MyHuntingForum.com
MHF US Northeast => Hunting Maine => Topic started by: Aziscohosbuck on Jun 17, 2017, 09:42:22 PM
-
Boy am I psyched up tonight, checked the Moose Hunt Lottery results at 8pm tonight on the MDIFW site and lo and behold there was my name for Zone 2, September, Bull only. The first year I ever applied was 2016 at which time I decided if I was ever going to get a Maine Moose Hunt checked off the bucket list before I die I better get going. I didn't get picked in 2016 at age 60 and didn't expect to, just figured I had ruined any chance I may have had by not applying starting 30 plus years ago. So I applied in 2017 with a grand total of 1 bonus point, and Bingo I got picked, go figure? I never argue with providence, this just must have been meant to be and now it's game on with the planning for a hunt of a lifetime at age 61. I am perfectly fine with Zone 2, although my first choice was Zone 7 as I have a camp there and know the area extremely well for where to find the Moose, so I may try to find a swap for Zone 2 to Zone 7, however I have a close friend who will be my sub-permitee who knows zone 2 intimately and has Outfitter Guide Tents and supplies to make it happen in Zone 2. Win, Win either way!
What a Blessing this hunt will mean to me, words can't express,
Aziscohosbuck
-
Congrats! Zone 2 is a great tag. That is in our neck of the woods, my dad finally got pulled this year as well a bull tag for zone 9 so we will be looking to swap for something closer to home as well. Good luck!
-
Congraduations ; Zone 2 is an awesome zone to draw you going to have a great time four sure ;D
-
Congratulations! No such luck for me. Maybe some day. Zone 7 is my hope as well
-
Sept bull in zone 2 I don't think it can get any funner
-
you shouldn't have any problem swapping zone 2 that's where the big ones are...
-
Got lucky enough to swap the zone 9 bull tag for a zone 3 sept. bull tag. Much closer to home.😎
-
OK, so it took me some 48 hours to come to my senses about getting drawn for zone 2 in September for a bull. You really can't beat that when you consider that Zone 1,2,3, 4 and 5 produce the highest numbers of harvested moose as well as the largest Moose and has the highest densities of Moose populations in the state. So why mess with providence, that given with the fact that I am being provided with a guide at no charge with proven experience over 5 seasons with 100% success and will be providing two 16' x 16' Outfitter Guide Tents with a portable latrine tent and a portable shower unit and a 4'x4' refrigerated storage unit run by a generater and electric lights to boot, all of this at no cost to me. Not gonna swap for zone 7, going for a remote self guided outfitter camp hunt in zone 2.
That and the fact that the farther and more remote in Northern Maine that this hunt takes place, the more awesome the experience in my opinion,
Aziscohosbuck
-
OK, so it took me some 48 hours to come to my senses about getting drawn for zone 2 in September for a bull. You really can't beat that when you consider that Zone 1,2,3, 4 and 5 produce the highest numbers of harvested moose as well as the largest Moose and has the highest densities of Moose populations in the state. So why mess with providence, that given with the fact that I am being provided with a guide at no charge with proven experience over 5 seasons with 100% success and will be providing two 16' x 16' Outfitter Guide Tents with a portable latrine tent and a portable shower unit and a 4'x4' refrigerated storage unit run by a generater and electric lights to boot, all of this at no cost to me. Not gonna swap for zone 7, going for a remote self guided outfitter camp hunt in zone 2.
That and the fact that the farther and more remote in Northern Maine that this hunt takes place, the more awesome the experience in my opinion,
Aziscohosbuck
You're making the right decision IMO. Rangeley no doubt holds some of the biggest, if not the biggest racked bulls in the state, but it's a post rut hunt and you're pretty much deer hunting for them. Still capable of shooting one that comes into a call yes, but much better chances of experiencing a true full blown moose hunt going with zone 2 in September, you will not be disappointed! Good luck and congrats, we won't be too far from you in September.
-
I have had no such luck getting drawn either for myself but in 2015 my girlfriend and daughter both got drawn for cow tags in zone 2 for the November hunt ,was a great time but a very tough hunt an ended up getting one with ten minutes left on the last day ,then last year my girlfriend's son got drawn for zone 2 bull in September ,we past on a small bull early first day an ended up calling another one in the same day in the afternoon to about 50 yards an we shot him he was about 800lbs great hunt ,then this year my son got drawn for a cow tag for zone 2 so we will be going up in October for that hunt an also my buddy got drawn for a bull in September so I will also be up there for the first week we have had plenty of experience in zone 2 an it is a great zone to have bull tags in , definitely do a lot of calling it's one of the best experience u will ever have ,it is a rush for sure.good luck to you an maybe we'll run into each other up there.
-
I would like to thank each and everyone of you that has replied to this post with nothing but positive enthusiasm and supporting this decision to stick with zone 2, hey guys I really appreciate the support and it does a lot of good in boosting my confidence in making the right decision. I don't want to blow this as this is probably one and done for me at my age. OK so what are your thoughts on a tool that we are adding to the tool box for this trip, it is essentially an electric winch with steel cable but instead of being mounted to a truck and run from the battery, this rig runs off a chainsaw and is portable! So we will be bringing this rig with us and plenty of strong rope and pulleys as well. Seems to me that with this rig properly running you could double or triple the distance that you could "twitch" a very large field dressed Moose out of the woods at distances well beyond 200 yards from a road. Your thoughts and experiences with this type of rig would be well appreciated.
