Moose Wild Goose Chase

Abbott, Maine   High: 77   Low: 57

OK, here's the thing.. There aren't any to be found-- lately. We think the 3:1 ratio of moose to people is a PR stunt to bring the tourists to the middle of Maine. We've studied all the literature and handouts about moose on where to find them..Sparky asks every native Mainer, WHERE ARE THE MOOSE? Everywhere we go, Sparky pesters the locals as to the best spot to find moose. We've traveled all over the Greenville area looking high and low for moose. No moose. Where are they? Heck if we know! They aren't at the DOT bog spot in Shirley, just outside of Greenville, although someone saw one a few days ago. They aren't hanging out in the bogs and ponds around Abol Campground near Baxter State Park, WA-A-A-Y up north from Greenville on bad roads, although they have been spotted at a nearby marshy area and viewing spot a few days ago. They aren't at Lily Bay State Park, although they were a couple of weeks ago and the gate attendant tonight said the mother shows up and wanders around every few days. She (the gate attendant, ha ha) drives in from Shirley, quite a distance to the south and says she usually sees them at the DOT station there. We've checked there two days in a row. Everybody else is checking there, too, at dusk. All these people are waiting for moose to come out of the woods, sitting by the Shirley D.O.T. station. Some sit in their cars for hours. They are probably still waiting. Bet the locals are laughing their heads off as they drive by. And isn't the red car something? What do you do in Maine when you just got married? Go looking for moose! What a guy to take his bride moose watching! There weren't any. We left. They probably came to the bog after our departure. We'll hear about it tomorrow most likely.

They aren't on the Golden Road around Baxter State Park, where people usually see them. We've driven LOTS of bad roads at dusk in that area daring them to show up. We even took a moose watching trip two years ago, getting up at the ungodly hour of 4:00 AM to go out kayaking on a marshy pond by daylight with the Northeast Guide Service out of Greenville. Great guide by the name of Ashley, but no moose then, probably no moose now. Checked this pond....nada.

Late today we went on another moose wild goose chase...Word had it that the Lazy Tom bog was a good moose spot. We went, we saw--NOTHING but beautiful scenery and lots of mosquitoes around 6:00 PM. We went on past the Lazy Tom Bog and found another beautiful spot that looked promising.

It wasn't.

We even asked our blog follower friends we met at Campobello Island, Susan and Mike Wilhoit, where they had seen moose, and they said mainly in Canada.

Zero, nada, nope, no moose in central Maine--ain't gonna happen. WE GIVE UP! For now....

Locals say best time to see moose is in late spring, like May and June, when the mothers are out foraging for grasses. Somebody said that this late in the summer, the grasses are turning more bitter, the moose are moving away from their usual spots and looking for greener pastures on the other side, or should we say greener marshes someplace else?

So, without any moose photos, other than this one from the internet...

We'll leave today's blog at short and sweet. Here are a few more facts Sparky wants to share about moose so she won't feel so badly about not seeing any:

Moose are the largest of the deer species.....their antlers can grow to six feet in length from tip to tip. From bottom hoof to their shoulder, they can stand 7 feet high.....the flap of skin under their chin is called a "bell"....they are good swimmers and can stay under water for more than 30 seconds....They can run up to 30 miles and hour for short bursts...A moose calf weighs about 30 pounds at birth and can outrun a person by the time they are five days old...They eat 40-50 pounds of plants a day!....They eat willow, birch, aspen twigs, bushes, saplings, pond weeds and grasses...A grown moose weighs up to 1600 to 1800 pounds!...Average lifespan of a moose is 8-12 years in the wild....See you at another pond...(Guess we are going looking again tomorrow? Maybe we should try the early early morning time, suggests E.) Maybe Sparky will just sleep in...We'll see.....We are going to try ONE more trip, into the heart of Baxter State Park tomorrow...Maybe the third time is the charm?