OK, this new story out of Quebec’s Matane region is both unbelievable and quite believable at the same time. This region of La Belle Province has always boasted some of the largest moose in Canada, apart from the Alces Alces Gigas sub-species, known as the Alaska-Yukon moose.
This article from the Globe & Mail explains how a hunter from the Laurentians shot and wounded the giant non-typical beast, but was talked out of tracking it any further by his guide, who returned later to collect the trophy himself.
It was then discovered the guide attempted to sell the one-of-a-kind antlers for the sum of $100, 000.
Now the hunter has filed a lawsuit and for good reason:
Hunter and guide lock horns over moose’s legendary antlers
Ingrid Peritz – Globe & Mail
It was a moose that had become a myth, an animal so imposing and elusive that it had turned into the Bigfoot of Quebec’s forests.
The so-called Monster of Matane – a moose with a set of antlers described as both wondrous and unique – is dead. But the battle over the beast is only beginning.
A Quebec hunter has filed a $97,000 lawsuit against his hunting guide and the province’s parks agency, claiming that the guide surreptitiously took the prized, four-legged bounty during a trip in Matane, Que.
The suit, filed in Quebec Superior Court, lifts a curtain into the high-stakes world of trophy collecting; according to estimates, the Matane moose’s antlers are so exceptional that they could fetch anywhere from $100,000 to $1-million, probably among trophy collectors in the United States.
“No one has ever seen anything like it,” says Georges Landry, a Quebec taxidermist and official measurer for the Boone and Crockett Club, a U.S.-based group founded by Theodore Roosevelt that keeps records for big game. “Getting those antlers is like winning the Stanley Cup.”
For a time, the Monster of Matane was considered more legend than real. The world got its first glimpse of the magnificent animal when amateur photographer Langis Paradis ventured into the Matane Wildlife Reserve in the Gaspé Peninsula early one morning in 2009 and couldn’t believe his eyes. The antlers on the animal before him were so expansive, Mr. Paradis thought two moose were standing one in front of the other.
A Quebec hunting magazine published Mr. Paradis’s photo and the animal’s reputation spread, along with a sense of skepticism. “For some, that moose was like a flying saucer,” Mr. Paradis said Tuesday from his home in the Gaspé. “Unless people could touch it, they didn’t think it was real.”
The skeptics were silenced after another hunter videotaped the beast during a trip to the Matane reserve a few months later, and the images were posted online. Word began to spread to hunting forums around the world.
The average adult moose has 16 to 28 points on its antlers; this one had about 60, according to those familiar with it. Any moose antler span over 50 inches is considered a good trophy; this one measured 55 inches.
In the competitive world of trophy hunting, every detail of an antler is counted and measured to within a fraction of an inch. Non-typical antlers like the ones on the Matane moose are so rare, the Boone and Crockett Club – the reference for trophy records in North America – doesn’t even keep a category for it.
“It is a very unique trophy,” Justin Spring, assistant director for big game records at the Boone and Crockett Club, said from the group’s headquarters in Missoula, Mont., after seeing a photo of the Matane moose. “I’ve never seen anything that looks like that. For a hunter, it would be the trophy of a lifetime.”
That could be what pushed Jérémy Boileau, a resident of Quebec’s Laurentians, to seek damages in court. In his statement of claim, Mr. Boileau says that he spotted and fired at the Matane moose during a hunting trip last September; the apparently wounded moose got away. His guide, Claude Lavoie, told Mr. Boileau that his shot was off, and convinced him to abandon his search, the statement says.
The lawsuit claims that Mr. Lavoie and three other parks employees then returned to retrieve the moose later that day, thus “illegally appropriating” the antlers of Mr. Boileau’s catch.
In the claim, Mr. Boileau says Quebec wildlife protection agents told him in February that they were investigating an attempted sale of a set of antlers, obtained at the date and location of Mr. Boileau’s expedition, for $100,000. The antlers were seized by agents before the sale went through; Mr. Boileau wants them for himself.
For Mr. Paradis, who first brought renown to the Matane beast, the wrangling over the bounty is bittersweet. He would have preferred to have the astonishing antlers be celebrated on the living, breathing animal. “For me he was like a king, and those antlers were his crown,” Mr. Paradis said of the moose. “It was a symbol of what makes this area so special.”
no pictures, be interesting to see the rack
I’ve got one pic and a vid too…just trying to find some from a different source. One where I could actually post it here on the Blog.
