Maine hunter Rebecca Blake, 33, has achieved a rare feat few hunters in the state accomplish: a Grand Slam, harvesting a turkey, bear, deer and moose in a single year.
In Maine, about 4,100 moose permits are issued each year. Of those permit holders, only 40 to 50 complete a Grand Slam — roughly 1% of them.
“This time last year, I was in the middle of hurdling through a nasty case of Lyme disease, barely functioning, switching jobs and trying to figure out the right medicine routine,” Blake said.
“This year, after jumping the hurdle of health challenges, I was fortunate enough to get selected for a moose permit, setting me on a path for the Grand Slam.”
Blake achieved the milestone with her father, Clayton Blake, a 66-year-old registered Maine guide at Breakneck Mountain Guide Service and owner of Blake’s Slaughtering and Custom Cut Meats. He guided her on three of the four animals and was only a couple miles away when she harvested the turkey. Her 10-year-old son joined her for parts of the moose hunt, adding to the experience.
Blake grew up immersed in hunting. “My favorite memories revolve around my dad guiding bear hunters and housing them each fall.” she said.
She said this year exceeded anything she ever imagined. With her father alongside her, he taught her patience in the woods, how to follow a trail even without blood, how to field-dress an animal in a swampy skid trail and how to haul a moose out of the woods.
More importantly, he showed her how to truly enjoy time with a parent without electronics — and reminded her that shouting “Hey, hey, hey” doesn’t stop a moose or a deer.
With the spring turkey hunt already past, Blake knew the fall hunt would be her only option. She began with the bear. After sitting in a stand and seeing only a moose, she pursued a different method and completed her bear hunt via trapping, shortly after earning her bear trappers’ certification. The bear weighed 276 pounds.
Blake spent six full days in the North Maine Woods during the moose season. On Thursday, Oct. 30 at about 1 p.m., roughly 33 miles beyond the gate and 500 feet into a cut, she finally brought down a 695-pound cow.
After returning home, her dad encouraged her to pursue the turkey. Blake tracked several groups over a few days, learning their patterns.
She set out at sunrise, and after losing track of the birds in the woods, she took a short walk with her fiancé. They ended up walking right into a group of turkeys, and although they tried to scatter, one didn’t get away. Her father was only a few miles away and was just as excited when she brought the bird to his shop.
She completed the Grand Slam with a deer. Blake said that working from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. left her little time to hunt, but a week after getting the turkey, she and her father headed out before dawn and took a beautiful unicorn buck shortly after 7 a.m.
“The look on his face was worth every early morning and ache,” she said.
Blake is the first in her family’s long line of hunters to complete the Grand Slam. “Because of my dad, I find pride in hunting ‘the right way,’ see beauty beyond the harvest and know how to pray over everything put in front of me,” she said.
She hopes her story will inspire others to chase their goals in the woods, no matter the obstacles.