Thanks,
Aziscohosbuck
-
yes good tool to have !!! zone 2 is a great zone my wife and I both had it in 2014 . no lack of moose 8) hewes brook rd was good to us
-
A truck is #1 then 1000 feet of rope 3 or 4 snatch blocks bracket to mount a snatch block in the front of your snatch blocks two
one 4x8 sheet of 1" plywood to load the moose in the back of your truck , Makes an easy one man job of it ..... Congrads on your
zone 2 draw now the area real well lot's of moose i see all the time while deer hunting off the Rocky Brook rd.
-
Those capstan/chainsaw winches are a great tool to have, just make sure it runs good. I would do some test runs with it maybe moving some heavy logs to make sure it's going to do what you want to do. I've seen a couple that were awesome and a couple that wouldn't pull a moose at all. Try and get some good non stretch rope for it. We pulled two out quite a ways a few years back. Looking back I would probably just cut them up and pack them out now, but your winch will do you just fine if it's working properly.
Bring at least 3 spare tires, plug kit, and portable compressor. Seen some horror shows with tires up there. Snatch blocks, come-along, some sort of cable loop or pre fabricated heavy duty rope loop that will allow you to hook and unhook the moose easily when pulling him out is huge. Sometimes you have to hook and unhook the things a bunch, you don't want to be messing around trying to untie or unwrap line.
-
Those capstan/chainsaw winches are a great tool to have, just make sure it runs good. I would do some test runs with it maybe moving some heavy logs to make sure it's going to do what you want to do. I've seen a couple that were awesome and a couple that wouldn't pull a moose at all. Try and get some good non stretch rope for it. We pulled two out quite a ways a few years back. Looking back I would probably just cut them up and pack them out now, but your winch will do you just fine if it's working properly.
Bring at least 3 spare tires, plug kit, and portable compressor. Seen some horror shows with tires up there. Snatch blocks, come-along, some sort of cable loop or pre fabricated heavy duty rope loop that will allow you to hook and unhook the moose easily when pulling him out is huge. Sometimes you have to hook and unhook the things a bunch, you don't want to be messing around trying to untie or unwrap line.
Good stuff Dave......We could really use you on our Sept. zone 3 bull hunt! ;D
-
Oh yeah and 10 ply tires !!
-
They can get difficult to haul out. A well placed shot can make all the difference on how far you have to drag. Heart or lung shots are a safe bet but some moose may go an extra quarter mile before piling up. If you want to drop a mature bull moose in his tracks, shoot directly at the front shoulder with a high powered rifle. With a big rack and large front shoulders not being able to use one front leg and he'll go nowhere. This is not a 200lb whitetail. Then have the dignity to put one through the vitals.
Hauling out we usually use 2 trucks or suv's. Clear some kind of direct path to the moose and drag steel cable to the moose. Cows can be pulled out head first but bulls drag better if you hook up to their hind legs with a choker chain. Otherwise the points on their rack will dig in the dirt and catch on branches. One truck is used as an anchor with a pulley attached to a solid point like a hitch or tow point. The cable then passes through the pulley and is attached to another vehicle who then slowly drives off pulling the moose out. Walkie talkies are used for communication in the event the moose gets hung up. Chainsaws and pry-poles work good to free it. I'm able to splice cable to make one that is several hundred yards.
Now it is at the road you can gut it out. I like to flip a bull on his back with both sides of the antlers digging in the dirt. Much more stable to work with this way. Then tie off a hind leg to a truck or tree and get to work.
I see moose in the back of pick ups every year but I personally prefer a trailer with a tilt option not unlike a snowmobile trailer. I'm sure a winch at the front would work well but I use a chainfall to get it on the trailer.
As long as you don't do the toyko drift thing and have decent tires... don't worry about flat tires.
Everyone has their own methods of madness, this is mine. Be careful, hauling out moose can be hazardous to your health.
-
Good stuff Dave......We could really use you on our Sept. zone 3 bull hunt! ;D
I'm sure you guys will do just fine being nice and close to home! Good luck to you. May end up in zone 3 if we finish up in 1 before the guys I know in 3 tag out.
-
I was thinking that it might be really cool to shoot my Moose with a muzzleloader that I bought brand new in the summer of 2014, it is my first ML and is a CVA Accura Mountain Rifle in 50 caliber. I have it very finely tuned in to 3 shot groups at 100 yards to less than an inch and a half. I'm using Power Belt 295 grain copper hollow points with 100 grains of blackhorn 209 powder and CCI 209 magnum shotshell primers. It is mounted with a Nikon Prostaff BDC Variable slug gun scope in 2-7 power that can well handle the extra recoil of the ML. For those of you not familiar with Nikon's line of BDC scopes they have a series of small tiny graduated circles in a vertical line below the dead on center horizontal line that allow you to adjust for holdover on increasingly long shots out to 300 yards. This ML is deadly accurate out to 300 yards and more. Here are the numbers for holding at specific distances, dead on horizontal line = 75 yards at 75 yards or less, 1st tiny circle below horizontal line is 97 yards, , 2nd circle below line is 131 yards, 3rd circle below line is 157 yards, 4th circle is 194 yards, top of bottom vertical heavy duplex post is 240 yards. This is all well and good as long as you have a good solid rest especially when shooting out to distances beyond 150 yards as tremor and decreased field of view really start to take a toll on 7 power magnification. That being said, I don't have a lot of experience with this gun in the field, I missed a beautiful 8 pointer on the second to last day of the ML season in 2014 but was not the fault of the ML as I was shooting while standing with an offhand shot at the deer in a snowstorm who was playing peek a boo behind a pine tree and I had only the white patch of his throat to shoot at, it was a clean miss. On the other hand I have a very trusted and go to working man/hunters gun that is my 1st choice as I know it's capabilities very well, have hunted for over 25 years with it and taken many fine deer with it, it is my Winchester Model 70 chambered in 30/06 mounted with a Leuphold VX 3 1.75-6 x 32 Variable Scope, this gun fits me well, I love the heavier weight for holding steady, especially on those standing off hand shots, and when quick follow up shots are needed to finish off the deal. So the Winchester gets the nod for my go to Moose Gun, yeah I'll bring along the ML, but it may never see the light of a hunting day in Moose Country. That being said a 30/06 to the heart lung area on a Moose standing broadside is fatal, problem is the Moose may keep running not knowing it's dead yet, that is when I will need the follow up shots to put it down before it heads for Canada and a much longer drag. With the ML your one and done on a fast moving Moose after the 1st shot. As you can tell I'm definately starting to overthink this whole thing!
