Number Ten was the Charm

By Sue Wesley

Over the years, my husband and I have been very fortunate to hunt many game species in a number of states and countries. One species that has eluded me has been a bull moose. I had been on many moose hunts, in Alaska, twice to British Columba including 5 trips to New Foundland and other provinces in Canada. Weather, antler restrictions and just plain no moose in the area stopped me from getting a bull in my sights.
One of the advantages of working at the SCI booth at the Hamburg Sportsman show is getting to meet outfitters.  While working the SCI booth this past March, Michael and I stopped to check out an outfitter from Maine offering moose and bear hunts. We checked out his pictures and Michael told him about my track record with moose hunts.  The outfitter of course replied that he could get me a moose!  Michael and I considered the hunt and went back again to talk with George Sabattus Jr., the owner of Huntley Brook Outfitters in Jackman Maine. Michael was recovering from heart surgery so we had to cancel several hunts that we had scheduled for this fall due to the extensive travel and strenuous hunt situations.  After further telephone conversations with George, we decided to give the Maine moose hunt a try. We would be hunting on Passamaquady tribal land in northwestern Maine. 
October finally arrived and we decided to take a drive along routes 2 and 4 to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage through Vermont and New Hampshire. We decided to stay at a stately inn in Quechee, Vermont. We were fortunate that they had a room available. The Quechee Inn is located in a quiet, pleasant valley on the site of the 1793 homestead of Colonel Joseph Marsh. The staff was extremely polite and accommodating. The atmosphere brought you back to a time when things were more relaxed. Dining was a pleasure equal to any home cooked meal your mother prepared for the holidays. We will definitely return to this wonderful retreat.
Arriving in Jackman Maine on Thursday afternoon, we found the Riverview cottages where George had made reservations for us to stay during our hunt. We had a day of rest on Friday and started our hunt on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the weather was hot (80+ degrees) and windy for the first 3 days of the hunt. My guide, Justin, tried calling since the moose were still in the rut, but no luck so far. It seems that my bad luck was following me to Maine.  Tuesday arrived and again no luck in spotting any moose in the numerous areas we hiked into. Finally the weather started to moderate with temperatures dropping and the wind letting up. Wednesday morning started out with a slight frost. Justin decided to take me to an area where his father had seen a nice bull earlier in the fall. We drove to the area and set up in some brush next to a brook at the end of a logging road. Justin called using his best cow call and within about 15 minutes we heard the grunting reply of a bull.  He continued to call in response to the bull’s grunts.  The moose was coming closer!  Finally we decided to move out of the brush to get a better look around. Justin spotted the moose about 250 yards in the trees above us. We dropped to our knees and waited for him to move so we could get a good look at him.  He moved out into an opening and we saw he was a young bull. He moved across the opening and out of our view. We made a move to get closer while Justin continued to call. We could hear the bull responding to the call. 
The bull came back out into the opening. This time he was about 150 yards away in a clearing. Justin said he was a nice young bull. I heard him whisper to me “take him if you want him”. That was all I needed to hear!  I made an offhand shot; the bull jumped and made a run for the woods. Justin said “shoot him again”!  This time I shot and he dropped in his tracks.  I think Justin was as happy as I was when we went to check out my moose!   
Justin tried to call George to let him know of our success. Michael was hunting with George in another area. Cell phone reception is poor to say the least. Finally we made contact with George and he said he would arrive shortly to help with the moose. After the moose was dressed Justin backed his pick up into a ditch. He laid a piece of plywood over the top of the tail gate and he and George made it look easy dragging the moose into the back of the pickup. We took the moose to a check in station where a state wildlife biologist took blood samples, aged and weighed the moose. While waiting we heard that there was a rather large moose die off due to the extremely harsh winter. The number of moose taken was down considerably from previous years. 
This was a relaxing, enjoyable hunt with comfortable accommodations. 
George Sabattus Jr. is a registered Maine Guide who primarily provides spring and fall bear hunts. He is the only tribal bear guide in the Jackman area. George can be reached at 207-214-4687 or e-mail: georgesabattus@yahoo.com