After I do not even know how many years I finally drew a moose tag here in Maine. I drew a bull for the September week in zone 5.
I plan on using bow if I shoot. I just got off the phone with the man who took me hunting for the first time when I was a teenager. He is 70 and has cancer now. I told him if I ever draw he was going to shoot the moose as the subpermittee. He sounds pretty fired up and we were talking about going up scouting this summer and starting to look at maps. Hopefully he will be healthy enough for the hunt. My zone is about 5 hours north of where I live, and my friend lives out of state but has a camp about 2.5 hours north of me.
My tag is for the week of Sept 28- Oct 3. That is supposed to be a great week for the rut. This is my first ever moose hunt, really looking forward to the experience. My friend I hope to bring has hunted moose in Canada a lot when he was younger. When we would drive around the logging roads near his camp he would always pull over at clear cuts and swamp type areas and mouth call moose. I look forward to just taking it in and the experience in general.
There is a reason I have always liked you and reading your posts. This post is just another great example why !! Good luck on your scouting and hunt with your mentor. I hope you post the journey as it unfolds. I would really enjoy reading it and seeing pictures !! Good luck !! Tim
Congrats!!! I'm going on 15 years and counting waiting for a permit... My father got picked in Zone 4 September last year and we killed a nice 51" bull on Friday. The plan was to use a bow and kill a 50 incher, but we didn't fufill the bow part of the plan. Do you have anywhere in mind yet where in the zone you will be hunting? The biggest thing I can recommend is GET OFF THE ROAD and hunt, dont just drive the roads or it will be a LONG week!! Get as far away from other people as you can. We didnt ride the roads and passed up bulls every day while other people we saw weren't seeing anything at all.. We bought some cow in heat moose bombs, those things stink (but in a good way) and used them to help tell wind direction and cover our scent a bit.. Don't be afraid to call, but also if you call TOO much that can hurt you as well. Bring plenty of gear to get the bull out of the woods, and be prepared to quarter it too if you have to!! I've been on a few moose hunts, they sure are fun! Can be frustrating too! Where in Maine do you live? Here is the one we killed last fall, 820lbs dressed, scored 165 and some change.
I live in the Auburn area. I do not have a particular area picked yet. I plan on going up n a few weeks to scout, then hopefully scout as much as possible leading up to the season, but with bear season it will be tough. I definitely want to get away from the road, but if my friend goes his health will really dictate how far we can travel into the bush. I will try and update this thread as the season nears to record what we have done as far as scouting and prospects of bulls we will see. My friend does have a friend who is a guide in that zone and is supposed to see him this weekend out of state and hopes to get some pointers on the area.
Good luck to ya! I hear you when you mention scouting and bear season.. We bait and it sure takes up a TON of time!! I just sold my house in New Gloucester, and moved to Gorham.
