New Jersey family
enjoys successful hunting trip to Maine
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
A New Jersey hunter and his family are taking home more than they traveled to northern Maine with, following a successful hunt last week that ended with Danny Scirica Sr., of Lyndhurst, N.J., shooting a moose while hunting in New Sweden.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
A NEW JERSEY HUNTER will have plenty of meat to fill his freezer this winter, following a successful moose hunt in New Sweden on Sept. 26. Pictured during the weighing of the bull at Ben’s Trading Post in Presque Isle are, from left to right: Lou Raniero holding his daughter, Addison, with his wife, Amanda; Mary Lou and Leon Plaud; kneeling is Rosanna Scirica, with her son, Daniel, and daughter, Isabella; the lucky hunter, Danny Scirica Sr.; and Corey Keiser, who showed Scirica around during his stay here.
“I hunted years ago in southern Maine for bear, with no luck. This was my first moose hunt,” said Scirica.
Scirica credits a neighbor for convincing him to try his hand at moose hunting.
“If I hadn’t met Amanda (Perry) Raniero, I would never have been here. She and her husband Lou Raniero are neighbors. They came up with us. We’ve been here since Monday,” said Scirica, as he got his moose weighed Sept. 26 at Ben’s Trading Post in Presque Isle. “Amanda’s dad own’s Perry’s Market. She’s from here and suggested I come hunting up this way.”
Joining Scirica for the trip were the Ranieros and their daughter, Addison, as well as Scirica’s wife, Rosanne, daughter, Isabella, and son, Daniel. The group gathered for a photo op with the moose, joined by Mary Lou and Leon Plaud of Westfield, and Leon’s friend Corey Keiser.
“I showed Danny around, since he wasn’t familiar with the region. It’s great he was able to get a moose,” said Keiser.
The bull weighed in at about 454 pounds and was believed to be about two years of age.
“It’s a young one, which means the meat will be tender,” said Ben LeBlanc II, who’s in charge of weighing and processing moose at Ben’s.
As of Thursday morning, LeBlanc said he’d tagged 49 moose. Several more were tagged at the store by the end of the week but an exact number was not available at presstime.
“We had our first moose over 1,000 pounds on Wednesday,” said LeBlanc.
Wildlife Biologist Rich Hoppe, with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said the week’s cool weather had moose moving around, making hunters happy.
“One hunter downed a large bull, tipping the scales at 1,070 pounds, with a spread of 62 inches. The Gateway check station in Ashland had two or three other moose that were over 1,000 pounds. Business has been brisk,” said Hoppe.
Scirica said the decision to make it a family trip was an easy one to make.
“We took the kids out of school. We made the decision because this was an experience they’ll remember for a lifetime. If they’d stayed in school, they’d never remember what they learned during this particular week. But traveling to Maine and seeing Daddy with a moose, that’s something they’ll remember,” said Scirica.
