Hunting luck turns for Faheys

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For years, the Fahey family waited in vain for the lucky day when one of them would finally get to go moose hunting.

“I always used to have something to say about the families [that proved especially lucky],” said Jim Fahey, a Bangor native who has served the state as a game warden for the past 11 years. “Those lucky so-and-sos, what are they doing that we’re not?”

Over the past half-dozen years, the Faheys – father John, and brothers Jim, Jeff and John – have stopped griping. The reason: They’ve been too busy hunting.

“I can’t make those comments any more about lucky families,” Jim Fahey said Friday. “We turned into one.”

In 1999, John Fahey, the former principal of Bangor High School, broke the skein of bad luck when he was drawn for a permit in the state-run lottery.

In 2000, it was Jeff’s turn.

And in 2005, Jim and Jeff were both lucky enough to draw a permit.

So, too, was Jim’s father-in-law, Buddy Patterson of Holden.

Kind of makes you want to change your last name to “Fahey,” doesn’t it?

Jim Fahey, who patrols the Portage Lake region as a warden, said this year’s moose seasons proved even more hectic than usual.

Jim Fahey said warden service officials have recognized how special the moose-hunting experience is to those who get to take part, and has made sure employees who are lucky enough to participate are allowed to do so.

“The warden service has always allowed [for us to take time off during the hunt],” Jim Fahey said. “It comes up fairly seldom, and they’ve always allowed us to go.”

Since he works in Wildlife Management District 2 – the zone for all three permits – Jim Fahey entered the season with an added sense of responsibility: The hunters were coming to his “home” woods, and any help he could give would surely be appreciated.

His main goal, however, was to give his father the opportunity to shoot a moose.

John Fahey was the sub-permittee on his son’s hunt.

Unfortunately, that part of the plan quickly unraveled when John Fahey became ill and had to return to Bangor on the opening morning of the September hunt.

“That was a downer,” Jim Fahey said. “That’s not the way we planned it.”

Jim Fahey spent an uneventful day in the woods on a rainy Monday, then headed back on Tuesday hoping for the best.

“I didn’t want to be selfish and wait six days to shoot a smasher,” Jim Fahey said. “I also wanted to help my father-in-law [who also had a September permit].”

The warden got what he was looking for, as he bagged a nice bull in the 750- to 800-pound range while using a tactic many moose hunters don’t.

“I had a nice quiet hunt,” he said. “I had the wind in my favor, and approached it like a deer hunt,” he said. “I was a mile from the pickup, and was satisfied with how I did it.”

A mile from the pickup, but “only” a couple hundred yards from a road. That factor made retrieving the moose more simple than it could have been.

After that, it was time to help Patterson and his friend, Clifford Demmons of Holden, find a moose.

“Thursday, that was a wild day. It was warm, it was wet, it was extremely windy,” he said. “We had seen moose, and in the last hour of daylight everything calmed down a little bit, the temperature dropped a little bit, and we spotted a nice bull in a clear cut a half-hour before legal shooting.”

Patterson shot the moose – an 840-pounder sporting a rack with a 48-inch spread – and the trio then faced their dilemma.

“You know how much of a job it is to get a moose out of the woods?” Jim Fahey asked. “It’s 6:30 [p.m.], and we’re standing next to a moose in a clear cut, with the wind blowing.”

The group didn’t need much daylight, nor time: They built a tripod to heft the moose into a truck, and returned to town by 10 p.m.

Finally, earlier this week, it was brother Jeff Fahey’s turn. There was, however, one problem.

Time.

“He’s a school teacher, and he only had Monday to hunt, and if necessary, Saturday,” Jim Fahey said.

The brothers were joined by guides Eldon Jandreau and Jim Dumond, and spotted a small bull early Monday morning.

Jeff decided not to shoot.

“When he passed up the small one, we were quiet,” Jim Fahey said. “I said, ‘Time will tell if that was a good decision. And it was.”

Shortly after that, Jeff Fahey saw a much bigger bull – an 815-pounder with a 44-inch rack – and shot it.

And with plenty of help, the Faheys made quick work of the chores ahead.

“We had that moose back [to Portage] and he was heading back to Bangor by 11:30,” Jim Fahey said. “All the dirty work was done, and all he had to do was take it to [the butcher].”

There was no rest for Jim Fahey, however. He had to get back to work, patrolling the woods in his warden uniform.

“It was hectic, but you’ve got to make hay when the sun shines,” he said.

BDN Web site seeks submissions

Each year hundreds of people write or call asking essentially the same question: How do I get a photo [or a story] in your paper?

If you’re one of those who have asked the question in the past, I’ve got good news to share this morning: Our Internet department has come up with a way for you to share photos and tales with your friends (and our readers).

According to BDN On-line manager Tim Archambault, readers will get the chance to let others know about things that are important to them.

“We want to increase the sense of community on our Web site by allowing people to share thoughts on stories, their experiences, whether it be the outdoors, travel, youth sports, whatever,” Archambault said.

Since the outdoors are so important to so many Mainers (and since people like you and me love to tell our stories), there will be a huge outdoor component in the new project.

Archambault has provided the ability for readers to share their stories about fishing, hunting, camping, snowmobiling, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking.

In addition, readers can submit up to three photos to accompany their tale.

“All the submissions will be on our Web site, and they’re searchable,” Archambault said. “We’ll also have a way so that if your story is accepted, you’ll receive an e-mail and you can send that to up to five friends immediately, letting them know, ‘Hey, check out my story,'” he said.

The story submissions are just the first phase of our increased Internet presence, however.

The second phase will include several Web logs, or “blogs” that feature more in-depth contact with some of our writers.

In fact, Archambault and I have already begun brainstorming on my own blog, which will debut in the coming months.

For now, I’m hoping you’ll continue to share your stories with me … and to take advantage of our new Internet option.

To do so, go to our site at www.bangordailynews.com and click the “share your experience” link under “site additions.”

You can also link directly to the submissions page at http://www.bangornews.com/news/?a=121746&z=38

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.