Maine Family Spots Antlers In The Woods And Finds A Massive Bull Moose Trapped In An Old Well

Imagine walking through the woods and spotting a pair of antlers sticking up where they definitely shouldn’t be. That’s exactly how this story begins, one morning in Pembroke, Maine.

Cole Brown was out on his family’s forested land, a peaceful stretch of trees and brush that seemed like nothing ever really happened there.

And everything felt perfectly normal… until something strange caught their eye.

Just beyond the thick alders, sticking up from the brush, were what looked like a pair of antlers.

At first, Cole didn’t think much of it. Maybe a deer passing through. Maybe even turkeys making noise in the undergrowth. But something about the sound felt off.

When he pushed through the bushes to get a better look, his heart skipped. What he thought were branches or antlers on the ground were actually attached to a massive bull moose trapped down in an old, forgotten well.

Just his huge antlers and the top of his head were visible. The rest of his body was wedged deep below, in a 9-foot deep hole that hadn’t seen sunlight in who knows how long.

Cole froze for a second, probably trying to make sense of how a full-grown moose could end up in a well like that. He knew he couldn’t handle something like this alone. This was no simple “help the raccoon out of the trash can” kind of situation.

So, he called in backup: his family and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Soon, a small rescue team gathered around the scene, peering down into the dark, muddy pit.

The rescuers acted quickly. A biologist carefully sedated him to keep him calm and safe during the rescue.

Then, with the help of game wardens, ropes, and a family-owned excavator, they came up with a plan that was equal parts delicate and daring.

Imagine trying to lift a thousand-pound animal from a narrow hole without hurting him. It took patience, teamwork, and some serious coordination.

Slowly, inch by inch, the excavator lifted the straps attached to the moose. Mud dripped down as his massive body rose into the daylight.

Five hours later, the moose was free. As the sedation wore off, he blinked a few times, took a few careful steps, and then took off running into the woods.

Delaney Gardner, Cole’s stepsister, filmed the entire rescue. She shared in an interview:

“This is a majestic giant animal in such a precarious situation. So to be able to see everyone come together in all these different ways that they needed to was absolutely incredible. And then seeing it work out was just so satisfying and heartwarming.”

The family didn’t even know the old well existed before that day. It had been hidden under years of overgrowth and moss on their 100-acre property.

After the rescue, they made sure to cap it right away so no other animal (or person) could ever fall in again. They’re even thinking about restoring it someday, maybe turning it into a safe water source, now that they know it’s there.

For now, though, the story of the bull moose that fell into the well has become a memory they’ll never forget.