Moooskoka Bassmasters To The Rescue

by Steve Bossence

The day started out like any other ice fishing trip. Two Muskoka Bassmasters, Craig Stuckless, Mark Mathews and I headed out to find a new Walleye spot in one of the many lakes in the Muskoka region. We found the spot we were looking for, unloaded our gear and fished for a couple of hours. Unfortunately the fish didn’t cooperate so we decided to make the best of the day, pack up and look for some Crappie on the way back. The Crappie were about as cooperative as the Walleye so we decided to call it day.

We loaded everything in the trucks and started back. On the drive home we passed an open field that has a deep stream running through it and from a distance we spotted what appeared to be a cow stuck in the stream. We stopped the trucks and went to take a closer look and to our surprise it was a moose calf. It was shoulder deep, struggling and it was obvious it couldn’t get out. There was no sign of her mother in the area. Our first thought was to call someone so we first called 911. They couldn’t help so we contacted the MNR. They had nobody in the immediate area and in most cases it is their policy to let nature take its course. This was very frustrating so we call the O.P.P... Unfortunately they had no animal rescue equipment or officers in the region either.

We started looking for gear we could use to help the young moose out but we forgot to pack a rope this trip. The stream was too deep and cold to jump in and lift her out. A few other cars happened by and stopped to investigate. One of them had a tow strap so we grabbed it, headed back down to the stream, made a lasso and through it around her neck. She might have been young but soaking wet she was quite heavy so it took all of our strength to pull her out. The young moose was exhausted and seemed to know we were trying to help. We let her rest for a while and then took her away from the stream. She was last seen walking through the field well away from the stream.

The exhuasted young moose looks content to rest for a minute

Winter takes its toll in the north but every once in a while you have the opportunity to give the young a second chance. We would like to thank all that stopped to help. It makes getting skunked on the ice feel a little better.

Steve