Call of the Wild> Safari pioneer leads visitors on moose-sighting quest

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GREENVILLE — Dan Legere pinches his nose, cups his hands together and makes a wicked-sounding grunt.

Standing outside his pickup truck on Lily Bay Road recently, Legere, a Maine Guide, admits that the gesture and resulting noise make one “look and sound like an idiot,” but they serve their purpose.

The nasal-sounding grunt he makes causes a cow moose to pause long enough for Legere’s passengers to get several photographs of the gangly animal before it wanders into a heavy thicket of trees.

Calling moose in order to get photographs during a safari, or to attract one to an armed hunter, is part of this Greenville man’s life. In fact, Legere introduced moose safaris in the Moosehead Lake region about 12 years ago.

“I was the only one who did it for quite a while,” Legere says. Now there are hundreds of moose safaris taken around Moosehead Lake from the air, on ground or on water by several different guides.

Legere admits, however, that driving the roadsides to show visitors “ditch” moose is not his favorite offering. In fact, he’s not shy about telling someone who inquires about a moose safari in the spring that they’ll probably see plenty if they simply drive the roads early in the morning or at dusk.

When June comes, however, it’s a different story. That’s when Legere offers safaris off the beaten path and into remote ponds where the moose are in their element, eating tender water plants.

For these backwoods excursions, Legere offers canoe and float tube trips that give spectators a look at moose in their natural habitat. He has his favorite spots, one in particular that he calls the Serengeti Plains of Maine where it is not uncommon to see 10 to 15 moose at a time.

Although Legere gives the Bangor Daily News his standard reply for a spring safari — drive the roads and you’ll likely see one — he agrees to escort a reporter and photographer, who are determined to offer Moosehead Lake region visitors a glimpse of another recreational activity.

At 5:30 a.m. after the coffee cups have long been emptied, we pile into Legere’s pickup truck — as a rule he takes only two people along on roadside safaris — and we head toward Lily Bay. Moose are nocturnal and have been up all night feeding, he explains, adding that we’ll catch the end of the nighttime feeding.

It’s not long before Legere spots a cow moose licking leftover salt that was applied to the road by highway crews during the winter and has since drained into roadside ditches.

“She’s right in a honey hole there where the salt collects,” Legere says, pointing to the dip where the moose stood.

Legere stops the truck and we climb out for a better view, but we spook the moose and she rambles across the highway headed for a thicket. Then comes the wicked-sounding grunt.

“You pinch your nose and then grunt, kinda from the diaphragm,” Legere softly directs. I pass on the opportunity to try.

As Legere continues grunting, the approximately 3-year-old cow stops her flight to the woods and stares at the Greenville man. The photographer clicks away, getting his desired shots of the moose, which is mangy-looking because she’s shedding her winter coat for her summer one. Ticks the size of lima beans cover the animal.

“It’s really quite easy to talk to moose,” said Legere, adding that it’s not uncommon for him to call more than one moose at a time in the wild.

Should a moose start ambling toward him or spectators, he stops making the noise. “I really don’t see how close I can get to them, I have a comfort zone as well, but I can use that grunt to get you photographs,” he claims. Time has taught Legere to respect the moose’s space and to keep his distance from the large animal.

Legere warns that when a cow is in the water, one should never go between her and the shoreline because her young may be lying near the shore undetected. The cow will likely stop her feeding and charge to shore to protect her calves, which are born in May and June.

Being charged by a half-ton bag of bones on stilts would not be a pleasant experience, in my view.

Because they are so large, Legere says, moose must eat about 35 to 40 pounds of vegetation a day. If you stuff a large garbage bag, jump up and down on it a few times, you’ll have a hard time getting 40 pounds into it, Legere said, making a point of how much the large animal eats.

“It really wouldn’t be uncommon to see 15 to 20 moose if you took a ride around Moosehead Lake,” Legere says. If you stop for lunch, it would take the better part of the day for the trip.

As if on cue, we spot another cow near the highway, but we find that bulls are elusive this morning.

“There’s a zillion moose around,” Legere remarks and points out lots of muddy hoof prints that weren’t on the highway when we first made the swing on Lily Bay Road.

An outdoorsman whose favorite work is guiding fly-fishing parties into the region’s remote ponds, Legere says the scenery and solitude of the region are the cake, and the quarry — the moose and fish — are the cream.

Monthlong festival draws tourists

GREENVILLE — MooseMainea, a monthlong celebration in recognition of the abundant herd of moose in the Moosehead Lake region, will begin on May 16 in Greenville.

“Here we are in our eighth year and it’s really exciting that MooseMainea has accomplished exactly what the founders set out to do by creating tourist visits during a normally off time of year in this region,” says Toni Blake, executive director of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the event.

Blake says a variety of events will be offered from May 16 through June 12 that should entice visitors to the region. “The events are growing each year with participation and new ideas, and suggestions are popping up to make this year’s finale the best ever,” she says.

The schedule of events follows:

May 16: Moose River Canoe Race in Rockwood, dedicated to the memory of the late Fred Reckards, a well-known Moosehead area canoe builder.

May 29-30: Tour de Moose, mountain bike races at Squaw Mountain and a 19-mile mountain bike race-tour at Kineo.

June 5: Moosehead Rowing Regatta in Greenville Junction.

June 12: MooseMainea family fun day with a Mooseterpiece craft fair 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; a fly-casting tournament at 1 p.m.; and moose tales 4-7 p.m. There also will be a moose photo contest.

Other offerings will include a giant locator map and moose watcher’s logbook at the Moosehead Lake Visitor’s Center where visitors can record their moose sightings and view moose educational exhibits.

For information on these events, contact the Chamber at 695-3702 or write, P.O. Box 581, Greenville 04441.

Moose safaris

GREENVILLE — While in the Moosehead Lake region, try a moose safari offered at the following businesses:

Currier’s Flying Service Inc. of Greenville offers a moose watch tour that involves flights over the region. A half-hour flight costs $30 per person, a 45-minute flight is $45 per person, and an hour flight costs $60 per person. Call 695-2778.

Evergreen Lodge of Greenville offers moose safaris with departures daily from May to October leaving from Rockwood in a new 30-foot pontoon boat. The three-hour trip, which includes a scenic cruise of Mount Kineo, is $35 for adults, $20 for children ages 6-12, free for children under 6. The boat takes up to 25 people and group discounts are offered. Call 695-3241.

The Birches Resort in Rockwood offers an approximately 2 1/2-hour ride in pontoon boats for moose watching. The cost is $25 per person. Call 534-7305 or 534-2242.

Moose Country Safaris and Dogsled Trips of Sangerville offers a five-hour moose safari canoe trip, with a meal provided, from May through October for $95 per couple. Call 876-4907.

Moosehead Adventures of Greenville offers moose watch tours. Call 695-4434.

Maine Guide Fly Shop of Greenville offers guided tours by canoe or kayak, at a cost of $50 per person. Call 695-2266.

Northwoods Outfitters of Greenville offers three-hour kayak trips to remote regions to observe moose at a cost of $40 per person. Call 695-3288.

Different Strokes with Maine Guides Betsy and Rocky Rockwell of Greenville offers moose safaris. Call 695-2680.