose permit lottery for years, initially applying for bonus points when he was about 6 or 7.
The moose hunt came together in an unexpected way. Justin drew a moose permit last year but had to defer his hunt after tearing a tendon. When Logan drew a permit this year, he wanted his father to join him as his subpermittee.
The family arranged to transfer Justin’s permit to Kim, allowing Logan to hunt with his dad while his grandfather had a chance to take a bull of his own.
Kim, a Navy veteran, traveled from New York to join his son and grandson for the hunt. He was especially thrilled to watch Logan take his first moose with the same rifle Justin used to shoot his first buck.
With Logan’s bull tagged, the family is hoping Kim will get a chance to take a moose of his own before they head home.