Zone 8.

I never realized how much this was going to cost me....guide, butchering, possible taxidermy, travel, etc......

I have been putting in for years and did not expect to get picked.

Any advice to prepare?

Congrats! I've been putting in for a few years, figure it will probably 5+ years before I'm ever drawn though.

Advice?

The advice my grandfather gave is probably best. I asked where the best place to shoot a moose is. He replied "next to the truck."

Congratulations. A moose hunt is my dream hunt.

I put in for it for about 10 years. Finally said fuck it. Glad you got it.

Cow or bull?

How far are you traveling to get to Maine?  You aren't required to hire a guide.

Moose hunting isn't that difficult.  A lot of driving usually, stopping and calling in areas of sign.

If you don't have a guide you need a truck and a "shit-ton" of rope to be safe.  (I think 1200' is pretty common - a coil of rope used by lobster fisherman)

ATV and a chainsaw winch can be pretty handy as well.

A fully equipped guide will be a lot easier on you in the long run though.

I wont hunt moose again unless my son wants to, or I do it with a longbow.  There really isn't much challenge in it unless you are looking for a trophy.

I drew a ME tag in 97 after 10 years of applying. Drew NH my third year.
30 years and my younger brother still hasnt pulled a tag.

Both hunts were DIY.
Hope you picked a subpermittee with a strong back and a weak mind! Next most important thing is a HD plastic sled to skid out your moose. Took us 5 trips.
I'm just getting over it!

Call COs, biologists, etc NOW if DIY.
They are more than willing to steer you in the right direction.

Take along a battery powered "sawmill". We used an 18v Milwakee unit.  And a coarse metal blade.  With one charge we were able to remove all four lower legs (nothing but hooves and bones anyhow), remove the head, saw the cow in half at the last rib, and then slice the whole critter from neck to butt right down the spine.   It had to be quartered to load it on the float plane anyhow....  The sawmill makes all of this relatively painless.

A small set of pulleys and some rope  are highly advised.  There are times you need to pull that moose 20 feet to get it out of a hole  before setting to field dressing.  You can't just grab an antler and drag the thing like you would a whitetail buck...

Moose don't need massive power, despite anything you've read.  A .308, .30-06, .270 whatever works well.  Don't worry about caliber, but DO select a GOOD bullet.  Opt for heavy for caliber (180 in 30s, 160-175 in 7mm, 140 in 6.5mm) and something like a nosler partition (NO Ballistic tips or similar deer bullets).  Eastern moose aren't the 2000 lb monsters that Yukon moose are, and even the lowly 170 gr 30-30 will drop them very quickly with proper bullet placement.

Hunted Maine Moose a couple times. You don't need a guide if you have a little time and some friends. We always hunted zone 5 up by Oxbow. Plenty of moose. Make sure you bring some friends as the last time I was there you had to bring the moose out whole and bring it to a check station where they weigh it (minus the entrails). 308 or whatever you want to use is enough gun. Make your first shot count and know the moose anatomy from every angle before you are looking at one in your scope. I prefer head shots myself especially if they are already near the road. The last thing you want is for one to go tearing off through the forest away from your truck. We used six guys and a military style stretcher to get ours out of the woods. As has been mentioned a chainsaw or Simpson winch will probably make your life easier. Good luck and have fun!

Congrats op.  Good luck.

Zone 8 is about 2hrs from me  I keep forgetting to put in for one i also work too much...

Bring a shotgun so you can get some grouse, too.

Congrats on the permit OP!

If I had a moose tag I would be done.  One week in on our archery elk season this guy got way too close. In fact after this pic my ass was running.

Attached File

I go to Jackman nearly every year for a couple weeks of solitude, hiking, canoeing, small game hunting. If I could pic one area to shoot a moose in New England it would be that area.

I always see a ton of moose.

Good luck!

Do you need a guide? I wouldn't bother unless it was mandatory.