I'd like to thank Tarponnut for posting the picture of my moose for I'm an analog guy in a digital world and need all the help I can get.
Needless to say August 11th I had my cell phone in hand not wanting to miss the call. About 11:30 am Maine calls to offer a cow tag in zone 1 , I ask if that's all they had, the lady on the other end says we have a tag in October in a southern zone, anything else,well we have a bull tag in zone 5 for September, I'll take it !!!
Now the planing begins. Zone 5 is about 500 miles from my house in CT so preseason scouting would be tough so I decide to go with a guide. Prior to August I made some calls to guides in the northern zones to see who was not booked up. Dick Cullins owner of Blackwater Outfitters said he was booked but could help me for two days,that worked for me, (room and board) and a couple days to be shone the area.
Opening day was September 22 ,weather forecast was 70 degrees rain and windy, not what I would call rutting conditions.We drove to a remote bog to make some calls and to see what sign there was. No luck calling. I told Dick Cullins that I wanted to canoe into the bog that evening, he had never been in there. Because of the warm weather and rain he drove around to show me the area and to check for sign. We saw one cow but there was no bull trailing her.
The canoe trip that evening would be on the Little Machias River south branch into a huge bog. All through the middle of the day I practiced shooting from my knees in case I had to shoot from the canoe.
Finally it was time to head out the pickup was loaded with a canoe and kayak for there was four of us going out .The guide my son Tom and my son inlaw Jon as a backup cameraman in the kayak. Up stream with a strong wind blowing in our faces with high banks in some places with willow and elder bushes and swamp grass you couldn't see over anticipation was running high,two paddle strokes pushed back to equal one. I wasn't sure I could see a moose much less have a shot. There was a beaver dam about five tall we had to portage around. As we came around one of the many s turns a small bull comes from our right side and crosses stream to left, a little father along and another small bull does the same thing now I'm getting really excited. The guide is periodically making cow calls, at about 3/4 miles up stream a bull answer his call, even I hear it with my deaf ears he's right there. Beach the canoe I whisper I step out and he's right there about 30 yds out facing me showing whose boss on the willows burping the whole time. Tom stands up in the canoe to film , the guide with two shoulder blades sitting in the canoe swaying side to side burping back at the moose,intense to say the least, Jon sitting in the kayak filming with a backup camera. Come on bull step away from bushes and turn broad side so I can shoot , wind don't change directions, this I'm saying to myself along with follow through with your shot . These are the moments we wait fore as traditional hunters . Finally the the bull steps forward and turns broadside about 25 yds out, from there on everything goes into slow motion and I see the fletching go where I was looking, thank god. The bull takes off the guide cow calls he stops turns 180 degrees comes back and disappears. The guide jumps into kayak and says he's going to get help and a bigger canoe.this was around 4:30 , Tom,Jon and I track the moose take the hero pictures and wait for the guide to return. He arrives after dark to cut up the moose and we get back to camp about 1:00 am.
Topic: Dick Langer's BIG Maine Moose NEW PICS PAGE 4 (Read 1382 times)
