The Lure of Mooswa #35

I am fortunate to live in an area where much of it is open to public access for fishing and hunting. Landowners make their land available to us as long as we respect it and keep it clean. In order to take advantage of its beauty, I only need to register at a gate and pay a minimal fee. If you are like TC and I, and frequent the area, you are more apt to purchase your yearly pass.

Now, my job allows me to be in contact with many people from outside our region, and it is often interesting to talk with them about how they view our remote area. Many times, they come here and one of the first things they talk about is their desire to see a moose. From time to time, they ask that we take a ride to try to find one so they can take a picture of it. I have even heard them remark that they have been here on a number of occasions, but have never seen the large animal. They question if there really is one, or if it is just fiction.

The word “moose” comes from the Algonquin Indians. These were native people who lived throughout the northern regions of Canada. The Algonquins called this strange looking creature mooswa. It means “twig-eater” or “the animal that strips bark off of trees.” Early explorers heard this word and through the years, it eventually changed into “moose.”

Those of us who live in Maine clearly have an answer for this question. I for one have been in the woods walking during hunting season only to come upon a large bull staring me down as if to say, what are you doing in my territory? When this happens, you quietly work your way to the side of the beast and find an alternative route of travel. I remember years ago while growing up, a Maine Game Warden, then stationed in Escourt Station telling us about the time he was fishing on Jones Pond. As he looked up, a bull moose was swimming towards him in the water at a speedy clip. The moose continued on and struck the boat sending the warden into the water. After striking the boat, the moose continued along to the shore and vanished out of sight.  I remember another story I was told, when my friend Jon was hunting in the woods, and all of a sudden, he ran by the gentleman he was hunting with at lightning speed. When asked why he was running, his response was that he was being chased by a big moose. Unfortunately, when the other gentleman looked behind Jon, there was no sign of a moose. Now, I was not there for either of those events, so were they true or were they just stories made up about this  beast?

So, are these animals real or a figment of your imagination? I leave you with this, next time you are traveling in the North Maine Woods, and it is hot and the heat is creating a mirage in what you see, and you come over a hill and all of a sudden off in the distance, you see a dark towering silhouette image up ahead side to you in the road, but you can’t quite make out what it is, stop the truck, step outside and take a good hard look. Could it be a moose or are you caught up in the lure of real vs. fiction?