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A Successful Moose Hunt

Scott's bull moose.
October 10, 2012   Feature, Hunting, Maine Outdoors, Moose

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I knew where I wanted to hunt for partridge this morning. It’s a place in Waite I was sure Tammy, who is new to the area, hadn’t been. There’s a clear cut that’s in the process of regenerating. There are acres of open land dotted with hardwood coppice, small jack and white pine, and some fir trees. The jack pine plantation was cut a few years ago. I thought we might find some birds there, and I had an ulterior motive. We might find moose hunters. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to interview and photograph a successful moose hunter.

Tammy mentioned Scott Harriman has a permit to moose hunt this week but she didn’t know where he might be. We talked about how many people it must take to load a moose and how it was done.

We drove out Bingo Road in Waite, past Dwelley’s gravel pit, and into the woods. It didn’t take long to see headlights through the mist. Someone was coming toward me on the narrow road. I backed up and pulled off to the side to make room for the vehicle. I waited a couple of minutes but it didn’t show up so I drove to meet them. “I think we have hunters,” I told Tammy.

They were finished with the hunt. We pulled up just in time to see Scott Harriman of Baileyville jump out of his truck. In a flash, Jeff Tomah drove an ATV onto the trailer behind Scott’s truck. Jeff pulled Scott’s moose behind him, neatly parking the ATV and moose on the trailer.

13 pt bull moose

Scott Harriman’s 13 point, 599 pound bull moose

Ryan Lincoln of Baileyville joined Scott and McKenna for the hunt. McKenna is Scott’s daughter and the subpermittee on his hunt. She’s 10 years old. This is the first year she’s old enough to hunt. What a way to start out. Scott, McKenna and Ryan were in the woods very early this morning, long before sunrise. They checked their watches, waiting for the beginning of legal hunting time. They saw eight cows and a bull in the same place yesterday. The bull was too far away and unwilling to leave the cow he was interested in to answer their calls.

They called and waited. It didn’t take long. They spotted the bull coming across the clearing near two jack pines. Scott pulled the trigger and claimed his moose at 7:05 am. The ATV was unloaded and they dragged the moose closer to the road. Roger Harriman, Scott’s uncle, and Jeff Tomah came out to help. McKenna watched as they field dressed the moose. Tammy asked her if it was a little gross. McKenna nodded.

Scott's 13 point, 599 pound bull moose

Scott’s 13 point, 599 pound bull moose

We went with Scott, McKenna and Ryan to Waite General Store when they tagged the moose. Wayne Seidl, co-owner of the store, measured the moose’s antlers, pulled a tooth, and recorded Scott’s license and permit numbers. He made note of whether the antlers are palmated (they are) or servicorn (like a deer’s antlers), and estimated the age. The bull field dressed at 699 pounds.

Congratulations to Scott, McKenna and Ryan on a successful hunt!

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