Aziscohosbuck
-
My dad is thinkng it would be cool to shoot his moose with his Scorpyd crossbow, although he took a nice 10 point North Dakota white tail with it last year I think I will insist he use my 7mm Mag! 😀 Good luck with your hunt.
-
I've pondered taking a bull with the smoke pole and even stick & string but eventually I grew out of it realizing I don't have some guide with a crew of "undocumented workers" to haul out my moose. Injuring and tracking is not fun at that time of year and when Mr. Greenjeans stops by he's gonna make damn sure that injured moose didn't die and you run off and tagged another. 2-3 days of tracking and a couple days of bad weather and your hunt is done. 7mm is sufficient.
Be out there at daybreak, that is the best time. Stay in the woods til you tag out or til well after dark. You could scout a bull in the evening and find him right there in the morning.
Unless you want a trophy, don't be fussy, any moose with horns will fill a freezer.
-
My dad is thinkng it would be cool to shoot his moose with his Scorpyd crossbow, although he took a nice 10 point North Dakota white tail with it last year I think I will insist he use my 7mm Mag! 😀 Good luck with your hunt.
Let him give it a try if it comes in close enough! They don't go any where with a well placed arrow, no different than a gun. Doesn't have the shock power of a rifle obviously, but they do a much better job cutting and getting them to bleed. Some times they don't even run off after the shot, have no idea what hit them and just stand there and bleed. Mine didn't move for 20-25 seconds after I hit him, just stood there and bled. Stumbled up the road 20 yards from where I shot him and was stone dead in just over a minute. If you're the sub just stand behind your dad with the rifle and pass it to him if you have a bull that won't come in close enough for a cross bow shot. Let the old buck give it a try, seen moose go way further after being shot in the lungs with a gun than a bow.
Some of the blood from him standing in place after the shot
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m286/mehunter/moosen%202012/IMG-20120927-00248-1.jpg)
Cell phone picture from where I shot him to where he fell
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m286/mehunter/moosen%202012/IMG-20120927-00246-1.jpg)
Notice all the darkish colored ground around his nose and chest, the blood was still pouring out of him when we got up to him just a couple minutes after the shot.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m286/mehunter/moosen%202012/IMG-20120927-00251.jpg)
-
Can any one provide me with an interpretation of the Maine Hunting Laws which state that no hunting is allowed in the restricted areas of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway until October 1, and that these areas are prominently marked. Does that mean a 500 or so yard range within the high water mark of the waterway or do they close off entire townships within the waterway? The reason that I ask is we would like to bring several canoes with waders and boots that would allow us access to rivers and large brooks that would enable us to get deep into back country areas away from the crowds of road hunters and into some very remote Big Moose territory to do some hunt and stalk and calling for a really challenging hunt and an opportunity to take down a real trophy Moose. Yes I realize this would involve skinning and quartering out the Moose and we will be prepared for that in any event. If we are fortunate enough to take a Large Bull fairly near a waterway while hunting from a canoe, the transportation of the processed game out by canoe would be awesome. My goal for this trip is to spend 75% of our time trekking into the back country actually hunting on foot or by canoe and only 25% riding the roads. I am setting the bar at a minimum of a Mature Bull that is at least 4 1/2 years old with a 48" spread and field dresses out over 800 lbs. Not gonna worry about filling the freezer until the very last day with a smaller Bull. I may live to regret that but this is a once in a lifetime shot for me and most likely my last so that is a risk I am willing to take. The closer the encounter the better, not comfortable with taking a shot at a Bull over 150 yards, would much prefer under 100 yards. And the last thing I want to have happen is get into a pissing match with another party blocking off a road while road hunting, just seems to me that would really put a damper on the whole experience.
Aziscohosbuck
-
Can any one provide me with an interpretation of the Maine Hunting Laws which state that no hunting is allowed in the restricted areas of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway until October 1, and that these areas are prominently marked. Does that mean a 500 or so yard range within the high water mark of the waterway or do they close off entire townships within the waterway?
It's just within whatever the distance is posted for the law, not entire township. It's marked on the main roads that cross the waterway. You won't be able to cross the Allagash waterway via the Reality rd on the September hunt this year as the Umsaskis bridge will be closed for repairs (might be closed for October as well). As far as I understand it though you just can't paddle the Allagash waterway on the September hunt, or hunt within whatever the distance is they have marked (I can't remember the number).
