Dube bags his moose four days after losing a digit
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
It may not have been the biggest moose, but the hunt was everything Ed Dube had hoped it would be — of course, he hadn’t anticipated waiting 32 years for his first moose hunting permit and there’s no way he could have guessed he’d have less than ten digits for the actual hunt itself.
Ed first applied for his moose hunting permit when he was 16 years old and has been putting in for the ever elusive permit every year since, but his number finally came up this summer in the form of a Zone 2 permit for a bull moose. Ideally, he’d intended on using his compound bow to bring the bull down.
Contributed photo
A true story of determination, not even the loss of a digit could keep Ed Dube, shown at left, from his moose hunt with daughter Ashley Dube. The moose weighed 777 pounds.
But an accident with a table saw quickly threw a wrench in his plans.
Ed’s ring and middle fingers on his left hand were severely lacerated and his ring finger had been nearly cut off — after a rushed 70-minute drive to the Houlton hospital and five hours of orthopedic surgery, his fingers were put back together.
Left hand injured but intact, Ed altered his hunting arrangements, swapping his bow for a gun instead.
That proverbial wrench manifested itself again four weeks later, however, when the surgical pins were taken out of his fingers and an infection set in on the ring finger.
Resolute on recovering in time for his big game hunt, Ed underwent another surgery and prepared for six weeks of intravenous antibiotics every single day.
But six weeks and a day later, his ring finger became infected again. The big hunt was just four days away.
“The moose hunt was something I’d been waiting for and at that point, I just wanted to get the infection away,” Ed said.
After deliberating with his doctor, Ed underwent a third surgery and the digit was amputated.
The hunt is on
Putting the pain behind him, Ed set off on his hunt with a heavily-bandaged left hand and his daughter (and sub-holder of the hunting permit) Ashley.
Aside from the traditional hunting garb and blaze orange they brought with them, Ed brought one of his father’s flannel shirts; his father was killed in a work-related accident in 1990, and the shirt has always exuded sentimental value.
Two days into the moose hunt, Ed and Ashley found themselves near the foot of Deboullie Mountain as Ed called and called until he eventually he brought a big bull moose in out of the woods.
“He was breaking stuff and throwing branches with his antlers; he was upset because he thought I was another bull,” Ed explained.
He recalled how Ashley’s eyes went wide as she watched the bull emerge out of the woods thrashing at vegetation and touting quite an attitude.
The moose created an impressive spectacle, which a seasoned hunter like Ed could appreciate.
But as a respectful hunter, Ed understands how special a successful hunt can be; that’s why he elected to afford Ashley the opportunity to take the shot.
Ashley made a well-placed shot, and Ed assisted in ensuring the animal didn’t suffer.
After shrugging all the pain, surgeries and antibiotics the summer contained, the moose hunt was finally complete.
But on Ashley’s back when she took down Ed’s 777-pound moose was her grandfather’s flannel shirt.
“It was really cold and windy that morning and we had quite a bit of walking to do,” Ed recalled, “Her teeth were chattering so she wore the shirt as we walked for a ways.”
“It felt like my Dad was part of the hunt,” he added.
Assisting the Dube’s with their special hunt was Ed’s best friend Joe Seely, cousin Rod Jandreau and uncle Tony Dube.
Later that day, the hunters cooked up the tenderloins and had a big celebrations with family, neighbors and friends.
Theresa Dube contributed to this story.
