How to Hunt and Bait Maine Black Bear

I hope you enjoy the reading of Maine Black Bear Guide, it was published a few years ago and some copies are still available at Blue Seal Feeds in Bangor.

Maine Black Bear Guide
By Master Guide Lorin F. LeCleire
www.maineguide.org
www.registeredguide.com


Maine Black Bear Guide
A Lorin LeCleire book/published by arrangement with the author and instantpublisher.com

Union River Guide Service
Maine Guide Service
Northeastern Sport Inc., a sole owner company in Maine.
DBA/Alligator Outdoors, Maine Guide Service, Maine Outdoor School
Copyright 2008 by Lorin LeCleire

If you wish to contact Union River Guide Service we can be found at www.maineguide.org or www.registeredguide.com
271 Bobcat Rd, Clifton Maine 04428.

www.maineguide.org
www.registeredguide.com





Dedication

There are so many people that made this book and my life possible, from my mother, Stella; my sister, Vikki; brother, Pat; David O’Connor to Norris Nickerson, the Fahey’s, Chris Kingsbury, Jeff Johnstone, to Hayward Kingsbury, Jeff and Carmen Cammack, the guests and clients each year, friends, and of course who could forget Dick Perry, “a Master Maine Guide don’t ya know”. I’d also thank a few Maine Game Wardens, but most are pretty elusive creatures that do not seek their name in print. Another good guide are starting a new adventure that will hopefully soon be in print, the time with Guide Shane Hurd, another “real bear man”.

But the joy of my life and what gets me up and going each and every day is the love of god; my son Zachary, a junior Maine Guide at the age of 10 and most of all, my wife Snookey.

Good luck in all your travels my friend.

Lets get a few things clear before we start, I don’t know it all, heck some say, “I am useless and worthless”. The best bear folks I know in the State of Maine and people I turn to with questions are Chief Bear Biologist Randy Cross, his brothers Don and Art; Kendal, Dan and Troy White. I might even add Richard Perry to this list, a Master something from Holden, but he already thinks he’s knows it all.

Me, I am like most Master Maine Guide’s, full of BS and able to tell some tall tales. As Troy once said, there is a 9/10 rule with Lorin, 9 out of 10 things Lorin tells you is BS.

Thanks to Chris who holds his MBA certification – Master Baiter
Assistant, working on his AMG – Assistant Maine Guide.

I also wish to apologize to any hunter who has had a poor or bad experience with a Maine Guide. I continue to hear stories that scare me about folks that are running a service. To you my friend, there are some great folks at here like Andy Brooks, Shane Hurd, Butch Myers, Troy White and hundreds of others – so don’t be poisoned by a few.

Facts About Maine

Population – 1,274,923 – taxpayers?
Counties – 16
Land – 33,215 square miles
Lakes/ponds – 6,000
Length of coastline – 3,500 miles
Forest – 17 million acres
Persons per square mile – 41.3
Capitol – Augusta or as Mainer’s say “disgusta”
Statehood – March 15, 1820, 23rd state of the Union
State Bird – Chickadee
State Cat – Maine Coon Cat
State Fish – Landlocked Salmon
State Flower – White Pine Cone
State Fossil – Pertica Quadrifaria
State Gem – Tourmaline
State Herb – Wintergreen, in Bradford it’s a different herb
Sate Insect – Honeybee
State Motto – Dirigo (I Lead), yes we lead in taxation
State Nickname – The Pine Tree State
State Tree – White Pine
State Animal – Moose
State Berry – Wild Blueberry
Motto- Vacation Land – I call it Taxation Land

Creatures that Dick and I have seen or heard about “Allagash Boogolo and The Feared Spruce Budworm”

Welcome Hunters

Is It Ok for You to Enter Maine?
As most of you know, there are armed State Troopers at the southern border to Maine, they are stationed on the big bridge checking non-residents. First, there are THREE Maine’s, Southern Maine, Northern Maine and the Coast (visitors center). Route 1 defines the coast from the rest of Maine. Certain papers are required to enter each zone. Papers are not required to the north as the French folks share our simple and kind values of life. When you meet this armed trooper at the border, there are several questions that will be asked. If you pass the questions you will be provided a “Maineiac” decal, which allows you to enter our state and enjoy its wonders. This decal must be affixed to the driver’s side of your windshield and is non-transferable. Listed below are a few sample questions, so prepare your answers.