-
It's just within whatever the distance is posted for the law, not entire township. It's marked on the main roads that cross the waterway. You won't be able to cross the Allagash waterway via the Reality rd on the September hunt this year as the Umsaskis bridge will be closed for repairs (might be closed for October as well). As far as I understand it though you just can't paddle the Allagash waterway on the September hunt, or hunt within whatever the distance is they have marked (I can't remember the number).
That is the same conclusion I came to after reading the laws, just can't figure out what the exact distance from the Allagash Waterway where hunting is allowed. Possibility is you could use the Allagash Waterway as access with your gun cased and unloaded but could not load and hunt until a safe distance off the waterway. In any event there are other options in zone 2 to use waterways by canoe to get into some remote areas, so I think we will bring several canoes. It would be nice to do a hunt over two days with an overnight stay by canoe to explore some more remote areas, if planned right other members of our party would simply meet us at a take out or have a vehicle already parked there. Bring three to four guys and two canoes for the paddle hunt with all necessary gear to quarter out a Moose, would add a nice adventure to the trip and possibility of finding a real hot zone that a big mature Bull is using completely unmolested. Worth a try anyway in my opinion.
Aziscohosbuck
-
Water is good, but just need to make sure you find the right body of water to hunt. You want good dead water. A lot of the stuff up there moves fast and is loud, which makes it very hard to hear bulls, even if they're close to the water. For such a big animal they do call very softly. Another thing you want to make sure is that there is going to be enough water to paddle around easily. We are up on the St John bear hunting every year in early September and it would be a pain the a$$ to paddle up there that time of year, just not enough water and it's still pretty loud. If you want to hunt water don't overlook ponds. They might be a better option than rivers. I will say I've run a lot of cameras in and around ponds and rivers for moose over the last few seasons. There's no doubt the majority start leaving the water in early September. Each and every moose has a different personality though and I've found that some do indeed like to stick around water, but the majority will move off it some distance, maybe not far, but they will surely move to different "growth." Not all bodies of water hold moose and there are some, for whatever reason, the moose absolutely love. Spend some time up there this summer seeking out which water bodies they are in now and then try and find an area close to there where you think they might move into in September. The cows will spread out some, but they aren't going to travel too far if they don't have to. If it is unusually hot during the September hunt, like it was a couple seasons back, don't be afraid to really concentrate back on the water. We were checking some ponds 3-4 times a day that year, never stopped just kept bouncing from pond to pond all day. Make sure you have a good set of binos. If it's fairly normal weather wise I like grass roads and green growth. I don't spend too much time in big choppings in September.
-
Each and every moose has a different personality though and I've found that some do indeed like to stick around water, but the majority will move off it some distance, maybe not far, but they will surely move to different "growth." Not all bodies of water hold moose and there are some, for whatever reason, the moose absolutely love. Spend some time up there this summer seeking out which water bodies they are in now and then try and find an area close to there where you think they might move into in September. The cows will spread out some, but they aren't going to travel too far if they don't have to. If it is unusually hot during the September hunt, like it was a couple seasons back, don't be afraid to really concentrate back on the water. We were checking some ponds 3-4 times a day that year, never stopped just kept bouncing from pond to pond all day. Make sure you have a good set of binos. If it's fairly normal weather wise I like grass roads and green growth. I don't spend too much time in big choppings in September.
This is simply incredible information that you have learned over many seasons of Moose Hunts that is invaluable. I thank you Sir for sharing this intel as it can only help to narrow down where and how to spend your time on a 6 day hunt. I didn't consider the noise that comes with larger waterways, and where we will be camping there are plenty of options for smaller deadwater brooks, streams and ponds that would allow a much better approach with shorter distances by canoe and actually cut down or eliminate not just the noise level but some of the problems and issues we might run into trying to pull a Moose out of an area on a river with many miles to go to get to a take out and be able to haul out the Moose and all the gear in one trip, not to mention if weather is really warm and all the while the clock is ticking on getting that meat to where it can be cooled down as soon as possible.
Thank You!
Aziscohosbuck
-
I have received a lot of brochures in the mail from various Sporting Camps and Guide Services since I got drawn for the 2017 Moose Hunt. Which is expected because they have access to the names drawn and in what town they live in and if you have an address listed in the local phone book this just makes good business marketing sense to target their potential clientel. Most of the names of these Sporting Camp/Guide Service operations are already familiar to me and some you can simply google and find out about on their website. It seems as though the average price for a fully guided hunt, American Plan with meals for the permit holder and his subpermitee and rough processing to include transportation of your downed Moose whether field dressed and loaded whole onto a trailer or quartered out and hauled out of the woods to your waiting vehicles with coolers and ice is running between $2795.00 to $4795.00. Now I'm not going down this fully guided road to begin with as I am fortunate enough to have experienced Moose Hunters in Zone 2 along with me on my trip and we will be doing a self guided hunt out of our own Outfitter Camp but I would like to put in a plug if this is allowed for Ross Lake Camps owned by Don and Andrea Lavoie as their price for a fully guided hunt was at the low end of the price range I just mentioned, their success rate and service is absolutely without question top shelf and I would highly recommend them to anyone without question. Now to be fair Ross Lake Camps price was to hunt out of a remote site with Campers, showers, toilet facilities and full time cook services in Zone 2, the reason being that Umsaskis Bridge will be closed for repairs during the Moose Hunt so they cannot accomodate hunters with a Zone 2 permit at Ross Lake Camps because that would unfairly disadvantage the hunt with prolonged driving times in and out of Zone 2 to hunt each day. On another interesting note, I got a piece of returned mail in a USPS envelope with a ripped and torn brochure from Eagle's Nest Camps and Guide Service with a mailing address of 1176 Millvale Rd Bucksport, Me, claiming fully guided hunts for permitee and subpermittee with meals, transportation and game retrieval for $1795.00 and semi guided for $1295.00 advertising their camp in Eagle Lake. Seems that there is another Sporting Camp/Guide Outfitter by the same name in Eagle Lake, but when you go to their website the hunt offered is fully guided with meals and full game retrieval for $5000.00, Hmmm wonder what's going on here? Interesting.
