My favorite…Pot Belly the moose/ doin fine in 2008

     I was delighted to find an ole friend of mine ….Pot Belly the moose alive this summer after the long tough winter Maine had in 2007. Reports in Maine and Canada dictate large moose and deer losses from the toughest winter in some time.

     The Pot Belly saga started uneventfully back in 2002. I came upon this moose feeding that was just shoveling in the aqatic plants BIG-TIME. I mean this moose was chowing down. She was a mature adult cow who appeared to be at least 6-7 yrs old at that time. Little did i know then that this moose would become special to me and I would learn more from this moose than any other. She was huge with a big pot belly. She looked pregant each and every summer i saw her (even though she had a calf standing by her side. ) What really impressed me about her was the length of time she would feed for. most moose feed for an hour or two, sometimes less, and then feed again thru-out the day perhaps. Not P.B……she would feed literally all day long. I have met up with her in the morning and left her at dusk and she would be feeding the whole time. 

    A favorite moment i remember with her was back in 2005, she was feeding donwind frim me and headed my way. I was hugged tight to shore in my kayak and she slowly approached me. When she got to me rather than swing out around me; she actually brushed right up against the kayak with her side and belly on the way by me. I never said a word to her (or any moose i am with) but WOW……it was exciting to say the least She was only inches away from my right arm on the way by. neatest thing was how gentle and passive she was in doing it.  P.B. leaves her calves with me often and has me “babysit” while she fills her face. 

     THIS YEAR….I had been way down deep in the area where she lives and just about at dark 3rd day I was there; there was Pot Belly alive and well and with calf yet again….Now this moose is elderly at this point and still producing calves. She is about 13 yrs old this year. Moose average age is a subject that is debated….some say 8, some 10, some 15 or so.  I think 12 is average myself and she is past that.  It was great to see her this year and it warmed my heart to no end to see her with yet another calf.  She was a bit ugly with me this year which is unusual for her but her calf seemed young and probably was born late this year. 

    All I know is she is one special moose in my book.  And yes, she was dong her thing as usual….feeding aggressively with large mouthful of the water plants that she seems to love every July..    

“Ricky & the Moose” children’s book

We have just released our first book, “Ricky & the Moose”. We call it the little book with a BIG message. There’s fun drawings thru-out by my wife Donna and of course some MooseMan photos too. We have big plans for this little book. We will be kicking things off with a book signing at Artisan’s in New London on august 30th; followed by various signings and book fairs from now until Christmas and beyond. Pick one up for that special little one in your life. 

     There is one drawing that’s my favorite picturing me at my birthday party getting my first camera. The drawing shows the farm i grew up on in quite a bit of detail and hits a special place in me for sure. Family members will smile when they see because it is sure to take them “back to the farm” and all the memories from that wonderful place from our youth. 

     My wife and I self published the book and there is another book in our thoughts as well. The next one most likely will be a “coffee table” type book with lots of MooseMan photos and stories.  

     Until next time………Happy moose watching.

      

2nd trip MooseMan report

I am fresh back from the 2nd trip to the woods of Maine and have made a decision I’ve been pondering for some time. I will be doing the early trip into the wilderness and lengthening that one as it is very productive with lots of moose action. However, by mid-july…..the aquatic plants the moose are feeding on have “gone by” and become sour. The moose slow down on feeding in the water (which is of course where i work with them), and eat more browse on land. Anyway, that said, the trip was still good. Biggest thrill was running into a very RARE treat. After all these years I finally encountered a moose with ALBINO pigmentation in her face down near her snout. She had a good sized patch of white there and at first I couldn’t quite believe what i was seeing. the encounter was brief but memorable. She had a calf hiding in the bushes as she was grunting to it and looking to a specific spot repeatedly. 

     I am booked most of august and look forward to each of those dates showing photos and telling stories. I will in up north in Errol on August 9th with the “Forever Locked Moose Antler Project” at the Errol wildlife Festival.

     Highlights of the year were many but my two favorites were probably being lucky enough to encounter my favorite moose Pot Belly and find her alive and well in her old age and still have a calf by her side……the other was the exciting encounter with the TWO huge bull moose at sunset in early july that concluded with my ole pal Gordon the bull making an entrance at the end of the encounter bringing the total bulls up to THREE in one place…..pretty special stuff for a moose nut like me. :) 

 

  

Headed into the woods

July 18, 2008  and headed back into the wilderness. MooseMan always does two trips in the month of july. Reason being the moose are very actively feeding during this time and moose encounters are frequent and sometimes lengthy. Another reason for the two trips spread apart in July is antler growth. Moose antlers literally grow a couple inches per day on the larger bulls in July. so on the last trip of the month it’s prime time for big racks.