Trust me Iggs, its a sight to behold..a real non-typical rack. Thing is, and Rick could add to this..all the extra points it carries won’t actually contribute to the B&C score..so, although they say its the next world record, I have my doubts.
Still an amazing animal that met with a sad end, in my opinion.
Outdoorsguy
trophy hunters make me puke …
I saw the video too, quite an interesting rack to say the least. Just google “monster of Matane” to see it. Shame that we need to kill an animal for the size of the inedible parts. Meat isn’t likely that great, and we are eliminating the best from the gene pool.
People never cease to amaze …
hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds
http://www.sentierchassepeche.com//72/video.html?viewkey=bc3dc5eefc89334cacdc
That’s no prob Iggy..what’d you think of it?
Outdoorsguy
Rick, are you there?
What is your feeling on this rack as far as B&C moose scoring guidelines go?
Also, what are your thoughts on this story in general??
Man, it’s terrible how such things bring out the worst traits in people..like greed and deceit!!
Outdoorsguy
Interesting! I expected more from the hype.
World record – NO!
Worth $100,000 – I guess Barnum was right!
Chessy I will follow your lead of lumping – statements like yours makes me puke!
Well Rick trophy hunters are ruining it for all hunters. when a big animal is shot they go into a area and lease all the land around that area making it impossible for the average person to hunt , and when the doe population gets out of hand they have a heyday in shooting the does so they can equal out the doe buck population so the big bucks will move during the daytime … that is not what our sport is about and i hope my kids follow the same footsteps as me and most of my friends . I have had a few guys that have become trophy hunters and shoot just 160 or better bucks just like in the school yard days mine is bigger than yours and seeing mine is bigger i am better most big bucks that are shot are luck(yes some skill involved but the big boy makes a mistake ) . it is kinda funny that this hunter pays big bucks to shoot a big animal and then gets it scooped and if he was a “hunter” and seen blood on ground no man not even a guide would stop me from looking for animal till i could not see blood again .. but then again this guy was probably a wealthy man that has not tracked a animal in his life and depends on others to do his dirty work .. just like most of the so called trophy hunters
It’s really unfortunate how the term ‘trophy hunting’ has taken-on such a negative connotation; when even the principles of Quality Deer Management (QDM) call for a certain amount of select harvest..or trophy hunting, if you will.
I think what we’re dealing with here is more about greed and money. I don’t believe that this hunter is some wealthy aristocrat out on a high paid trophy hunt. He was just lucky enough to win the draw to hunt in Matane reserve around the Chic Choc mountains.(run by the QC gov’t)
For moose hunters in QC, it’s kind of like winning the lottery to hunt in that region and differs greatly from a rich American paying $10, 000 to hunt planted trophies in a high fence situation.
Now, giving-up on tracking a wounded animal is a whole different story!
Outdoorsguy
Today’s Outdoors Column currently available online(in case you were up last night looking for it, Chessy):
http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/04/12/valley-fishing-and-outdoors-show-this-weekend
Outdoorsguy
i am referring to the statement trophy collectors in the states that will pay 100 000 to 1 million for the rack. they make me puke
yeah Chess, that’s just plain rediculous..and I think the author sort of throw that in there for dramatic effect.
Outdoorsguy
No jeff.. i do a “little” hunting in the usa. i have seen where big deer have been taken and the following year the farmer leases the land for big dollars because of “trophy hunters” they feel if there is big one shot there has to be more i have seen free land go to high paid land for deer hunting . If the farmer leases his land to hunters then he should loose all farming rights and not get the tax credits for being a farmer . he is making money off of government owned animals that you and i pay for the management of these animals and we then have to pay again to hunt them… hey don’t get me wrong i love to shoot a big buck and i have but at what cost to our sport and for our future of hunting when we have to pay to hunt license fees are already high
Jeff this moose would not score well using the B&C scoring system. B&C does not have a non-typical category for moose. All those extra points would be considered deductions from the net score.
It would score extremely well using the Safari Club method. SCI measures every points length and adds this to the final score so the more and the longer the points the higher the score.
The only reason the rack may be worth a lot of money is because it is so unique.
As for the story it is an unfortunate example of human greed and the mentality of criminals who think they can get away with such blatant wrong doing.