Aziscohosbuck
-
Looking at some options on centerfire bullets in particular for Moose. Some Maine professional guides have suggested using a Barnes triple slam (SST or maybe SSX, not sure) on Moose specifically rather than a Remington Core Lokt Soft Point. By comparison I am referring to a load in 30-06 which I typically use in a Remington Core Lokt Soft Point in 180 grain which I know would get the job done if placed in the Heart/Lung area but first shot may result in the Moose moving some distance before dropping. The suggestion I have heard about from guides is to use the Barnes Triple shock SST which shoots faster and flatter, creating a much wider wound channel that promotes very heavy bleeding much more quickly and Moose don't travel nearly as far and go down much faster with a lot less travel distance. Does anyone have any experience with these Barnes Bullets vs. Remington Core Lokts that would seem to confirm this?
-
nosler partitions nosler partitions nosler partitions nosler partitions ;)
-
i shot mine with my 45-70 350 grain hornady sst. went 35-40 feet spun around and fell over. most anything will work no need to break the bank youll spend plenty of money as it is. my 2 cents try to keep you spending to a minimum
-
I use remington core lokt exclusively in my 30-06. For moose I use 180gr and deer 165gr. The biggest reason I use rem core lokt is the accessibility. Just about every shop that sells ammo will carry that brand. I've shot 4 moose with the 180's over the years and 2 of them dropped in their tracks, 1 never got out of his bed, the other went 30 yards.
Choose an ammo you're familiar and comfortable with. If that means spending $45 for a box by all means... Any reputable ammo manufacturer will offer a hunting load that will be more than sufficient and accuracy will be greater than any average hunters capability would be to shoot said firearm. Usually if you do your part with the rifle the ammo does its' part as well.
-
Thank you for the responses to bullets and loads. Just confirms to me that I am overthinking this, will use the Remington 30-06 core Lokt soft point in 180 grain, have a full box, just need to recheck and confirm the point of aim on the rifle range just before I leave and upon arrival for the hunt. It's sighted for dead on at 100 yards, so at 300 yards with my Leuphold scope properly sighted would result in a 3 to 4 inch drop. Heart/Lung shot shooting from a decent rest even at 300 yards held just barely high and behind the shoulder should be money and that I think I can handle, although worst case scenario. In the mean time will spend time on the range dialing in at point of aim at 100 yards, from offhand shooting position as well as from a rest.
-
It's that time to line up a meat processer/butcher in close proximity to Zone 2 preferably near Ashland, where I can take a Moose quickly especially in warm temps immediately after registering it at the tagging station. The butcher would need to have a walk in cooler or refrigerated trailer to age the meat 3 days before cutting it up. I realize this would mean I would have to drive all the way back up there to pick up the packaged meat but I really don't look forward to the other alternative which would be to drive all the way back down to central Maine with the Moose, trying to keep it cooled down with ice and deliver it to a local butcher. I'm running into some difficulty finding someone local, called SPW meat cutting two weeks ago, has not answered my call and now his voice mail box is full and won't accept messages, also called Blackwater Outfitters (Dick Cullen) still waiting to hear back from him. Doe any one have any suggestions/recommendations for a reliable Meat CutterButcher within reasonable distance to Zone 2?
-
You'll get a list of meat processors (and weather they are able to freeze it or not and if they skin it or not, vacuum seal, yadda yadda yadda,) with your moose permit in the mail.
Ashland tagging station is popular. There will be several people to point you to a butcher but it is a good idea to think ahead and realize it could cost $4-500 to cut it up.
-
A meat cutter usually sets up a trailer right next to the ifw in Ashland . Not sure if the name but I think they are from Windham
-
A meat cutter usually sets up a trailer right next to the ifw in Ashland . Not sure if the name but I think they are from Windham
Pretty sure Windham butchers is all done doing their tractor trailer operation unfortunately. Was very convenient for us folks down state.
As far as local Ashland butchers go I've heard a lot of bad things about SPW. There is actually a facebook post about them on a moose hunting page that has hundreds of negative comments. I've never had any of my guys use them so I can't speak from experience, but just passing along what I've heard. We have used Dickie Cullins several times and he does good work. Only disadvantage with him is you will have to go back and pick it up. I'm sure Dickie is going full bore training his bear hounds right now so getting a hold of him might be tough. I would try again though, the guys I'm taking this year were able to get in touch with him last week and reserve a spot.
-
You'll get a list of meat processors (and weather they are able to freeze it or not and if they skin it or not, vacuum seal, yadda yadda yadda,) with your moose permit in the mail.
Ashland tagging station is popular. There will be several people to point you to a butcher but it is a good idea to think ahead and realize it could cost $4-500 to cut it up.