1. Do you hunt and fish? The answer is YES, if not you belong to the third Maine – the coastal area.
2. Do you drink turkey hill ice tea? Yes, big problem it costs $96 to ship overnight from Pennsylvania.
3. Do you play with sheep? NO, good answer, unless you’re from Osborn.
4. Can you pole a canoe? Yes, that standing up in fast water with a big stick to support you.
5. Do you own various weapons/firearms? Yes, more than five is required.
6. Do you own a black lab or hound? Yes, great lets hunt.
7. Are you looking to purchase land and post it against hunting? No, if YES, turn around NOW.
8. Can you wave to everyone you see with more than one finger?
9. Can you sit down at the local store and talk hunting?
10. Don’t speak unless spoken to?

This is a Black Bear – Is it a Sow or a Boar?



A true Master Maine Guide, like of Richard “Dick” Perry, could tell you at a glance the sex of the bear. As long, as Dick can see the front of the bear and its muzzle, he can sex the bear. Over the course of a season, Dick batted 100% on all harvested bear. Is it the flared nostrils? The location of the eyes on the head? The Muzzle? Or experience?

So my friends, throw a log on the fire, pour yourself a drink and read what I can offer you on Maine Bear – which isn’t much!

I have written this book for a few reasons. First, to get my name in print. Second, to provide each of my hunters with insight into bear hunting and third, to provide a memory book for all bear hunters.

The Atheist

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods on day.

What majestic trees you have in Maine!

What powerful rivers you have in Maine!

What beautiful animals you have in Maine! He said to himself

As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot Maine Black Bear charge towards him.

He rain as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up, but saw the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising the right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out “Oh my God!…”

Time Stopped

The Bear Froze

The forest was silent

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. “You deny my existence for all of these years, teach others I don’t exist, and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?”

The Atheist looked directly into the light. “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?”

“Very well” said the voice

The light went out.

The sounds of the forest resumed.

And then the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together and bowed his head and spoke. “Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.”



The Thicket
By a Great Friend – JJF, Maine Game Warden
One night, in the early 80’s, I was doing a little writing at Camp Finally and my best friends brother wrote and provided me this story in hopes that some day we would be famous. It is hand written and hangs on the wall of my office to this day. – Enjoy
The boy walked two or three steps, crouched down and listened. There was no wind and the woods were silent. It was a good morning to be hunting.
He was overly dressed and the perspiration was gathering on his brow. Suddenly he sees a FLICKER. Crouching, squinting he can’t make out just what it was that made the twitch. He stares intently into THE THICKET. He moves to a different angle and still cannot see what it is. It was low to the ground and whitish. It resembled a deer’s leg. Thinking maybe it was a birch sapling he looks above the green growth but sees no limbs. He finally decides to step closer for a better look. All of a sudden a hare in molting shoots out of the brush. The boy checks his compass and moves on quietly.




LETTER OF CHIEF SEATHL of the Suwamish Tribe to the President of the United States of America, Franklin Pierce, 1854

The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. The Great Chief also sends us words of friendship and good will. This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return. But we will consider your offer. For we know that if we do not sell, the white man may come with guns and take our land.

How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap, which courses through the trees, carries the memories of the red man. So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us.

Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. But we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We will live apart, and in peace.

It matters little where we spend the rest of our days. Our children have seen their fathers humbled in defeat. Our warriors have felt shame, and after defeat they turn their day in idleness and contaminate their bodies with sweet foods and strong drink. It matters little where we spend the rest of our days. They are not many. A few more hours, a few more winters, and none of the great tribes that once lived on this earth or that roam now in small bands in the woods will be left to mourn the graves of a people once as powerful and hopeful as yours. But why should I mourn the passing of my people? Tribes are made of men, nothing more. Men come and go, like the waves of the sea. Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny.

One this we know, which the white man may one day discover – our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land: but you cannot. He is the God of man; and his compassion is equal for the red man and the white. This earth is precious to Him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites too shall pass; per haps sooner than all other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.

But in your perishing you will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man. That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicker? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. So we will consider your offer to buy the land.

