For more than just fellowship and fall fun, the annual Maine moose hunt often proves a 'family affair,' particularly when it comes to the difficult task of extracting large animals from the woods. This reality played out a few weeks ago for Becky Unobskey and Scott Hosmer from Great Pond, who invited Mark Cain and another individual to join their hunt in Zone 5. Despite advance scouting and early sightings, a bull moose remained elusive until the next to last day of the hunt. Amid a cold, low overcast and light drizzle at first light, Scott Hosmer, Becky’s sub permittee, successfully harvested a medium-sized bull in a clear cut with three shots from his .30-06. The field-dressed animal weighed 578 pounds and was a 6-pointer, suitable for consumption.
Following initial celebrations, the team commenced the extraction. An initial plan relied on a chainsaw power winch, which successfully moved the moose approximately 20 yards toward a logging road. However, the winch’s carburetor then malfunctioned, failing under load and leaving the moose about 50 yards from the road. The group considered quartering the animal, a viable option under the circumstances, but Becky Unobskey expressed a desire to weigh her first moose at the tagging station and take photographs, which would necessitate moving the whole animal.
While the group pondered their next move, a truck carrying bird hunters arrived on the scene. Collaborating with these new acquaintances, a new extraction method was devised. A large rope was secured to the moose, then routed to the trailer ball of one of the hunting party's trucks, and subsequently to the trailer hitch of the bird hunters' truck, forming what was described as a 'snatch block lash up.' This improvised setup leveraged simple geometry, with the truck ball acting as a fulcrum. As the bird hunters slowly moved their truck forward, the rope incrementally pulled the moose to the logging road.
Further unexpected assistance came when the bird hunters revealed they had a Starlink dish atop their truck, providing crucial cell phone coverage in an area where it was otherwise unavailable. This allowed the hunting party to contact a friend in town, who agreed to bring a trailer to transport the moose to a meat processor in Crystal, using provided coordinates. The subsequent two-hour wait for the trailer's arrival transformed the scene into a communal gathering, as the two groups conversed, mostly about hunting. One of the bird hunters remarked that the collaborative effort was more engaging than searching for birds that were not present.
When the trailer arrived, Michelle and Brian Crocker and Stephen Bubar from St. Alban, along with Bob Bates and Paul Levesque from Patten — the bird hunters — helped muscle the substantial moose onto the trailer. This collective effort highlighted the value of community support. The experience served as a reminder of the willingness of Maine sportsmen to assist others in need, making the moose hunt memorable not only for the successful harvest but also for the good people who stepped in to help.