FRYEBURG — The only two existing displays of antler-locked moose in North America will be on display at the Fryeburg Fair next week.

In a statement from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Director of Public Information and Education Doug Rafferty said Maine has partnered with New Hampshire Fish and Game to bring both displays together for viewing. They never before have been displayed together.

Taxidermist Mark Dufresne of Nature’s Reflection Taxidermy in Gray restored both sets of animals for the two departments.

The New Hampshire piece titled “Forever Locked: The Battling Bull Moose of Fowlertown” began when Ray Deragon found the remains while scouting in the Gile State Forest in Springfield, N.H.

Fundraising began in 2004 to turn the battling bones into a display depicting mating rites gone horribly wrong. It took Dufresne the winter and spring of 2005 to complete the project, using other hides to dress the beasts below the antlers.

One year later, Adella Johnson found a similar, rare scene while walking her property in New Sweden. Johnson contacted the Maine Warden Service, which determined the rut-related cause of death before partnering with L.L. Bean to hire Dufresne to create “The Final Charge.”

L.L. Bean paid $55,000 to create the exhibit, and the two moose spend most of their time on display near the entrance to the flagship store in Freeport, where they can be seen from both inside the store as well as from the street.

Although the state claims ownership of the perpetual combatants, L.L. Bean has permission from the state to display the moose for 20 years.

The displays will be at the Fryeburg Fair from September 29 to October 5.

dmcintire@sunjournal.com

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