If we agree, it will be to secure the reservation you have promised. There, perhaps, we may live out our brief days as we wish. When the last red man has vanished from this earth, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people. For they love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell our land, love it as we’ve loved it. Care for it as we’ve cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land, as it is when you take it. And with all your strength, with all your mind, with all your heart, preserve it for your children, and love it… as God loves us all. One thing we know. Our God is the same God. This earth is precious to Him. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see…

Modern democracy as we know it today is as much a legacy of the American Indians, especially the Iroquois and the Algonquians. Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and others boasted of using the American Indian culture and traditions to build the documents that led this great nation. The natives abhorred slavery. The natives were more civilized and domesticated than the Europeans that arrived. Natives do no know aristocratic systems or class privilege. The natives allow all adult Indians to vote, including women. Yet in Britain, England and Scotland only nobles could vote. Indians had freedom of speech by all. They had elected leaders and holy men. They did not use words like thine and mine or talk of possession and ownership. This prevented corruption and greed. Chiefs governed only through consensus and could be overruled by the councils, no authority rested with one individual, noting like the lives in Europe. Did you know that it was Chief Canassatego speaking in 1744 to a Pennsylvania assembly who first called for a union of the thirteen American colonies? The Great Law of Peace was a league of all the five Indian Nations, delegates were elected by each tribe, one vote per tribe to met and talk of mutual needs – the basic foundation of our American Senate, this is fact. Like tribes, new territories were admitted as new members on an equal status as with old. Natives lived in harmony with nature and had a democracy, using caucus to bring all tribes together, each had one vote. The colonist has so little experience with democratic institutions that when they convened meetings they adopted this decision making process – which continues today. When black people sought freedom they were accepted by tribes as one of their own, allowed to vote and marry within the tribe. Indians weren’t prejudiced, because all believed in the same religion and cultural system, that the Great Spirit provided for them. They lived every minute of every day worshiping the Great Spirit. Even after the Pilgrims arrived, and were fed, they set about to rob the Indian of grain. The Indians looked on, theft or stealing was not known to them. But since these people were hungry – let them eat, and showed us how to plant. What did we do, introduce smallpox on blankets so as to wipe them out.

If visitors to the U.S. Capital today look closely in the older parts of the building, they can still see some of the original carvings of Indian images and plants showing through the overlay of marble. There are carvings of tobacco, stalks of corn, leave and flowers. As years went by, we tried to cover or remove these symbols. The Sun Dance is a way to provide Thanksgiving and give praise to the Great Spirit that provides – we now call it Thanksgiving and have no idea why.

There are also some signs that we need to observe from our native brothers.
There are four faces, or four ages: the face of a child, face of the adolescent, the face of adult and the face of the aged.
There are four directions, four winds, four seasons, four quarters of the universe, four races of man and women – red, yellow, black and white.
There are four things that breathe; those that crawl, those that fly, those that are two legged and those that are four legged.
There are four things above the earth; sun, moon, stars, planets.
There are four parts to the green things: roots, stem, leaves, fruit.
There are four divisions of time: day, night, moon, year.
There are four elements, fire, water, air, earth.
Even the human heart is divided into four compartments.
The list of four continues, something the Indian knew since placed here by the Great Creator.

I encourage nature folks, hunters, and those seeking to understand nature or life to look deep into the eyes of our native friends – their belief and God is the same as ours. Thank you Lorin.