The list of moose processors is on the MDIFW site under the moose hunting section, it doesn't come in the mail. That is the list I have been referring to with my phone calls, I realize the cost of the butchering that is why I'm trying to get a reservation in ahead of time. Not looking good so far, but thank you for your reply you have been a real help to me with lots of questions and good solid answers, I really appreciate that!
-
Pretty sure Windham butchers is all done doing their tractor trailer operation unfortunately. Was very convenient for us folks down state.
As far as local Ashland butchers go I've heard a lot of bad things about SPW. There is actually a facebook post about them on a moose hunting page that has hundreds of negative comments. I've never had any of my guys use them so I can't speak from experience, but just passing along what I've heard. We have used Dickie Cullins several times and he does good work. Only disadvantage with him is you will have to go back and pick it up. I'm sure Dickie is going full bore training his bear hounds right now so getting a hold of him might be tough. I would try again though, the guys I'm taking this year were able to get in touch with him last week and reserve a spot.
SPW is definately out of consideration, not going there, I think they are now out of business anyway, heard very bad reports from other reputable local moose butchers down my way which confirms your comments. I put another call into Dick Cullins, hopefully will hear back from him but the first time I talked to him he said that after last years experience of trying to process over 40 Moose he was gonna hold it down to 20 or so this year, so he may be all booked up, am kicking myself for not committing on the very first call but didn't expect to run into this.
Thanks so much for your reply MEhunter.
Aziscohosbuck
-
Great news,
Dick Cullins, Blackwater Outfitters just called me back tonight, he put me on his list for reservation of a Moose to butcher and process should we be successful in putting one down!
-
Great news,
Dick Cullins, Blackwater Outfitters just called me back tonight, he put me on his list for reservation of a Moose to butcher and process should we be successful in putting one down!
make sure you tell them how you want your cuts of meat packaged -how many pounds per pack
-
Gear and equipment,
A member of our party who has 5 seasons of experience Moose hunting in Zone 2 sent me a list of essential gear, supplies and equipment needed for the trip. Very detailed list with essential items shown in red that he already has and is bringing and other items shown in black that I need to bring which was incredibly helpful. As others have mentioned in replies to my post there is no need to go overboard as the trip will be very expensive just covering all of the basic requirements such as Maine North Woods campiing and day use fees, butchering and processing fees as well as gas and transportation costs for two round trips, one for the hunt and one for the pick up of the processed meat. I already have most of the gear/equipment on the list but will either have to order on line or travel to a supplier that can provide the following:
Large and medium sized Game Meat Bags (cheese cloth)
Citric Acid anti bacterial game meat spray
1/2 pound of ground pepper
a Cot to sleep on
Two way radio with charger
Hoping to get out of this for under $400.00
Aziscohosbuck
-
Welll now I definatley have some peace of mind from worrying about spoiled Moose Meat! A member of our party will be bringing up a tow behind refrigereated trailer that maintains a constant 36 degree temperature, so no matter under what conditions or time of day of that Moose kill, should I harvest one it will be quickly and constantly cooled down until it reaches the processor/butcher. ;D
-
Truck is locked and loaded for Moose, meeting my sub permitee at 5am on Saturday 09/23/2017 and we are rolling for Zone 2! This will be the hunt of my lifetime. We have two members of our party already up there scouting who landed at the North Maine Woods Campsite we wanted on Wednesday 9/20/17. I have never participated in a Moose Hunt, let alone been drawn as the primary permit holder, this is going to be an incredible experience!
Aziscohosbuck!
-
You always provide great stories from your hunts and I expect this one will be no different. Good luck and I can't wait to read your account!
-
Have a great time up there, It is a awesome area , Post some pictures for us and good luck.....
-
Good luck, hope you tag a good one!
-
Got a few captures of this bull this AM in zone 3. A shooter in my book he's 50", 850lbs conservatively. Couple hunters scouting missed seeing him by a minute.
(https://i.imgur.com/ziDUWWp.jpg?1)
-
Got a few captures of this bull this AM in zone 3. A shooter in my book he's 50", 850lbs conservatively. Couple hunters scouting missed seeing him by a minute.
(https://i.imgur.com/ziDUWWp.jpg?1)
Nice Jay! Hope we see one just like him 1st thing in the am!