Ok.. WOW! I saw that video and pic and what a unique rack. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a moose rack like that. I’m not experienced enough to know if it’s a record or not, but for uniqueness, definitely.
As for the guide, I hope he loses. Whether or not the hunter is rich, poor, useless or experienced, he pays and trusts the guide to do their job. The guide no doubt took advantage of the hunter and didn’t fulfill his requirements as a guide – as paid by the client. It would be a different situation if the guide told him to stop, but that doesn’t sound like that’s how it went down.
On the other hand, I’m like Chessy – I wouldn’t let any guide tell me to stop tracking any animal if we still had blood etc… No way! Especially something like this!
As for ‘trophy hunters’, I don’t like it. I think it gives our pastime a bad reputation and it goes against everything I’ve ever been taught about wildlife conservation. I’m a meat hunter through and through – well, except for one time when I was going to shoot a doe and then a nice big buck came running out of the bush 100 miles an hour behind her. My scope was on him pretty fast 🙂 Last year, I was out for antlers only due to some ribbing by our gang. I decided to try it and I let some does and fawns walk. I didn’t end up with my own deer, but my freezer is full from the camp sharing. We’ve seen alot of does and fawns so I’m thinking that one year of me holding back is pretty much over 🙂
Tried to post this on the column comment section… needed a special password…couldn’t be bothered.
Congrats on the anniversary… very happy that the Ottawa Sun brought you back. I purchase the Ottawa Sun every time you write a column even though it’s available on line.
Congrats again!
As far as I have seen of this, the guy that shot it was just yr average hunter.
The Guide and his sneaky buddies tried to take the animal after the Guide (digustingly IMHO), told the shooter forgetaboudit. (if it were I, I woulda kept on the trail until dark, then went out again at dawn, after telling th eGuide to do his frickin’ job with integrity!
As for being a RECORD……Rick…the fact that Moose Antlers are so very very rare in this non-typical form,
(so much that there is not a category), a Company and/or very rich hunter would no doubt pay big bucks for the rack!
Hi Jeff!
It is sad how some hunters only think of the big rack and to pervert their hunt by showing it off with no humility. I, myself, have been very lucky with really large bucks by I have never paraded around and viewed it as some potential source of windfall. Hunting is awesome but the animal you kill should have respect shown and dignity, even after it is cut up and quatered . Hunting in Canada is a priveledge and an honour i love, and I try to tell all non-hunters this all the time.
There is certainly a lot of unethical behavior in this story. Personally, trophy hunting would not appeal to me. I would only want to hunt something that I could eat.
Unless of course we are talking about coyotes. I just had the Capital City News delivered to my door. There is an interesting article about coyotes in Kanata, particularly in the fields near the Eagleson Park and Ride. According to Councillor Allan Hubley there have bee numerous sightings recently. He warned people about walking alone on wooded trails.
Hunting mom, I wonder how they propose getting rid of those problem coyotes in Kanata?
Outdoorsguy
as a hunter and farmer it is hard to say who is right or wrong,except for the hunter who made the shot and did not follow up
as a hunter i hate to see land posted or leased out!
was that not part of the reason this country was settled??
as a farmer i can see more and more land being leased by the rich
as the margins in farming keep dwindling most of us farmers see leasing to hunters as the only profit for our efforts
if anyone has any sugestions on how to make farming a viable way to make a living i for one would be glad to here them
thanks for reading
Real men don’t use guns.
And hunting is for vagina bearing men.
jeremy, if hunting is only for ‘vagina bearing men’…are you implying that the sport should appeal to a more female participant?
Hunting Mom…any thoughts?
Outdoorsguy
Wow Jeremy if we have vaginas.. then peta must be the c___t that owns it … at least we use bows and arrows and guns… peta uses needles and peoples hopes and money ….
Washington, DC — Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) published documents online, obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, showing that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed a staggering 95.9 percent of the adoptable pets in its care during 2011. Despite years of public outrage over its euthanasia program, the notorious animal rights group has continued killing adoptable animals at its Norfolk, VA headquarters, at an average of 37 pets every week.
According to records from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, PETA killed 1,911 cats and dogs last year while placing just 24 in adoptive homes. Since 1998, a total of 27,751 pets have died at the hands of PETA workers.
