Maine Homeowner Spots Giant Antlers Sticking Out Of Brush And The Discovery Leaves Him Stunned
Cole Brown was making his usual walk across his family’s land in Pembroke, Maine, when something strange peeked through the brush.
Two antlers stuck up awkwardly above the thicket, standing straight like they didn’t belong. At first, he thought it was just a trick of the light, but instinct told him to check.
Pushing through the dense alders, Cole got closer…and then his stomach dropped. The antlers weren’t lying there. They were attached to a massive bull moose, trapped deep inside an old, forgotten well.
Only the antlers and the top of his head were visible. The rest of the poor animal was stuck nearly nine feet down in a dark hole no one even knew existed.
For a moment, Cole just froze. I mean, what do you even do when you find a full-grown moose trapped in something like that?
This wasn’t a lost dog situation or a “shoo the raccoon away from the trash can” moment. This was huge. Literally.
He backed up and called for help, both his family members and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
Soon, his family joined him, and then the wildlife team arrived. The little rescue team gathered around the edge of the well, peeking down at the exhausted animal below.
A biologist stepped in and carefully sedated the moose so they could work without stressing him out.
After that, they came up with a careful and pretty bold plan using ropes, game wardens, and the family’s own excavator.
Honestly, trying to lift a thousand-pound moose out of a narrow pit without hurting him? That takes some serious teamwork.
Slowly, inch by inch, the excavator pulled on the straps attached to the moose. Mud splashed down the well walls as the giant rose toward the light.
It was the kind of moment that keeps your heart in your throat, but you can’t look away.
Five long hours later, the moose was finally out.
As the sedation began to wear off, he blinked a few sleepy times, steadied himself, and then, as if nothing could stop him, bolted back into the woods.
The whole rescue was captured by Cole’s stepsister, Delaney Gardner. 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 was stunned to learn the well even existed. Years of moss, leaves, and overgrowth had hidden it completely on their 100-acre property.
The minute the rescue was over, they capped it so nothing like this could ever happen again. They’re even thinking about restoring it to something safe and useful now that they know it’s there.
For now, though, that moose’s unforgettable rescue has become one of those stories they’ll be telling for the rest of their lives: the day a simple walk in the woods turned into a miracle.