The Licensed Guide – License to Lie
Using the services of a professional guide is often the best way to insure survival. There are many times when guides, forest rangers, and wardens have rescued people who have become lost, thus saving their lives. For professional reasons I cannot recommend any guide service with which I am not familiar, nor would I recommend them if I don’t trust their services.
We should talk about professionalism, wit, safety, and mannerisms of a guide. You must understand that guides are a breed apart from the ordinary person.
A guide needs to be a good cook, quick-witted and have a dry sense of humor.
A guide doesn’t have to be educated; if he is, he doesn’t show it. Good guides aren’t snobby. However, he must have a liar’s license; if not, being a guide does not fit his character. The liar’s license is necessary so when he has a klutzy client, he can say with a straight face, “You’re doing all right; its your first day”. A liar’s license is also necessary so when he (the guide) makes a mistake, he can convince you (the client) into feeling that the mistake is your fault. Moreover, a part of his service, he gives you expert advice on how to lie to save face when you fall out of the canoe, which I haven’t done yet. You have to understand that any good guide has his lies saved up from years of experience.
I once knew a guide who fell asleep on a warm sunny November day, only to awaken when the sun started to wane. He ran to his client’s tree stands only to find his clients had left. He rushed to camp, thinking a good lie so he could make them feel guilty instead of being mad at him. He burst through the door, he looked and acted – furious and gave them a good verbal thrashing, telling them that he had worked hard all day only to find out after he drove the big bucks by their stands that they had left. The clients apologized profusely almost begging his forgiveness, telling him that on the next day, they would stay put. If you can’t think up a high quality lie like the one I just explained, then you have no business being a guide.
So folks, be sure to ask your prospective guide to show you his liar’s license. If he can’t produce one, it is a good indication that he is still a rookie and should not be trusted. Charlie Reitze, June 06 NWJ


The Black Bear and its Life Cycle
The Black Bear is the smallest and most widely distributed of the North American bears. Adults typically weigh 100 to 400 pounds and measure 4 to 6 feet. The Maine record is 680 pounds.
They are massive and strongly built animals. Many times during skinning, especially on a bear larger than 250 pounds, I will encounter previous wounds or injuries, caused by other bears or hunters. I recall seeing broad heads stuck deep in a spine, or a .270 bullet in the shoulder and others in the rear quarter. All of which have healed over with a piece of fat.
Bears east of the Mississippi are usually all black; the western bears may have different colorings. Maine bears are known to have white blazes or patches of white on their chests. The ratio is higher in certain parts of the state than others. The ratio of a white blaze on a smaller bear is like 1 to 5, and 1 to 20-25 on an adult. Young John Bloom of Pennsylvania took a male bear with all reddish brown ears and brown blaze not to long ago, this is the first all brown ear bear I have seen in the area. However we did have a sighting of an adult with red coloring on its head – maybe the granddad.
The head is moderately sized with a straight profile and tapering nose. My good friend and Master Maine Guide of over 40 years – Mr. Dick Perry, can tell a male or female at a glance by looking at the snot/nose. It is common for Dick to walk by the truck or cooler and say “oh another male”, or “nice sow”. So far, Dick has not been wrong – some say he never is wrong.

Mr. Richard (Dick) Perry, Master Maine Guide, Ret. Army

The ears of black bears are small, rounded and erect. Those that hunt with me have seen me trace many bear’s ears. It clearly appears that from about 1 ½ year old up the ears are almost always the same size, its placement on the head however is different. Younger bears seem to be on top of the head and larger bears they appear at the side more.

A bear’s tail is about 3-5 inches in length, short and stubby.

Each foot of the bear has five curved claws that are about 1 inch in length. These are non-retractable. While a bear walks with a gait, it can be quite agile and quick when necessary. Hunters report being spotted by a bear or spooking it, only to have it make a 180 degree turn and leap away into the brush without a sound. I often wonder how a critter of this size can go so quietly through the woods. Bear can run fast, reaching 35 mph over a short distance. And no matter what anyone tells you, black bear can climb trees and are good swimmers. Think like a bear, a hot summer day, in a winter coat – the cool water feels nice. I have noticed that bear in my area do not like to cross a major highway. In speaking with the biologist, he also reports that most collared bear don’t like the go across the paved roads. Running a few over the years with dogs have produced the same result, they swing toward the road, run a swamp or ridge and then double back into the thickets.

The body length of a bear ranges from 4-6 feet, and let me tell you, a 4’ bear walking in the woods looks HUGE. The front leg out forward and the back leg out behind, it’s an 8 footer. Be very careful of watching a walking bear to guess size. The 75 pounder will measure 4 feet, as will a 155 pounder.


