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2003 Maine Grandslam
Joe Ciampa, Owner and Operator of Black Eagle
Outfitters, has accomplished something no other Maine hunter has. He took back-to-back Maine Slams - moose, deer, bear and turkey, each in one year. Furthermore, he took all animals from the ground, and his second slam entirely by bow. Here's how Joe executed his unparalleled feet.
The first leg came in October, 2003. Joe was a sub-permitee, moose hunting with his friend, Scott Warren. His goal was to take a moose with his bow, and he had practiced shooting his bow out to fifty yards all summer. The pair were hunting out of a camp in Tomhegan, and Joe had seen many moose while scouting.
On the hunt's first day, they were unsuccessful stalking two bulls. The second day, they spotted several moose early, but all were cows. Due to unexpected circumstances, the pair had to cut their hunt short; so the pressure was really on.
Later that morning, they spotted a large bull in Soldiertown. Joe again tried to stalk within bow range, but the big bull wanted no part of him, and ran down into a nearby bog. The pair were contemplating switching to a gun, when another bull stood up, ninety yards from their truck. Scott, who was carrying the rifle, traded off with Joe, who shot the six point bull that eventually dressed 650 pounds.
Before going on the moose hunt, Joe loaded up several of his bear baits, and set trail cameras on them. "As soon as we returned from the moose hunt, we changed the film in the
cameras and refilled the baits," he related. "Once I saw the pictures of a nice bear at our bait in Gilead, we went back and set up a trap." He returned on October 17, checked the trap and harvested a 236-pound boar with his handgun.
Just three days later, he killed an 80-pound button buck in the expanded archery zone, while hunting from his ground blind. Joe actually missed the deer he wanted, and at the shot, it and two other deer scattered. "I called a little and two came back in, but were nervous; so I shot the closest one."
Up to this point, Joe hadn't even contemplated trying for a slam; but a friend, Charlie Lawrence, soon changed his mind. "Charlie asked me if I hunted turkeys and I told him I just never had any interest. He asked me to join him during the special archery season; so I decided to give it a try."
On the morning of October 24, Joe and Charlie went out to check some of the local hunting spots around Charlie's. They soon found some birds in a field, and quickly gained permission from the landowner to hunt. With his Oneida Black Eagle bow in hand,
Joe started walking down a road skirting the field.
The turkeys, however, began moving the other way. While trying to out-flank
the birds, Joe noticed a barway in a rock wall, and figured the turkeys would go through it as they exited the field. His hunch proved right. He was about twenty yards from the barway when he saw the turkeys headed toward the opening. Joe nocked an arrow and waited until one offered a clear, 25-yard shot. When Joe fired, the bird went straight up in the air, then dropped to the ground. The 10.5-pound hen rounded out Joe's first Maine slam.
2004 Maine Grandslam
The following fall, Joe picked up right where he left off. On opening day of bear season, he shot a 155-pound sow while bowhunting from his Invisiblind ground blind. "I was hunting over a bait where I'd gotten some pictures of a nice bear. It came in the first night and circled the bait nervously." With heavy thunderstorms predicted, Joe wasted no time making the 22-yard shot. The following week he took another bear in New Hampshire, also bowhunting from a ground blind; then stalked and bowshot a New Hampshire turkey.
October 4 was a busy afternoon for Joe. He had several encounters while hunting a food plot from his ground blind. "By five o'clock I had seen four deer and missed one. When two more came out, I shot one - an 80-pound doe - with my Oneida Black Eagle bow."
Joe was lucky enough to draw for the 2004 moose hunt; so he packed up his bow and his blind and headed north. "I set up the blind on the edge of broccoli and clover fields in a secluded corner, where I'd seen moose coming out early in the afternoon. I saw six moose in one day."
About three pm, a cow came out of the woods. "She came by several times over about a half hour, and was as close as 10 yards several times. I was hoping for a bigger one, but once this one was about 25 yards away and feeding away from me I took her with my Oneida Black Eagle." She started then to walk away and Joe yelled to stop her. "When she turned broadside and looked in my direction, I shot her again, at 36 yards." The 300-pound cow dropped about 40 yards farther.
On October 18, Joe was turkey hunting in Whitefield when he spotted a flock of birds in the back of a large hayfield, about a quarter of a mile from the road. He quickly looped around, trying to come in as quietly as possible from behind. Joe was about half way around the field when he noticed the turkeys were moving his way.
Hastily, he back-tracked a bit, then moved closer to the field, setting up about ten yards inside the woodline. The turkeys about fifteen yards from the field edge when Joe noticed an opening out into the field. When the turkeys hit the opening, Joe aimed at the closest one and shot. Like his bird the year before, the bird went straight up in the air. Then the 10.75-pound hen dropped.
Joe had accomplished the impossible. In just two seasons, he'd taken two Maine slams, his second all by bow, and all at eye level. In the process, he also took an additional bear and turkey in New Hampshire, and helped several other hunters take bears.
When talking about his accomplishment, Joe is quick to point out that he could not have done it without the help of a lot of other people. He credits Oneida and Invisiblind for the equipment they provided, and all his friends and hunting companions who aided him. Last and most importantly, he thanks his wife Suzanne for supporting him in his outdoor endeavors.
Article from Maine
Sportsman
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