“PETA hasn’t slowed down its slaughterhouse operation, even as the group continues to lecture the American public with its phony ‘animal rights’ message,” said Rick Berman, CCF’s Executive Director. “It appears PETA is more concerned with funding its media and advertising antics than finding suitable homes for these dogs and cats.”
Despite its $37.4 million budget, PETA employees make little effort to find homes for the thousands of animals they kill every year.
Man Chessy, that was priceless..and saved me a bunch of work!
Jeremy, if you are NOT indeed a troll, I invite you to expand on your anatomy lesson.
Outdoorsguy
Chessy, Jeremy is obviously a troll. I don’t mind when people have their opinions, but that’s just mindless banter on his part. Pathetic his post was.
Yes Keebler i took him as a peta troll… just wanted to get in some information about peta.. i do this when ever i can . … and all hunter should to.. time to start playing their game.
hahahaha, what a clown, get lost jeremy, or is that really you Pamala
Come on over Ms Anderson, I’ll show you what real men use
On another note, I had the Turkey Wisperer out to my turkey property on Saturday evening, I bow hunt there for deer and have probably been there 100 times, never saw a turkey, although I had seen them in the area before, Guess what was in the field when the Turkey Wisperer got there?
Yup, a turkey.
That Adrian Hare is one amazing turkey hunter.
Iggs..I thought he was dubbed the ‘Gobbler Guru’ some time ago by a local outdoor writer, but I guess turkey whisperer is an even more appropriate name.
Glad to hear you’re seeing some birds!
Outdoorsguy
Outdoors Guy
They do not seem to have an intelligent way of getting rid of them. Instead, they are advising people to supervise small children and small pets and (I love this one) “avoid walking alone on wooded trails”. In other words, they are not going to do anything.
Hunting Mom, I know this is a rant better suited to another post, but I still cant get over how WE are forced to accommodate them?? Most animal rights people don’t realize that we’re not doing the coyotes any favours either; by allowing them to expand without control measures.
Guess I’ll have to rekindle this topic for a new Blog post.
Outdoorsguy
Wifey said a husky looking like dog bolted out of the bush near our place in Stittsville while she was driving. I told her it was probably a yote as no one was even near the animal and she wasn’t confident it was a dog.
She couldn’t believe it (despite me telling her they’re around).
She was worried about the kids out playing around with yotes so close.
Then I told her (b/c she was driving my truck), next time hit it! :0
That’s right Keebler, but keep in mind that even a small yote can cause a pile of damage!
My friend who nailed one this winter with his SUV had $5000 in damage to the front end. Reason being, when they’re hit with front bumper..instead of bouncing off as a harder object would, they ‘wrap around’ with the impact. He showed me pics of the damage and it was unbeleivable!
There’s actually a perfect imprint of the coyote crumpled in along his driver-side door!
Outdoorsguy
Outdoors Guy:
I believe Jeremy’s juvenile comments were meant to call into question the manhood of hunters. This is typical of someone who does not have the intellect to present his point of view in a rational way. He simply hurls “potty humour” insults at his opponents.
Generally, I don’t think hunting appeals to the average woman, unless she has been raised in a family with a hunting tradition. One of my greatest joys in life has been to share my hunting heritage with my teenage son.
Hunting Mom..that’s perfect!
Thanks so much for the rational, well thought-out answer!
Outdoorsguy
oh I know..I was more or less joking with her. But I am amped up for turkey hunting b/c my buddy said he had lots of pics of yotes on his property. I’m hoping….
Hey Jeff i don’t mind doing a little work… it lets the smart people write more blogs and put there time in better places… i have a whole bunch of peta come backs logged on my computer for shall we say, GENDERLESS people out there ??? here is something that cant be denied…please every hunter should read this…it is perfect ammunition for peta loving people….. … peta my a@@
Here ya go…turned it into a new Blog Post:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/uncategorized/state-document-sheds-peta-in-poor-light/
Outdoorsguy
Heard about this yet:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/hunting/ted-nugent-comment-creates-panic-and-mayhem/
Outdoorsguy
I agree with Chessy……”Trophy hunters make me puke”
In a way, it’s kind of like bribing garden invaders (whether they’re deer, rabbits or insects) with something yummy instead of what you’re trying to grow for yourself.
The fresh air and scenery brings back a sense of belonging with nature.
The weekly Farmers Market becomes a ritual for those seeking wholesome, organic foods that promote
health through harvest direct from local Producers.