MAINELY OUTDOORS
by Bill Graves
Week one of Maine’s annual moose hunt gets under way for permit holders in Aroostook’s zones on September 28 and ends October 3, while week two runs from Oct. 12 through Oct 17. Some of you may be scratching your heads and contemplating the fact that you’re positive you saw a moose loaded on a trailer or pick-up truck pass along the road last week. You probably did.
This year for the first time a special drawing of 100 permits was held for landowners and guides and this early season began on August 17, running for five weeks, ending on September 19. The purpose of this unique hunt is to reduce crop damage, as well as moose/vehicle accidents in specific Crown of Maine areas. Only certain locations are designated for hunting and specific criteria had to be met for those applying for one of the permits, most landowner permits went to local folks while guides from all over the state were selected for this special opportunity.
Regardless of whether you’re hunting now or in one of the upcoming seasons, preplanning and selecting the proper gear to clean, drag, load and transport Maine’s largest big game animal is crucial to assure a memorable hunt rather than a miserable experience.
Each day as the first probing fingers of dawn penetrate Maine’s forest and fields, a platoon of lucky lottery winning sportsmen and their partners will be on the lookout for a Maine moose. Some seek a set of trophy antlers, a few want to break the state weight record, and many are only interested in tasty freezer fillings. All are out for success and the memorable hunt of a lifetime.
In each and every scenario, once the trigger is pulled and a moose is down; after the pictures are taken and the tag attached; the work begins. Far thinking hunters don’t even consider taking a shot when a moose is in water or far from any road or trail. Nonetheless, every moose doesn’t drop on the spot, some run, usually into heavy cover, and getting a big game animal out of the deep woods can be a back-breaking task if the right equipment is not at hand.
A good number of smart hunters have pre-scouted the area they plan to hunt, and having learned from sportsmen with prior experience, any nearby woodcutting operations are noted. Nothing brings a big moose out of the thick timber quicker, easier, and safer than a skidder. For a reasonable price, the owners of these brush-beating lumbering machines will be glad to aid successful hunters if the downed animal isn’t too far from the woodlot they’re working.
The most important set of tools for field dressing any game animal is sharp cutlery. At least two keen-edged knives are a must and since they are likely to lose their edge during the job, a whetstone, file and sharpening steel will be needed to return a keen edge to cutting tools. If it turns out the moose has to be skinned, quartered and deboned, in order to be carried out of the woods, the knives and sharpening utensils become even more important. In addition, a meat and bone saw as well as a hatchet will be very useful if a big job is required.
Have lots of ropes or cable and a sturdy come-along or winch to drag the game from the woods to the edge of the road, and then pull it onto a truck or trailer. A set of heavy tree shears and a chain saw for swamping a trail can be a big help. Many hunters have had to winch a moose from stump to stump for several hundred yards, and without a saw and ax to move dead-falls the work would have doubled. An ATV with all-wheel drive can save a lot of time and trouble during the hauling chore, but even these mechanical work horses may need some sort of trail swamped for travel.
A fair sized block and tackle, come-along or pulley system for hoisting the moose onto a tree will ease the cleaning, skinning and quartering chores and can also be used to load the animal onto the truck or trailer. A roll of cheese cloth or commercially available cloth bags for transporting game and keeping flies off the meat in warm weather will also be a good idea. Plastic bags for the heart and liver should be at hand and plastic gallon milk containers filled with water and frozen work great to keep the carcass cool during the trip to the meat cutter’s cooler. Just stuff the jugs of solid ice into the body cavity, along with the heart and liver bags, and there’s much less chance of meat spoilage on sunny days.
I carry a five-gallon plastic pail with a few other sundry items inside that make cleaning game and cleaning up afterwards a simpler chore. In the pail are a couple of sets of plastic gloves, a roll of paper towels, and of course plastic bags, cloth meat bags, the cutlery and sharpening utensils and a small first aid kid-just in case the knife slips. The bucket can be used to carry water from any nearby brook or pond to rinse out the body cavity once the cleaning is over, and also to clean up the cutlery and tools. Washing away as much blood and debris from any exposed meat reduces the chance of meat spoilage and keeps flies somewhat at bay during field processing and travel.
If the moose will be transported on an open trailer or pick-up bed over dirt roads, a thin plastic tarp might be in order. When a moose can be loaded whole, the dust isn’t a problem, but if the animal is skinned and quartered the tarp is a great advantage in keeping the meat dirt and dust free.
Whether the moose you’re after will end up as a taxidermy mount in the den, as an 8 X 10 inch glossy on the office wall, or as a well browned roast for Sunday dinner, the right equipment will increase your chances of success. Plan well and compile a check list of every possible item you need to take along, because once you’re in the woods, you either have it or you do without.
Contributed photo
THIS INGENIOUS HUNTER brought a four-wheeler to haul the moose to the trailer — one large enough to haul the ATV and a bull moose. A backup ATV is on the pickup hauling the trailer.