Our Man Dennis with his first Maine Black Bear

The black bear was found through most of North America, they still exist in most all their original range, expect for the Great Plains area. There is also an overlap with the mighty grizzly in some areas. I can recall when spring hunting was allowed in Maine and bear were not considered a game animal. Thankfully this has changed.
At one point the Fish and Game Department, I very much dislike Fisheries and Wildlife, sounds like a name the federal government would use, estimated the number of bear at close to 40,000. Then a reassessment was conducted and the new number was 23,000, now we are leaning toward 26-30,000. Maine has 32,000 square miles of land mass, this means about one bear per square mile. Factor area’s not holding bear, population centers and that Portland is really part of Massachusetts or at least it should be and the number of bear per square mile is well over three and based on food source could be higher.
I am going to offer a comment regarding our state and bears. There are certain parts of the state that offer excellent bear habitat, but have no bears. Part of this is because yearling females disperse close to their mothers; bears don’t like to cross major highways; bears kill other bears; and hunters cull surplus bear before they can disperse into a new area. Waldo, Lincoln and Knox counties are a few of the area’s that have great range, but no bear to speak of. The time has come, for our Fish and Game, to close these counties to bear hunting for a few years, transplant some sows and cubs, even a boar or yearling. I am sure citizens might not like this idea, and I hope these are not the same folks that voted to ban bear hunting a few years ago or that don’t have a Maniac sticker on their cars. This will give the bear a chance to get settled and provide additional opportunity for all.
I run digital cameras on several sites, (Mountree purchased from Wal-Mart) and they work good, I also don’t feel bad if the bear destroys it. Running over 100 sites, I can say that most sites are active with 1 to 5 bears per site. There are days I would like to sit and shoot the bear with paint ball marker so that I can find any overlapping bears. I do suggest that you hang bait or lure in trees and force the bear to stand facing the camera, a face photograph allows to view the markings of the bears, especially color and ear damage from fighting. If the bait is above five feet off the ground in a bucket, and eaten, that’s a nice bear. If Dick is around he can sex the bear for you also.



Living conditions and feeding
Black bear frequent heavily forested areas, especially large swamps and hilly or ridge areas. Large bear occur in forests with plenty of foods, like beechnuts and acorns, especially if there is a swamp or cool area nearby. In Maine bears need and love berries. This includes raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. After a cold snap they head for the nut crops like beechnuts, acorns, hazelnuts and such. The beechnut crop has much to do with the timing of a bears denning. A lack of nuts will prompt an early den, while a large mast crop will result in the bears staying active longer, even with snow.

Bears are omnivorous, foraging on plants and animals. Everything is fair game, aside from the nuts listed above, bears will open bee hives; just ask the owners of the blueberry barrens in Down East Maine. Insects, grubs and grass are also among their favorites. Carrion or dead animals are taken, but fresh meat is much more preferred. While there is real concern in certain areas that bear contribute to the loss of deer I don’t think for one minute this is the reason for the severe loss of our deer (its due to loss of wintering area – that’s another story), but bear do kill fawns in the spring without question. In a past season I opened the stomach of every bear taken and ones that others would let me gut. In every case, the stomach was loaded with sweet grass, nuts, berries and even some trash. Down East there is no corn, oat or wheat crop, such as in Exeter or northern Maine.

Raspberry and blackberries a favorite of me and the bear
Bear can do heavy damage to these crops and in the fall can be hunted over this natural food source.

Camera on Deep – I think this was Ray’s 370lb.
Most bear’s are nocturnal by nature, especially a large smart, educated bear. An educated bear is one that has been chased, shot at or trapped. A four to five hundred pound, 10-15 year old bear doesn’t get to be that size by being stupid. They make sure they have plenty of cover and know that darkness is their friend. In some cases they are as smart as a coyote, especially in central Maine. Northern bears are not quite as educated as the southern cousins purely because of the range and space they have to work.
For a long time I thought it was almost impossible to get a night bear to come in early, I now have different thoughts on this matter. The key is getting closer to where the bear is napping or home bedding area with the bait, thus it is a short trip to dinner. We will talk more about this later, and some bears can be “flipped”.
It is not unusual to be tracking a bear at night and have “company” travel by us. Company is the name for other bears visiting or coming to the bait. Bear at night are not scared of much, including a flashlight placed on them.
Bear in General
As I said, Black bears by nature are nocturnal - meaning they are active at night.
Black Bear are not colorblind – they do see colors. I have noticed that lime glow flagging is of interest to them, not red, orange or green, but lime glow. I am not sure if I had some anise oil on the flagging or what happened. But most sites that had a piece of flagging on them were torn to pieces by the bears. Hey they need to see a berry at great distance.
They also can see very well at short distances. Hunter after hunter, even those in self climbers that are put in on the day of hunting, report hearing a noise and looking down only to find the bear sitting there looking directly at the hunter – remember no direct eye contact, lets not start a fight.
Bear can detect movement well, they have also been conditioned to look up and survey the trees – looking for that odd shape.

