Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

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JRD
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Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by JRD »

A couple weeks ago I was blessed with good fortune to share a successful Maine moose hunt with my father and oldest son. The time since the moose lottery drawing last June when I was drawn for a bull tag has just flown by. I literally won the lottery to be selected for one of the 2700+ moose permits in Maine this year. Considering there are probably 50,000 hunters who apply and that only 10% of those permits are awarded to non-residents, I was fantastically lucky.

On top of that, I was drawn for a bull tag in Zone 12 in western Maine. Not an area loaded with moose but again it was like the perfect storm of good luck. A good friend of my dad's from town had moved up to Maine years ago and in his retirement has become a registered Maine guide and lives in Zone 12. He donates much of his guiding service to Hunt of a Lifetime and offered host us in his beautiful log home and guide for us.

Our guide Jeff had done a lot of homework before the season and found a great spot full of fresh bull sign. After 18 hours sitting in a blind watching the old cut and Jeff calling periodically with his birch bark call, the bull which we knew was in the area finally came out. My son and I took this beautiful bull and my father was with us to see it. We both fired and hit the bull in the chest before it fell.

Before I get too far, here's the three generations with our guide.
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For those into numbers, the bull dressed at 821 pounds and had a 45" spread, 15 points, and 10" palms. While not a world record, it was the trophy of a lifetime for us. The guide said it was the perfect bull, a respectable trophy but also young enough to make some good eating.

My son turned 14 just before the hunt. He got a week out of school and loved being in hunting camp. He shot the old Model 700 308 that I used to shoot my first deer with a rifle. It's been his rifle for a few years now and he's taken deer with it.
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And here I am so you can get a better look at the levergun. A Savage 99 from the early 50's in 300 Savage. I shot Hornady Superformance 150 gr ammo. Hat tip to Hornady here because that stuff shoots super well from this old rifle.
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I had to "borrow" this Savage from my younger son. I wrote up this rifle in a post a few years ago.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40379
Since I was already on nostalgic bent, I endeavored to get this old rifle into shooting shape. I pulled the foggy old scope that came on the rifle off and replaced it with an old steel tube K3 wideview Weaver that I'd been saving for the right rifle. To make a long story short it was a more involved project than I thought because the rifle was not factory drilled and tapped. However, because I love to tinker with old guns anyway, I was able to get the scope mounted correctly and it's right at home on this old Savage.

To top things off, we were able to get in a day of bird hunting at the end of the week. This was the first time my son had ever been hunting for birds that weren't stocked and he loved it. He said that while nothing compares with the thrill of shooting a bull moose, upland bird hunting on a beautiful fall day was more fun than sitting on a stool in the brush for 18 hours waiting for a moose.
Keeping with the nostalgic trend, the old double is the Fox Model B 20 gauge that my grandfather bought my father as his first shotgun. My dad had moved on to over and unders and said he hadn't shot a bird with the old Fox double since the early 70's. He was nearly in tears when I took a woodcock with it.
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We were also able to spend some downtime shooting classic 22's off the porch at the cabin. Again in keeping with the trend, I left the semi-autos at home and we took one of the old Winchester pumps do to some plinking.
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This was the perfect hunt and was truly the experience of a lifetime for all of us. Being drawn for a tag, in a zone where our guide friend lived, actually taking a beautiful bull with my son- with my father watching us and while shooting classic and nostalgic rifles was just the perfect storm of good luck.
harry
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by harry »

Perfect :D
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Shasta
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Shasta »

Congratulations on a fine bull. Loved the very good write-up and pictures. :D

I would be very interested to hear more on the penetration and performance of your bullet. Were you able to retrieve the bullet from the carcass?

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earlmck
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by earlmck »

Thanks for the great story and pictures. That Savage looks mighty fine rested on the antlers. Very nice!
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Wonderful bull! What a memory! They don't get much bigger than that in Maine, do they?
Treetop
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Treetop »

Outstanding hunt and post, JRD!
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.45colt
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by .45colt »

Wow!!! Absolutely Awesome All around. :mrgreen: .
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gamekeeper
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by gamekeeper »

earlmck wrote:Thanks for the great story and pictures. That Savage looks mighty fine rested on the antlers. Very nice!
+ 1..
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M. M. Wright
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by M. M. Wright »

Congratulations all around. I love it when a good clan comes together, especially when it's for a successful hunt.
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vonfatman
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by vonfatman »

Great story and photos! Thanks
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Pete44ru
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Pete44ru »

.

What a wonderful account, and the pics are great, too ! ! . 8)

Thanks for taking the time to document your hunt, and post it here.

That's a VERY respectable Maine Moose. :o

I also like that you beat the odds, pulling a tag from the lottery. :)

I think you ought to buy a powerball ticket, while your luck's still in. :mrgreen:



.
rbertalotto
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by rbertalotto »

Fantastic....Talk about "Memories for a Lifetime!!!"
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stretch
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by stretch »

THAT is the hunt of a lifetime. :lol: 8) :D :mrgreen:

Terrific - great bull, 3 generations of family, and you had great weather.
It's been a FANTASTIC autumn up here in Maine.

That's what it's all about, boys.

And thanks for sharing the pics!

-Stretch
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Griff
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Griff »

stretch wrote:THAT is the hunt of a lifetime. :lol: 8) :D :mrgreen:

Terrific - great bull, 3 generations of family, and you had great weather.
It's been a FANTASTIC autumn up here in Maine.

That's what it's all about, boys.

And thanks for sharing the pics!

-Stretch
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Grizz
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Grizz »

totally great trip and account of it.
Batman1939
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Batman1939 »

Very nice experience; none of you will ever forget it. Thanks for posting the tale and photos. :)
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Old No7
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Old No7 »

Great story!

I hope the locals were good to you, and thanks for helping out our economy up here.

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JRD
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by JRD »

My son's 308 bullet which was a Federal 150 gr factory load we recovered at the butcher shop under the hide on the far side. It went through the lungs behind the shoulder. It mushroomed perfectly, although I have not weighed it.

The 300 Savage bullet we did not recover. It also was a lung shot behind the shoulder. There was no exit on the far side, when they skinned it at the butchers, so I have to assume the bullet was still somewhere in the lungs when I field dressed it.

We went back to the gut pile the next day with a metal detector to look for my bullet, but a bear had made a meal everything but the stomach. We didn't see the bear, but the big pile of bear poop on a game trail leading from the gut pile lead us to think a bruin had a full stomach that night. There could be a 150 gr Hornady bullet in a pile of bear poop out there somewhere...

On the recovered bullet, I determined it came from my son's 308 by examining the engraving. Both the Savage and Remington have 6 groove RH twist, but the Savage has noticeably wider lands than the Remington. My son was thrilled to know the recovered bullet was his, proving that he definitely hit the moose.

The locals in Maine were great. Our guide drove us right down Main St. in Bethel to the check station with the moose overflowing from the bed of his truck. People were stopping to see the moose up on the scale. Even the next day at breakfast the waitress said she saw us drive by with the moose the day before. A successful moose hunt is a big event in Maine.
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TedH
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by TedH »

Thanks for sharing. :mrgreen:
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hfcable
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by hfcable »

a wonderful hunt, especially the family aspect ! that story will live for generations ! made my day.
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Dave
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Re: Three Generation Maine Moose hunt... with levergun

Post by Dave »

What a time you all had! Congrats all around
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