Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

The Moose Hunt Continues

Friday Morning September 6, 2013
Moosehead Lake
Greenville, Maine

 

 

We’re headed back to West Shirley Bog.

 

 

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This is our second and quite possibly our last moose hunt.  We aren’t out as early as I like.  It’s only 39 degrees at 6am.  Brrrrr! The fog is still thick when we put into the bog at 7:20.  But I’ve got my binoculars busy looking for those aquatic grass munching large herbivores.

 

 

 

 

 

Nobody here, so on we go.

 

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For the next hour we paddle on as the sun burns the fog away and reveals even more of the beauty of the bog.

 

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I”m looking at the beautiful colors of the grasses and their reflections when I see a great blue heron. 

 

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I turn my binoculars over to see it and discover….. GUESS WHO!!

 

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Wonder what is going on?   Are they having a conversation?  Then each goes her own way?  “See ya”.  “Nice talkin’ to ya”.

 

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Gotta be goin’ now.

 

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Well now THAT was SPECTACULAR!   Rank that right up there with my finest experience in nature!  Thank you Ms Moose Cow!!

 

Well there’s no topping that but I did get a couple of nice pictures of Ms. Moose’s heron friend.   I was looking at her when I noticed those ears in the water.

 

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With a HUGE smile our faces, we paddle on up the bog.  We started at one end and hope we can paddle to the other.

 

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David’s in the lead this time.

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He comes around a bend and there in the shallows

 

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But wait…….there are TWO

 

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Did you know that moose have no top front teeth?  How do they chew this grass hanging out of their mouths.  They eat 40 to 60 lbs of vegetation a day.  Now that’s a lot of leaves and grass.

 

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Lucky for us, moose can only see about 25 feet.

 

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But they have keen hearing and sense of smell.  I’m not sure which of them was responsible for the two climbing out of the water and heading back into the woods.

An adult moose can stand over 7 feet tall from the ground to the top of his antlers and can weigh over 1600 pounds.  His antlers can weight up to 75 pounds.  Just think about wearing a hat that heavy.  Actually I doubt if you could think with a weight like that on your forehead.

 

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So long buddy.  Thanks for the memories!!

 

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We’ve been out on the bog for over 2 hours now and still haven’t come to the end so we paddle on.

 

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But it isn’t long before we reach the end of our ability to paddle.  Too much vegetation.  We are clearly nearing the end so we turn around and head back to the beginning.

 

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On our way back the wind really picks up making paddling much more difficult.

 

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We’re almost back when we pass by Jon’s house.  What a view he has.  He might see moose just sitting in a lawn chair in his front yard.

 

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To say this was a successful moose hunt would be a serious understatement.  I’ve got the bug now.  Sure wish we weren’t leaving on Sunday.  I don’t think I have time to get on the water again.
But NEXT TIME!

 

THE END!

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26 comments:

  1. Great outdoors blog you have. My hubby came across it while looking for pics of Ocean Pond campground. We live in the city of Trenton and enjoyed your post and pics of our quaint little town. Thanks for visiting. We have just started our own RV and kayaking adventures recently and look forward to many new outdoor adventures.

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  2. I think this is the most beautiful place we have ever paddled, if not it certainly ranks in the top ten. The views were stunning no matter where we were.coming or going. No tide to worry about, no river flow to paddle against, and the moose are like the icing on the cake. Thanks for getting me out so early!

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  3. Sherry - glad you finally found your moose and there's some great pictures there. I'm really enjoying following your travels in New England.

    Thanks!
    Tom

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  4. MOOSE!!! How exciting!

    Just love the first shots of you on the foggy water. Stellar.

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  5. Success!! Great pics of the wildlife. Ain't it grand!
    Syl

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  6. I am SO glad you saw your moose. Took me years to finally see mine... and no matter how many I've seen since, it's a sight I'll never forget. We just finalized our decision today to volunteer at Aroostook NWR next summer... so if you want another view of a moose, come visit us up there then. almost guaranteed!

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  7. I can only copy Nancy and Bill's comment. WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

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  8. Victory! Sweet Victory! Your quest finally paid off and you got to see the Moose (Mooses? Meese?) :cD

    What a thrill that must have been. :c)

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  9. I'm SO glad you got to see Moose! That is just so cool. They are gentle giants, I do believe.

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  10. Cool! Glad you were able to see the moose.

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  11. Oh! sherry! That is better moose hunting than we got the entire time we were in Alaska!! Fabulous!!

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  12. WOW!! What a great moose experience, bogs are some of the best places to see them.

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  13. Well now that's a big relief. I was worried you might not get to see a moose (just like I began to wonder if I'd ever see a buffalo back in North Dakota). What a summer you've had!

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  14. What a cool experience that must have been! They are majestic animals.

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  15. Bullwinkle and Twinkle! Oh boy- how cool was that? I'm excited even to see the pictures of them. I don't think I realized that they hung out in the water so much but if they eat the vegetation that makes sense. So does that mean that moose have to live near water?

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  16. What an excellent adventure- thanks for sharing.

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  17. yay moose sightings! ... another beautiful journey ... did you think the moose might charge you? I've heard they are mean rascals. I have a friend in Alaska who says they get even with the moose for being mean by eating 'em. ew

    You ever have to go to the bathroom when you're out like that? what do you do? don't?

    I think it's my business. ha

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  18. I'd say that was a successful day! Very cool!!

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  19. We saw moose up here in Cape Breton also! So thrilled! You sure had a beautiful kayak that day.

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  20. Oh, that picture of that moose head sticking out of the water made me laugh out loud. I was a bit worried about how close you were to those other two though. I didn't know about their limited vision. My cousin in Alaska has some stories of crazy people stopping to take pictures beside a moose. Oh, me.

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  21. Yippee! You, and thus we, got see Moose. Or is that Mooses. They are SO Huge. Definitely a worthy paddle, even with the cold. How exciting!

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  22. Oh my! What a find! Not one, not two but three & a blue heron. Lucky you :) Beautiful lake pictures too. A successful paddle I'd say :)

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  23. We're headed up that way in a week. Your blog has given us a couple great ides. For West Shirley Bog...where did you put in?

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