Now’s the time to book a Maine moose hunting guide

By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff

Maine’s moose permit lottery festival was an exciting day not only for the hunters who attended, but for the lodges and guides waiting to fill the slots on their 2023 calendar. For them, the next few weeks will be crucial to business.

Registered Maine Guides expect a whirlwind couple of weeks as lucky hunters reach out in search of experienced and skilled folks to coordinate their special hunts.

“I joke with my wife, this is my Super Bowl. It’s almost like Christmas Eve as a kid,” said guide Chris Richards of Hermon, who works at OMM Outfitters in Eagle Lake and serves on the board of directors of the Maine Professional Guides Association.

Outfitters attended the 2023 permit lottery, which was held at Mill Park in Augusta, to talk with hunters and begin booking sports for the hunt. 

“This is a celebration of our passion,” Richards said. “There’s obviously the commercial aspect of it, promoting services and selling services, but probably 90 percent of what we do here is just telling stories with people who enjoy the outdoors.”

But even attending the show isn’t a guarantee of business.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” said Jason Williams of Rustic Retreat Lodge in Perham, who manned a booth with his wife and fellow Registered Maine Guide Terri Williams. “We’re hoping to get people in here now and explain to them how we run our operation, so that if they do get drawn, they already understand what we’re all about.”

Rustic Retreat Lodge, in its fourth year of operation, will guide four hunters each in both of the bull-only weeks and another in one of the antlerless weeks. It’s located, Terri Williams said, “in the armpit” of WMDs 3 and 6, although they also take hunters to zones 2 and 5.

Jason Williams said in spite of having the pressure of putting a client on a moose, the thrill of the process is rewarding from the guide perspective.

“We’re just as excited to be there, to show them where to go, to get them onto that moose, to do some calling and then when it comes together. It’s exciting for both us and the clients,” he said.

Brandon Bishop of Foggy Mountain Guide Service based in Charleston, and a member of the MPGA board of directors, said many first-time moose hunters, in particular, may not have a full awareness of the challenge that awaits them.

“There’s so many logistics to the moose hunt,” Bishop said. “There’s a lot of prep time that goes into it. You’ve got the food for the week, you have to have plenty of ropes and equipment to get the moose out, and the time to do the proper scouting to find moose.”

Going to the lottery event is fun, and it also can be good business.

“We’ll book hunts from this,” Richards said. “It’s not unheard of to have a person in the audience hear their name drawn and leave while they’re still reading names and come over.”

For Lakewood Camps in Middle Dam, moose season will mark a new chapter in the 170-year history of the operation. Located on the outlet of Richardson Lake, at the start of the Rapid River, the business previously focused on its fishing offerings.

“We are definitely expanding opportunities for hunting in the fall, upland birds and moose season,” said Ian Trefry, who bought the camps in August 2022. “We’re pretty proud of that heritage, and we’re trying to expand on it and restore the glory of Lakewood Camps.”

Moose hunting outfitters are a pretty laid-back bunch and allow hunters to ask lots of questions in the hope of finding the right fit. But no one knows better than they do that time is of the essence.

“Good guide operations, they fill quickly,” Richards said. “Folks shouldn’t delay, even if they’re just booking lodging.”

Two or three weeks after the lottery, many outfitters are full, especially in WMDs 1 and 4, where it is quite remote.

“There’s not a ton of infrastructure there,” Richards said. “If you want a camp or a lodge, you’ve probably got to make a commitment within days.”