I think he found the camera or at least the flash

Bears in Maine den in fall – they really don’t go to a sound sleep – in fact depending on the weather and snow conditions they may ground nest, instead of finding a rock cave, blow down or thicket. So from late October to about March bears are sleeping. Winter is also the time that most logging operations are in full swing and at times disturb a bear.

There is a lot of study going on around the country with bear and it’s hibernation period. Like how does it affect their weigh, fat, and bone growth. Starting in late December, sows will give birth to what are called cubs. The size of the liter again is based on many dynamics, weather, food and the age of the bear. Usually 1 – 3 cubs, with the standard being 2, weighing 7-10 ounces, by the time spring comes around the cubs should be about 5 pounds. The cubs will nurse on their mother until fall and will usually remain with her until the following spring, weight going into the den the first year will be around 35-70 pounds or a little bigger than a 5 gallon pail. They will start dispersing when they are a year and half old and weighing about 65-120 pounds.

A true dug out Bear Den – Zachary

During the early summer (June) – females will breed with males, mostly likely more than one male. This results in male bears aggressively attacking each other over rights to a sow. It is fun to put a bait and camera out in June and watch the pictures. The average range I have found for a female with good food source is 1-3 square miles. The males however during breeding will travel and travel in search of sows. The sow holds the egg, a delayed implantation until fall. During this time the yearling males are also establishing a range – moving out to 25 miles is not unusual. Yearling females however will move or share range with their mother. Remember a mother nursing will not breed, so a sow breeds every other year. Also the female does all the raising of the cubs – a male bear will kill the cubs if given a chance. The reason is protection of area and to bring the sow back in heat. A sow is not mature for breeding until she reaches the age of 3 ½ or 4 I am told.


Behavior
I don’t wear a firearm baiting or when placing hunters on stands. I do carry a .44 S & W when picking up hunters, but the firearm is never loaded unless we are in tight quarters on a track. Safety First!
While bears appear big and can be big, no matter what the size, they are powerful animals. Just ask a biologist that work with bear what size they would handle, unmediated and it won’t exceed 60 pounds I bet. Bears are active at night – so we see very few of them. Second they don’t like being around humans and avoid contact whenever possible. When surprised or cornered there are some things bears will do, especially when protecting their young. First they will lay back their ears and utter a series of huffing sounds. The next warning is the popping or snapping of the jaws. They may also stamp their feet. Next comes the bluff charge. Coming at you, stomping it feet and only approaching a few yards. The “bad” or “mad” bears or dangerous bears are few and most likely don’t have a lot of contact with humans. Many times when picking up hunters there are bears at the bait – these bear are not scared or nervous – its dark and they know they own the woods at night. However they also don’t make any attempt to charge or alert us to their presence. Clients report cubs climbing trees next to them, with the sow sleeping at the base of the stand. She knows you are there and is just protecting the young. The vast majority of injuries that I have heard or read about are bites, scratches and bruises. In reading the stories, it seems to me, that people were trying to scare them off the porch or out of the yard.
I have spoken to our biologist and enjoy reading the white papers of Fish and Game departments across the country discussing the predation of bear on deer or moose. The calves and fawns are just born when the hungry bear’s emerge from their dens. What an easy meal. Maine’s deer herd is in serious decline in many areas – aside from the loss of cedar in winter deeryards, what is causing this problem – could it be spring loss to the Coyote and then to the bear?
How to take a bear
Since 2000 the average number of bear harvested in Maine is between 3,600-3,900 with the majority taken over bait (2800), hounding accounted for (282) and trapping (172).
You can take a bear in Maine, by bait hunting, hound hunting, over natural foods or by trapping. I enjoy all the above, this is not normal. As with most groups we at times fight among ourselves. The biggest issue I have is hound hunters running on my leased baits. Another problem with Maine is that our Fish and Game Department is always broke. So you need to purchase a special Bear Permit to take a bear, except during firearm season on deer – then its free game to shoot just about anything. I say, you want to hunt bear; a permit should be required at all times. Just to drop a few numbers, over $30 million dollars is spent by hunters during a given bear season, yet we only spend about $100,000 on bear research. We spend 5 times that on Lynx that have been here forever and generate no funds. I am betting the Fish and Game is getting ready to release wolfs like they did with the coyotes years ago, as I was told – at least that’s the story always pushed around camp to generate more money for protected species.
Trapping