-
Wow, I returned from Zone 2 remote campsite and arrived in my driveway at 8:30 pm on Friday night 9/29/17 completely mentally and physically exhausted, left everything I had in that respect back in the Maine North Woods. I filled my tag with a young bull that dressed out at 657 lbs with a rack that really sucked, nothing to be proud of, not the monster that I envisioned would be the end result. Had chances at much more respectable bulls with nice paddles that ranged between 36 - 48 inches much earlier in the hunt at very early morning but could not seal the deal. All opportunities were under 30 yards. Monday thru Wednesday was sick rediculous heat with temps ranging 85 to 87 degrees from as early as 11 am through the rest of the day, which is a record in any previous Maine Moose Hunt. Pressure and stress combined with physical and emotional exuaustion takes a toll on you as you get later and later into the hunt, this was particularly apparent at my age of 61, I'm not a 25 year old kid anymore. Anyway after 1 1/2 hours of steady calling at this particular spot on Thursday late afternoon and on into the evening I spotted what appeared to me to be a very large heavy bodied Moose cross the road at less than 100 yards ahead of us while we were standing in a grassy green grass road at close to last legal shooting time. This was at 6:44pm, we had 7 minutes of legal shooting time left, We raced up the road on a dead run and fortunately the Moose was closer than I thought or had moved closer through the woodline right next to the road heading towards us, I don't know. I heard a crack of limbs being brushed or feet stepping on slash on the ground and stopped dead in the road. To my right standing broadside in an old skidder trail was this long and heavy bodied Moose at 25 yards and I clearly saw tines that were legal! I had a very clear wide open heart/lung shot so I carefully aimed and with very slow and steady pressure squeeezed the trigger when the crosshairs settled on the heart/lung area just a little low and rear of the right shoulder. My sub-permittee, fired off a round as the Moose took of straight away from us up that old skidder path and then appeared to veer left some 50 yards ahead of us on a flat out dead run . The time that we fired rounds at that Moose was 6:48 pm, which was 3 minutes before the end of legal shooting time for 9/28/17, pretty close and way closer to the time I have ever had to make a split second decision on a deer let alone North America's largest big game animal. But my first shot was clear and obvious to be heart/lung and I was calm and confident when I took it. So now darkness closes in completely. I stare up into the starlit sky brightened by a Crescent Moon deep in the far Northwestern Allegash Region of the North Maine Woods and I say a prayer to my Son who passed on suddenly and trajically in 2005 and who has been on this trip with us I swear every step of the way, to help me as I realize I am standing alone in total darkness with no flashlight. Moments pass and I am in complete panic, then calm reassures me as I hear my subpermittee and close friend Stephen reassure that he has found a very heavy lung shot blood trail. At this point we send 3 members of our hunting party of 5 back to our campsite to retreive all the heavy gear necessary for processing this Moose and transporting it back to camp. You Know it's really strange how in moments of complete chaos if you force yourself to calm down and just think things through how logical things work out. I realized I did have my cell phone with me and even at my age, I remembered there is a flashlight function on my phone and was able to turn it on! So now I retrace with compass back to the starting point of my shot, pick up the blood trail and start following, noticing orange tape flagged at certain points along the way where my good friend and subpermittee Stephen has already marked. I call out to him now, knowing that at some point ahead the Moose veered left and that Stephen is probably circling left in the dark trying to spot the dead Moose, no sooner then I start to circle to my left, I hear Stephen yell to me "I found him, he's deader than a door nail"! I find my way to him by flshlight and find my prize, it is a young bull with a very long and heavy body but the rack is nothing to be proud of, like a 3 pointer spike bull but is legal and lo and behold guess what he has a radio transmitter collar attached with tagged ears on both sides, oh no! Still appears to be a 600 lb. plus animal and we have much work ahead of us to get him out of the woods. So we waited for the rest of the party to arrive with heavy LED lighting, coleman lanterns, snatch blocks, 500 feet of heavy rope and the other truck to arrive before proceeding with field dressing. The rest of our party arrived back at the site at 9pm, field full dressing was completed at 10:30 pm. We cleared a 150 yard straight path form the road to the Moose with chainsaw and there was two tricky 90 degree turns at the very end of the trail to the Moose that had to be dealt with with a very heavy iron bar to pry and move the Moose around. We had very high quality walkie talkies and used the two truck method with extremely heavy duty snatch block as the anchor point and twitched the Moose 150 yards to the road, then we re-rigged the snatch block on the back end of a long low bed trailer with ramp and pulled the Moose up onto the trailer. High fives and 1 beer apiece and we were on the road, arrived back in camp at just about ten minites before midnight. The beauty of the weather was that the high temp on thursday was 51 degrees and as we worked on that Moose in the dark of the Allegash Woods the temps went down into the low 30's, perfect. Next morning loaded the Moose carcass full with 30 frozen milk jugs, tarped him to protect form road dust. Broke down camp, loaded and rolled for Ashland Tagging Station. Much more stories I can tell of opportunities of bigger, much nicer bulls prior to this one but just did not happen. I have absolutely no regrets, was the most exhilarating,heart pounding, adrenalin rush I have ever experienced in my lifetime. Maine's Moose Hunt is second to none in the entire lower 48 states, and an absolute bargain if you get drawn. I highly recommend putting in your application year after year, well worth it! By the way, I will post pics of this young Moose as soon as I can figure out this new system, yeah your going to laugh at the rack but the body size is impressive and not only that the radio collar deal and weird rack will make for a great conversation piece.
Respectfully,
Aziscohosbuck
-
Congrats! If I shot one with a radio collar I'd go with a shoulder mount for sure. Them are rare. :D
-
Congrats! If I shot one with a radio collar I'd go with a shoulder mount for sure. Them are rare. :D
Other guys on the trip were consoling me saying this was rare and will be a great story to tell and that the Warden Service already knew this Bull was dead at some point during the night and knew it was on it's way to the tagging station the night before. On the way out the Gate keeper at the Portage gate looked at it and jokingly said "We heard this Moose was coming out, he's an old friend of mine." Turns out when I get to the Ashland Tagging station the next day and I told the female MDIFW biologist it had a radio collar on it she screamed with glee and said "We already knew it was on it's way here last night!" She explained that the collar pings off a satellite every 4 hours and they know once it's down and dead and then go in and retreive it. It was one of 35 newborn calves tagged in the spring of 2016 and they have been tracking it's entire life cycle so there was no need to pull a tooth to age it. No ticks and huge body! 8)
-
Sounds like you made the most of the hunt and had a great time! That's what it's all about. Congrats to you and your entire party and most of all glad to hear your son was with you! I lost my Grandparents a while back and one thing my grandmother always loved was birds and their calls, especially the white throated sparrow (sam Peabody-Peabody). Well just about every morning on our hunt that was the first bird that called in the mornings. I to believe that was their message telling me that they were up there watching over us all.
