SMYRNA, Maine — For many hunters, bagging a big bull moose requires lots of preparation and patience, with many long hours spent in the woods.
And then sometimes a hunter gets incredibly lucky.
Margaret Cook of Houlton falls into the latter category as she successfully completed her moose hunt on the first day of moose hunting season, just eight minutes into her expedition.
“We had a great guide in Registered Maine Guide Kevin Upton,” Cook said. “This moose by far was the biggest we have ever found.”
Cook bagged the 960-pound bull moose at 6:03 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24, while hunting with her father, Terry Ringler, in Dudley Township, near Smyrna. The moose had a 17-point rack measuring 43.5 inches.
Both Cook and her father had to fire shots to down the animal. Ringler had the moose permit, while Cook was the subpermittee. Her father also was successful on a solo moose hunt in 2005, and the father and daughter were successful on a previous hunt together in 2008. Cook’s son Jeremy bagged his own moose In 2016.
