Finally NR Maine Moose tag!!

[Viking3520]

Seems my fall is getting booked up quickly. Didn't know if I was going to get any tags this year and then all of a sudden,...they just rolled in. I drew a moose tag this year for Maine as a Non Resident. Been applying for about 6 years $35 approach. I did not get a bull tags, but that's ok with me I got an anterless cow tag, but hey,...it's moose hunting and if lucky some good meat. Thats what it's all about. Now the fun part, figuring out where to go! LOL. I am an avid travel hunter, elk, caribou, antelope, mule deer, white tail, done them all DIY successfully., just dont spare the boot leather and hunt smart. But I am almost open to any tips as this will be my first Maine hunt. WMD 3. Any pointers from those that have been there done that before?

 

[Nine Banger]

But I am almost open to any tips as this will be my first Maine hunt.

Any pointers from those that have been there done that before?

@ViperD and I hunted cow season in Unit 2 last year. It sounds like you want to DIY and learn yourself, so I won't post any pointers yet. LMK.

Congrats on the tag.

 

[Zdub02]

Congrats on the tag. Moose is on my bucket list. Sounds like a fun adventure is waiting on you.

 

[Joshk358]

Congrats!! That'll be an awesome adventure for sure. Got a zone 4 bull tag in 2013 and have been dreaming about drawing again before I die....which will probably never happen....lol. Have fun and post pictures!

 

[jeg11010]

I've been putting in $100 every year for the past few years as a non resident but I want a bull tag in zone 1 or 2. I figure if I'm lucky enough to get one, it will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity so may as well go big. Congratulations and good luck!

 

[summs]

No help with WMD 3, but if it's like any other parts of Maine I've been in, there are moose everywhere, especially ridge tops. Lots of locals wont leave the road, they just drive for 6 days putting on 1000+ miles looking to shoot from the road.

It's been warm the last couple of seasons, and by law you can now quarter your moose out, if you are driving, guys are bringing a generator and a chest freezer to drive their meat home with.

 

[Nine Banger]

No help with WMD 3, but if it's like any other parts of Maine I've been in, there are moose everywhere, especially ridge tops. Lots of locals wont leave the road, they just drive for 6 days putting on 1000+ miles looking to shoot from the road.

It's been warm the last couple of seasons, and by law you can now quarter your moose out, if you are driving, guys are bringing a generator and a chest freezer to drive their meat home with.

The locals patrol around in quad cab pick-ups full of dudes with trailers with winches on them bouncing behind them, or stash trailers in turnarounds. They winch the moose from where it fell with long cables. When they hang them at the check station the moose look like they fell off a cliff and have bald spots on the hides from getting pulled around stumps.

We showed up to the check station with game bags and it was like Pee Wee Herman asking about the basement at The Alamo.

Another check station thing that happened to us was the operator asked us "How am I going to get a tooth if you don't have the skull." I watched every FWS video, read all the stuff and attended all 3 webinars they offered. We heard about ovaries over and over and over again, but no one said anything about a tooth.

 

[gsiler23]

Congrats!! Sounds like you've got the right attitude. I've heard, from guys that have done it before, that the locals typically drive all over as mentioned. While it is possible to hunt on foot or stand hunt, I'm sure it totally depends on the unit, and the terrain.

 

[nettereo16]

My friend who is a resident drew a few years ago and he put me down as his subpermittee. We both got to shoot as the bull took a few follow up shots. Lots of Mainers just driving around the logging roads all day.

We found moose consistently hanging out in cuts that had been logged 2-3 years ago where new growth had been coming back in and they were eating maple saplings. There was a glassing knob that allowed us to watch a few different cuts at once. Very cool trip. Bring a shotgun, lots of grouse everywhere and better eating than the blue grouse out in elk country!

 

[hearteater]

I called my bull in a couple years ago using a Cocall in zone 2. Was hunting solo so it was nice to be able to set the call up behind me. If you’re interested in buying the call let me know I’ll give you a good deal.

 

[Pochuck]

Good luck! Maine moose is the most fun you can have in the northeast. I went guided in 2023 but agree that all the locals drive around all day. Get off the beaten path and really listen for calls. Unit 8 didn't have much opportunity for glassing just calling since it's so thick

 

[BLJ]

My friend who is a resident drew a few years ago and he put me down as his subpermittee. We both got to shoot as the bull took a few follow up shots. Lots of Mainers just driving around the logging roads all day.

We found moose consistently hanging out in cuts that had been logged 2-3 years ago where new growth had been coming back in and they were eating maple saplings. There was a glassing knob that allowed us to watch a few different cuts at once. Very cool trip. Bring a shotgun, lots of grouse everywhere and better eating than the blue grouse out in elk country! View attachment 898590

Is that Maine?

 

[nettereo16]

Is that Maine?

Yes, way up on a hillside that they logged a few years ago, we could see down the valley. Very cool area!

 

[BLJ]

Yes, way up on a hillside that they logged a few years ago, we could see down the valley. Very cool area!

Absolutely beautiful.

Not sure if it was intentional or not, but that picture is amazing.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

If you do any scouting during the summer, don't freak out if you don't see any. They tend to be near nocturnal and bed down most of the day, especially if it's warm. They hide really well in dense brush and with leaves on the trees. That was my situation here in WA. When the leaves started falling, that's when I scored.

Edited to add, if you've never hunted them before, be very prepared to deal with a large animal. My Shiras cow was 11.5 years old and weighed about 750 lbs, according to the bio (she had been captured and collared). Bring lots of cooler space.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

That’s awesome, I’d love to get a shiras moose someday. There was a cool thread a few years back by a guy who had just done sort of a moose slam (Yukon, Canada and shiras. With the shiras being the hardest to do, maybe you could get the other ones too.

 

[BAKPAKR]

That’s awesome, I’d love to get a shiras moose someday. There was a cool thread a few years back by a guy who had just done sort of a moose slam (Yukon, Canada and shiras. With the shiras being the hardest to do, maybe you could get the other ones too.

I have killed four Shiras bulls (ID, MT, ID second draw, WY) and a Canada bull (ME). I also had a NH tag but I let my dad shoot that bull, as my sub-permittee. So, it is the Alaska-Yukon variety I am missing (if you don’t distinguish between eastern and western Canada). It sounds like it is easy to get $10,000 or more into a DIY AK hunt. I just can’t get myself to part with the $$$ to get that done.

@Viking3520, congrats on the tag. You are in for some fun.

 

[Viking3520]

Congrats!! That'll be an awesome adventure for sure. Got a zone 4 bull tag in 2013 and have been dreaming about drawing again before I die....which will probably never happen....lol. Have fun and post pictures!

Will do. I will post pics from the hunt. Right now been focused on another DIY solo caribou hunt in Alaska. Did it last year and had a blast and got a decent bull for a first time hunt.