Looking for dropped moose antlers (sheds) is one of our favorite pastimes during the long snowy winters in Maine. We guide many clients on snowshoes, and track moose or venture into moose wintering areas. Most times we'll begin here at camp, and warm up with coffee and cocoa before gearing up to head into the forest. Once on the trail, we begin by looking for fresh moose tracks, and let the moose lead the way. As we follow, I unravel the story of what tracks we're seeing, and anything else interesting along the way. We've seen bobcats, deer, moose, and all sorts of other wildlife and tracks. During one of these trips, we stopped along the edge of a dense fir stand for lunch which fittingly consisted of moose stew, rolls and coffee, warmed over a small twig fire.
As we ate our lunch I hushed the two folks with me, a husband and wife, and said "Do you hear that? (!) I motioned with my hand to keep quiet, and they listened. After about 30 seconds, David said, "Hear what?" I looked at them and said...."Nothing. Absolutely nothing....." "Kind of cool huh?" The look on their faces was that of shock and bewilderment, because as we trudged along, listening to the crunch and squeak of the snow. (Snow squeaks louder the colder it gets!) we were further and further into the back country and distant of all discernible noise. Even the birds were absent this day. Dave and his wife Charlene for the first time experienced true solitude. They were from the Keys of Florida, and both agreed that they can never get away from noise at home, cars, people, and even waves make up the background static of everyday life.
A week later I guided several college girls and their moms as a girls day out. We actually set out on the same path looking for wildlife and hoped to find a moose shed. The week before we found that the moose still had antlers intact, so we were hopeful we'd find one this trip. We enjoyed a fun day on the mountain, and between the laughing and photos, the crew really seemed to have a great day. No sheds were found during the hike. We did see evidence where bulls had rubbed trees with their antlers, still intact. We returned after about 4 hours to a warm cabin, and enjoyed fresh banana bread and cocoa by the fire. My wife Dee makes the best banana bread! We chatted for a while and the women replayed the adventure to my wife. As they talked, I went out to the shed and returned with two large antlers found the year before. I wanted to show them first hand what they looked like and the women were very curious about them.
I flipped the largest antler over to point out the unique patterns in the bone and one of the women said "These are absolutely beautiful! What kind of wood are they made out of?" I quickly replied, "Usually Mahogany, but sometimes Oak." She thought about it for a second and looked at me and said "Did I actually just ask that?" Her friends got a good laugh, but then collectively asked "No, really, What are they made of?" Never assume anything.... We relaxed in the warmth of the wood stove as we watched the snow melt from our boots and enjoyed another great day in the Maine woods...
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