     After moving that 700lb bull that was unfortunately hit by lightning last trip, all should be well in my main shooting area. I will be posting some photos here in the blog soon, until then be sure to browse the website for photos and watch for coming changes there as well. Good things take time…

     This trip I will be focusing on locating a set of twin moose calves I found feeding with their mom on the 1st trip. their names are Sissy & Missy.  Other named moose that trip are a nice 5 yr old bull Max, a cow and calf Amy and Tessie, a little baby bull moose I called Rascal because he just would not listen to his mother at all. And lastly a huge bull I’ve seen before that i finally named ……..Shy Guy.

     Just to clarify, my moose encounters are many.  Most do not get named but my rule is ….when i spend an hour or more with a moose, they get a name. Some of my favorite from past years are Pot Belly, her calf Sweet Pea, Bill the bull, and of course, my dominant bull called Big Boy.

     I also hope to run into Gordon….This guy is a giant. He is very old and gentle and has taught me alot. He weighs 1200 plus pounds and is well over 10 years old, perhaps even 12 or 13. Gordon has a large scar on his right side about 10 inches in diameter from being gored (stabbed) by another bull moose during a mating battle 2 years ago. 

     That concludes this post for now. It’s off to the wilderness for more adventures. Who knows what the MooseMan will have for stories.  Before i sign off, I have two new products……..A kids book called “Ricky & the Moose” and a full size feature calendar for 2009 featuring some of my favorite moose.     

     

 

MooseMan Blog Beginnings

    Hey there moose lovers. this is The MooseMan , Rick Libbey from Andover NH. I am just getting things started in this weblog and this month (JULY) is the month when i do most of my work with the moose. I certainly will be adding lots of moose stories and also moose facts in the very near future. 

    But let’s start things off with a very unusual moose story.  Last week on July 5,2008 i went into one of my usual “Moose Haunts” to do some serious moose shooting with a CAMERA, of course.  I flew in by floatplane and  then settled in for some kayaking and moose hunting (again, keep in mind, always with a camera).  when i paddled to one of my favorite moose hangouts where much of my best work has been done, I was surprised to find a 700 lb bull moose dead in two feet of water right where i usually work them. upon investigating things i determined the 3 yr old good sized bull had most likely been struck by lightning and had been dead a week or so. There were coyotes around and some bald eagles hanging close too but , basically the moose was not being fed on. I went about my moose searching and 4 days later concluded that NOT A MOOSE GOING ANYWHERE NEAR because of the expired bull in the shallow headwaters of my favorite bog in Northern Maine. On the 5th day it was pouring rain and i knew it was my chance. I blocked out the odors best i could and proceeded to pull the antlers out of the muddy bottom and then the moose was “floatable”. All i did next was get back in my kayak and attach a rope to it’s antlers, and start moving it downstream by kayak. THIS IS WILD……..never in my wildest dreams would i ever think this would happen to me. i managed to get the bull away from the area and down to the outlet of the bog. I unhooked him and “let him go”.   all the while the coyotes were sneaking along on shore watching me. It was pretty radical. 

      Here is where the story gets good.  I simply waited out the day, let the slow moving river waters do their job……..by 5 AM the next morning all my moose buddies were back in the area. The river current had washed all the lingering odors,etc……..downstream and now things were just like normal. Life was good again for the moose in the area.

    what an experience.  I will back here writing more soon but am headed into the woods again to shoot .  we’ll have lots of fun here in the MOOSEMAN BLOG. I will be sharing moose stories, chat about ones i have named, answer any questions, give moose watching tips. all kinds of stuff.

    Keep in mind, my website is currently being re-done and will be finished soon. Until then i am available by email or even phone for any orders or questions. I have just released my first book…….a children’s book….RICKY & THE MOOSE….it is available now at authorhouse.com or directly from me. I also have my 2009 MooseMan moose calendar ready to go as well……get yours now if you wish.   that’s it for now. Lots more to come soon. -