-
Congrats....So sorry about your son but be certain he was looking down full of pride with the efforts of his ole man!
-
congratulations !! and great recap of the hunt.
-
Congrats on your moose!
I filled my tag with a young bull that dressed out at 657 lbs with a rack that really sucked, nothing to be proud of, not the monster that I envisioned would be the end result.
Not sure how to respond to that. It bothers me that the pressure to just "kill something" out weighs the fact that no one made you shoot something that you think "sucked" Any animal that you harvest deserves all the respect that you can give it. People seem to think that it's the kill or the trophy antlers that makes them a great hunter, not the actual hunt. I get the end of the week pressure, once in a lifetime chance, I know you say you have no regrets, but "a rack that really sucked" sounds like you have some. Be proud of what you got, if you needed a monster you shouldn't have pulled the trigger.
-
Congrats on the moose. Unfortunate weather but it will be a memory you won't forget
-
Congrats on your moose!
Not sure how to respond to that. It bothers me that the pressure to just "kill something" out weighs the fact that no one made you shoot something that you think "sucked" Any animal that you harvest deserves all the respect that you can give it. People seem to think that it's the kill or the trophy antlers that makes them a great hunter, not the actual hunt. I get the end of the week pressure, once in a lifetime chance, I know you say you have no regrets, but "a rack that really sucked" sounds like you have some. Be proud of what you got, if you needed a monster you shouldn't have pulled the trigger.
You are perfectly entitled to that opinion, poor choice of the word "sucked", wish I had used another way to describe it, was not in any way meant to offend. Truth is I wish I had held off until Friday the second day of cool weather up there, and may well have had a chance at a monster bull. Just did not work out that way and I still think I am very happy with the outcome, come what may and there is no point second guessing what might have happened. The adrenaline rush and heart pounding action we had up there on this hunt with 4 separate and distinct Bulls prior to taking this young one was incredible and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Everything about this hunt was thrilling, exciting, and an extreme adrenaline rush. But in all due respect I really don't appreciate you making a judgement call on my Hunt!
Respectfully,
Aziscohosbuck
1 I felt like a little kid again like I have not felt in many years!
Peace to you fellow hunter, it's all good,
-
Talked to my sub-permitee tonight, will be picking up the frozen vacuemed packed Moose meat on Sunday 10/08/2017. I think Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants me to fill my freezer full of wild game meat this year as they also issued me a Doe Permit for this upcoming deer season! May have to buy another freezer, just kidding as I have friend's with plenty of freezer space, so we will see how all this pans out. I have a nice Buck scouted way out in a Swamp/Bog less than a mile form my house and I really should get back up to camp at Aziscohos for the very end of rifle or beginning of muzzleloader season. After hunting 1000 lb. plus Moose running around in the far Northern Maine Allegash region, I don't know that Deer Hunting will ever be the same again! But somebody's got to be in line for this and I am thinking positive as my liuck this hunting season has been the best that I have ever experienced. Good luck on the upcoming Whitetail Hunt boys and girls, gonna be a great season in Maine as always.
Aziscohosbuck
-
I have my pictures organized in a file of the Moose Hunt and would love to post them, any suggestions on the easiest way to do this now that photobucket is trashed?
Thank you for any advice.
Aziscohosbuck
-
Congrats....So sorry about your son but be certain he was looking down full of pride with the efforts of his ole man!
Thank you for those kind words, has been almost 12 years now since he has been gone, but yet it seems as though it was yesterday, still think of him every single day but time has made it easier to cope with. Special occaissons like this once in a lifetime Maine Moose hunt really bring back memories of those Father/Son hunts that we did together, so grateful for that time we got to spend together deer hunting in the Northwestern Mountains of Maine out of a rough hunting/fishing camp on Aziscohos Lake, I miss him terribly but yet I felt his presence with us on this hunt in a deeply spiritual way. It's not right to lose a child at age 24 in his absolute prime of life, but this happens to many other parents as well, no fairness to it whatsoever, it's just life and with that always will come death, none of us can escape that, one does not know when and how and I thank the Lord for that. But seriously looking up into that beautiful Allegash starlit night with a crescent moon shining brightly down, I was humbled while kneeling beside this Beautiful and wild Moose in the total darkness of the Forest and I felt gratitude like never before, felt closer to Troy that night then I have ever felt since he passed on 01/11/2005. I have learned to accept what happened which has saved me my sanity and helped me to survive and even thrive stronger than ever, but this took a while. I guess what I took away from this hunt and a successful harvest of a Maine Moose was that love for your child is eternal, death is only a portal to the other side we all must pass through and somewhere in between at moments like this there is a connection between those who have passed on and those left behind who love them so dearly. I swear I felt his presence beside me and a sense of peace came over me like I have never felt before. Call me crazy, insane whatever, but I swear it was as real as if you paid a visit to a close friend and were face to face talking to eachother on an otherwise perfectly normal weekend, that's how close I felt to my son in pitch black woods deep in the Allegash with a harvested dead Moose beside me. What can I say, once in a lifetime experience and it was surreal to say the least!
Live to Hunt and treasure the moments that make you feel alive,
Aziscohosbuck