By Ken Peters
I had the opportunity to participate in the Disabled American Veterans controlled moose hunt from Sept. 14-18. This is a very unique program for veterans to take part in a guided moose hunt.
The program is run by the Maine Veterans’ Services, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, House in the Woods Inc., and Smoldering Lake Outfitters in Bridgewater. There are 14 permits issued in a lottery with seven hunters one week and seven the second week. The program is free for all participating veterans.
The hunt is coordinated by Smith’s Farms. Lance Smith met with Dave Hentosh, owner of Smoldering Lake Outfitters and told him which broccoli fields were being damaged. Those fields were designated for our hunt.
Wednesday was our travel day. We were issued our permits by Warden Pelkey and then we had a meeting to discuss what we were doing. We were assigned our sleeping quarters. We then proceeded to the range to sight in our rifles and go over the safety issues. We had our supper meal and the food was outstanding. We then went with our guides to see what fields we would be hunting the following day.
The second field we checked had two cows and two bulls in it. It was decided that Nick, a wounded warrior, should take the shot. Nick was wounded in Iraq by an IED and was paralyzed on his left side. He has some movement but was limited. They got him into position and he hit it at 250 yards just at dark. He was a Marine sniper so I guess he didn’t lose his touch. It dropped dead in its tracks. Everyone was so happy for him. He had a smile on his face the rest of the time.
Mossy Oaks had sent a photographer up from Mississippi and he spent an hour with Nick and Dave going through the whole process. We got back to the lodge at 10 p.m. with his bull and we all went straight to bed. A great start to the hunt.
Thursday morning we were up at 4 a.m. At 4:30, we had a light breakfast with coffee and pastries, all homemade. We were told which fields to hunt and we were on the road at 5 a.m. There were five hunters with guides plus four spotters. We were all back at the lodge by 10:30 a.m. and had a full breakfast. We relaxed until 2 p.m. when we had our dinner. This was a great chance to talk and discuss our experiences. We were on the road at 4 p.m. for the evening hunt. The weather was not good and we all got wet. One of the group saw a bull and cow, but wasn’t able to get a shot at them. Back to the lodge by 8 p.m. and soup and sandwiches. We were all in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Friday was a nice day. We were up at 4 a.m. and on the road at 5. My guide tried calling and two cows and a bull answered. I was able to harvest the bull at 6:20 a.m. One of the wounded warriors, Shawn, was in a field about a mile from us and at 6:20 a.m., he got a bull. After picture taking, we dressed it out and proceeded to load it on the pickup. We decided to winch it onto a rock pile so we could get it on the tailgate. The tree we hooked on couldn’t take the strain and broke, so we found another one and finally got it loaded. The other party showed up so we went to the tagging station together. Mine weighed 772 pounds but Shawn beat me with 824 pounds.
We went back to the lodge and everyone gathered around and took pictures. This was Shawn’s first time hunting so what an experience! He is a Marine sniper and has been wounded three times in Iraq. He is recovering from his wounds so we all were happy he had the opportunity to shoot a moose. He was all smiles the rest of the week.
Saturday was the last day of the hunt. I became a spotter, but the moose were not moving that morning. That evening, the last of the wounded warriors shot a nice bull at dusk. Seth and Shawn were both from Virginia. It was great that all the wounded warriors got their moose.
Sunday at noon we all met at the Lodge for a cookout and recognition day. The other five hunters were there so there were 12 of us in all. Peter Ogden was the master of ceremonies with Dave H. helping him along. The deputy commissioner for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife congratulated all of us. He presented the new hunters with their permits. We were presented certificates of appreciation from the state of Maine for our service to our country. Jim Zumbo, sports writer for “Outdoor Life,” spoke on behalf of sportsmen everywhere. He will be writing a story in an upcoming edition of the magazine. Heather Wilcox, a young lady from Mars Hill, sang the national anthem and everyone had mist in their eyes.
Paul House from Lee, Maine lost his son in Iraq in 2003. Six months later, Bill Emery, also from Lee, lost his son. They live one mile from each other. They established House in the Woods Inc., a military and family retreat. They were one of the major sponsors of the hunt. They also sponsor a bear hunt for 20 veterans, a bird hunting trip and want to start a deer hunting program. They also do many outdoor activities with all veterans.
When one of our sons is lost in war, Bill and Paul attend the funeral and help the families with their grieving. Their mission statement: “Using the recreational, therapeutic and educational properties of eastern Maine’s great outdoor heritage, House in the Woods Military and Family Retreat serves our nation’s military veterans and their families by offering free, short-term wilderness activities to bring participants together to meet others with similar military-related experiences and challenges for sharing and healing.” This gathering was all of that and more.
I need to share with you the best part of the hunt. Matt, a former Marine sniper, was hit in the neck by a sniper bullet and is paralyzed from the neck down. He has limited use of his left arm. He is from Colorado, married with two children. They had designed a rifle that he could use. It sat on a platform and was controlled by his personal attendant. There was a keyboard and Matt would tell him up or down, or right or left. There was a special scope and when he had the target in his vision, he inhaled on a tube and the gun fired. Thursday morning, they saw a bull in one of the fields and Matt took it down at 125 yards. When we all heard about it, we all headed to the field. You should have seen the smile on his face. They taped Matt and Dave as they walked through the hunt. It was so wonderful to see him have a dream of a lifetime.
I believe that you can understand that this was more than a moose hunt. It was a retreat where we shared stories and fed off of one another. It was a very emotional time, but one of the best experiences I ever had. My thanks go to House in the Woods, Smoldering Lake Outfitters, the guides and spotters who volunteered their time, Mossy Oaks, the Outdoor Channel, and August Peters from Texas who taped the events and Peter Ogden from the Maine Veterans’ Service. A special thanks to all the sponsors and to Dave and Keri Hentosh for their hospitality. Keri is a wonderful host and kept us all fed with her special meals.
Editor’s note: Ken Peters is a Vietnam veteran from Fort Fairfield.
