Got a Maine moose permit !!!

[bambam]

After 14 years, God smiled on me and I finally drew a Maine moose permit.....  a bull tag for unit 5. I'm wanting to hunt on my own, with a friend, without a guide.

  Just wondering if any of you have done this without a guide, or what you would recommend.

  My one concern is getting all the meat out without it spoiling, I got drawn for the September hunt.

  Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. This will probably be my one and only chance. Thanks guys.

[Todd Rahm]

Congrats!!!!!  My 14 year old son got a cow moose permit this year and we're going to try and stick it with an arrow.

I'm not sure about Maine but I would think its about the same, but Alaska Fish and Game sells an outstanding video on moose meat care after its down. I think it's $10 and you can order it from their site.

Another great source that I still use myself, is Alaska Outdoor Directory forums. You can get a lot of great info and answers to your questions.

If you can't order one and ya want one let me know and I can pick ya up one on my off week and mail it to ya.

[FinsnFur]

I think the best advise I can give would be to simply take me with.
I could help quarter it up, pack it out, etc. And I have a nice camera

Shut up you guys

[bambam]

I think the best advise I can give would be to simply take me with.
I could help quarter it up, pack it out, etc. And I have a nice camera

Shut up you guys

  Sounds good to me. I really want to do this without a guide. I Have one friend who wants to go along, if the wife is agreeable, 
  I talked to a guy tonight who shot a nice moose several years ago, he said you can do it yourself and then hire people to help you get it out. But he hunted with a guide so who knows. 

[Okanagan]

In September there is a good chance that you could call a bull.  They are one of the easier animals to call, but sometimes they are not in the mood.  Well worth trying.  I'll phone if you want on that. 

How many days do you have to hunt?  IME the first few minutes of daylight are way the best time to hunt moose, more-so than any other animal I know.  Be where you want to be before the first second of shooting light or legal shooting time. 

In warm weather we have boned out bulls in Sept. and shuttled them out in as many loads as it takes.  One big bull took nine trips including the first trip with an overfull daypack and one for the hide and antlers.

Scout, scout, scout.  By late summer know as much of the ground and places where moose are living right then as you can discover.  When I get a draw in an unfamiliar area, my son and I take a good map, draw the boundaries of it on the map and drive as much as we can all around the perimeter.  Then we drive through key looking access roads, getting to know the overall.  Then we pick a place or few places out of what we have found to concentrate on and walk.  Before opening day we know exactly where we plan to camp and where and how we plan to hunt, with options already in mind for different wind direction, weather, etc.  Someone else along to keep camp, cook etc. can save you enormous energy and time that you can use to hunt or rest. 

Good luck!

[KySongDog]

I can understand your reluctance to use a guide.  Most of us like and want the challenge of doing it all on our own.    But when you consider this might be your one and only chance at a moose (given how long it took to get drawn)  you might want to reconsider that decision.   A good guide will increase your odds tremendously.   Just a thought. 

[HaMeR]

Congratulations on the draw & Good Luck!!  I agree with Semp. Plus the fact you'll have all that meat to deal with.  Sounds like you're gonna have fun. 

[Okanagan]

+3 on Semp's and Hamer's words to at least consider using a guide.  As  a Louis L'Amour  character would say, "There's a thought in this."

Only you can know if the cost in time and money to scout etc. and do it yourself without a guide is worth more to you than a guide would cost.  What you pay for in a guide is all of that prior learning about terrain and game habits, plus knowledge of how to best exploit that knowledge in the conditions at the time of the hunt.  Between now and Sept. you will not learn enough to get up to speed equal to a good guide in the area.  "Good guide" is the critical factor however, and requires some checking, including meeting the guide in person if possible.  How far do you live from the hunt area? 

I've never gone on a guided hunt, though have hunted a number of times with off-duty guides as friends.

It's a balance of money, time, definition of a successful hunt, personal values and priorities that only you can decide.  However you go it should be a great experience!

[bambam]

Thanks guys for all the advice. My other concern is scouting. There is no way I can scout the area before the hunt. I live in West Virginia and HAVE to be home the week before the hunt. As much as I'd love to do it on my own, I think I may have to hire a guide.  Thanks again.

[Dave]

THat's awesome you drew, BamBam.  My buddy's dad drew a tag last year and they did it without a guide (I believe they were the later season).  He went up a month ahead for two or three days to scout it out a little and figure out a game plan.  I know he got A LOT of info from their fish and game department.  They are very helpful to ALL hunters.  You could probably start there - contacting the fish and game up there and talking to the WCO responsible for unit 5 (looks like a good unit, by the way).  I'm sure he could help you out with recently timbered areas, etc, that might be more populated than others.
    A guide probably wouldn't be a bad idea if you can't get up there to look around beforehand.  Like these others here said, try to get some references before plunking down any money.  Keep us updated as to what you decide to do, and how you make out.  I'm in for those draws, too (there and New Hampshire).

[JohnP]

Congratulations on the draw and good luck on the hunt.  I agree with the others - hire a guide. 

[Okanagan]

Thanks guys for all the advice. My other concern is scouting. There is no way I can scout the area before the hunt. I live in West Virginia and HAVE to be home the week before the hunt. As much as I'd love to do it on my own, I think I may have to hire a guide.  Thanks again.

Sure sympathize with your preference to do it on your own.  The times I've hunted out of state I've always gone with a friend who knew the ground, not equivalent to a guide but a huge head start.   Without that, it is so daunting to start in a vacuum that I haven't even applied nor bought a license to hunt an unknown area.   My last trip up near the Yukon a friend who used to live in my hunt area spent an hour on the phone with me while both of us looked at Google earth on our computer screens.  He showed me  around that way while I made notes on my paper map and wrote directions to tricky places.  In fact, the reason I went on that hunt was that he recommended it and would tell me how and where to hunt it.

Got a friend in Maine?   If not...

[Hawks Feather]

Congratulations on finally getting the permit.  Sure sounds like a great hunt and one that you will remember for a looooonnnnnngggggg time.  Take lots of images so we can all enjoy the visual effect while you enjoy the pleasure of eating it.

Jerry