Hunter’s dream comes true
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Adam MacDonald, 28, of Presque Isle, suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and thought his dream of getting a moose might never happen, as his condition has deteriorated over the years. But thanks to family, friends and a group of local hunters and Maine guides, that dream came true for MacDonald on Sept. 30.
“We started the evening hunt around 5 p.m. on Sept. 30, as we had several times before. We had gotten close to having a shot during other hunts, but never could close the deal,” said Scott Cyr, a registered Maine, firefighter and paramedic who worked with MacDonald earlier this year on a turkey hunt.
Cyr said on this night, Dave Hentosh, Camille St. Pierre, MacDonald, Cheryl Markey (MacDonald’s mother) and he were tucked in the edge of the field between the Perkins and Henderson roads in Presque Isle, with Joe Carvell watching an adjacent field a short distance away. Moose are known to frequent the area, which is used to grow broccoli — a favorite food for moose.
“Dave began to cow call in hopes of enticing a bull within range. After about 10 minutes of calling, he received a text from Joe who stated there was a cow with a calf that had entered the field he was watching,” said Cyr.
This created a bit of a problem for the group, since MacDonald was hunting from his wheelchair using special equipment that had to be set up and broken down any time he moved to a different location.
“We now had to decide if we had time to get Adam over there to get a shot. We discussed several options, but all required us to totally break down Adam’s adaptation equipment, unload the gun and set everything back up again once we got over there,” said Cyr.
Cyr said setting up the equipment in a hurry is very challenging and time consuming.
“But we had to give it a try,” said Cyr. “I headed out to get the van which was parked approximately 600 yards away and the rest of the crew began dismantling the equipment and preparing Adam for transport. We loaded up and headed towards Joe and received another text stating that a bull had joined the two others.”
The group arrived a short distance away from the area where the moose were and began re-assembling the adaptation equipment, while Hentosh and Carvell kept tabs on the moose activity.
“Once we had everything in place once again, we started towards the knoll we were planning to have Adam shoot from (approximately 200 yards from the vehicles),” said Cyr.
Cyr then assisted MacDonald with lining up the cross-hairs on the moose, clicked the safety off and told MacDonald, “When you’re ready, blow into the tube and trip the trigger.”
“A couple seconds goes by and, boom, the bull hunches up and it appears the bullet has hit its mark. The bull took a few steps and we prepared for a follow-up shot, if needed, but before we could get on him, he tips over and that was it. Adam sealed the deal,” Cyr said. “He used a gun I won at the bear referendum fund-raising banquet earlier this year — an AR 10 .308. I hadn’t even had the chance to hunt with it yet.”
Excitement abounded, as everyone congratulated MacDonald on a successful hunt.
“High fives and hugs were happening all around,” he said. “When we were leaving the field with the moose, we met up with Dorothy and her husband — she was the one that wrote the letter to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that got Adam’s moose permit. It was the first time I had met them. I thanked them for getting the process started, as they looked the moose over.”
The bull weighed in at 695 pounds, with an antler spread of 43 inches.
“The moose was processed by Joe Chasse in Fort Fairfield. Joe agreed to do it for the cost of the wrapping paper, which came to about $50. Adam, his family and I really appreciate Joe’s generosity,” said Cyr.
MacDonald took the hunt in stride.
“I wasn’t really nervous, just excited more than anything,” he said.
Markey wished to thank all those who helped make her son’s dream come true. “I’m grateful for all who made this hunting trip a reality. This means so much to Adam and I,” said Markey.
Cyr said this was one hunting trip he’ll never forget.
“I can tell you this was one of the most challenging hunts I have ever guided, but also the most rewarding. Having the crew of people that I had helping me made things so much easier and I can’t thank them enough. I also have to thank DIF&W staff, Lt. Tom Ward and Deputy Commissioner Andrea Erskine, for their involvement in making this ‘hunt of a lifetime’ for Adam come to fruition,” said Cyr.