Ray with a massive Black Bear taken by leg hold – one of the last in Maine

A couple of friends of mine make the finest bear foot snares I have seen, Kendal Marden and Dan Wagner. They also instruct at trapper conventions across the state, together I am guessing they have caught over 400 bears, from work at Fish and Game and as trappers. The Aldrich-type foot snare is used extensively by trappers in Maine searching for bear and by biologists in their study areas. This is a safe method and allows for the release of non-target animals. It appears that 2006 will be the last year for the use of the leg hold trap in Maine. This is really sad, a major loss of traditional recreation. Having recently trapped with a leg hold, there is nothing like the sound of a trap chain rattling on a drag, with a three hundred seventy pound bear attached. I am proud to say that if the law is changed and leg holds are outlawed, that I was able to assist Ray Kauffman of PA in the harvesting of a large bear through the use of a leg hold. Thanks to Ray and his son-in-law Han’s Groff I am now part of Maine history.


Weight
Bear’s length or height is not always related to its weight, width however is a great indicator. I have placed four, five and six foot logs at the bait for clients to judge the size of a bear by. I have placed markers on trees to judge height. Yet hunters still take large yearlings or 150 pound class bears. Give the hunter a straight on or walking away view and things change. The waddle, the girth and size of paws provide a better judge. The straight on view allows judgment of the head, ears and nose. That large flared nose is a great way to know it’s a male. Remember if using measuring sticks or logs, to measure rump to neck, the four footer will be around 125 pounds. The five around 200 and the six over 300 pounds. All of the bear harvested at Union River are brought out whole whenever possible, for weighing on a digital scale. This is especially important for any camp pools. It also reduces dirt, cut fingers or sloppy hide cuts. I have also noticed, in talking with hunters, getting excited cellular calls or radio transmissions that bear deflate when shot. Seriously, a live bear looks really large, shining hairs standing up, legs out. All I can say is take your time, watch the bear or bears, and then make a decision. If you have to field dress your bear in the woods, add 15-20% to a gutted bear to figure live weight.
How to select a site
There are many things to look at when selecting a site for bear hunting. The first of which is noise from trucks, roads, ATV’s, dirt bikes, etc. Locals are not concerned about automobile traffic or noise and neither is the bear, so in this case they can make a set next within 1/4 of a road. Second, is the site secure from view, other hunters or woods travelers? This relates directly to scent and driving a bear nocturnal. Noise and smells are normal to bears. They hear chain saws, shooting, dogs, ATV’s, skidders, cars, truck and everything else all the time. Each year hunters report noise from something, only to find a bear in their sights a short time later. How about 75 feet behind a running harvester, someone sighting in a rifle 100 feet away, the ATV driving by or another hunter a ¼ mile up the trail. Here is another story. The hunter after 9 days has not seen a bear. The bait is across the stream on a bank beneath a fire thicket, about 30 yards away. Suddenly the hunter hears a stick snap behind him; slowly he turns to look and sees a bear walking in the firs. As he turns back to the bait there is a large bear sitting in front of him looking directly at him. Slowly he raises his muzzleloader and fires as the bear leaps back and across the brook. Down the hunter comes to check the trail, up and down again and again cursing himself for the shot. He finds the hole in the ground from his miss. Back to the stand, minutes later, another bear approaches the bait from the right. While not always pleasing to the hunter, noise is normal to a bear.
So, you have found an area that is away from noise and the easy view of other woods walkers. Now study the topo maps looking for water, swamps and ridges that have natural funnels. Bear don’t run ridges per say like deer do; they do run the swamps in search of food. Now we need to get on the ground and look for bear signs. This includes beds, droppings called scat, tracks, bear trees and runs. The cover is usually dense with water bushes (alders) or softwoods, especially jack firs. Jack firs are small evergreens about six feet high. I try to work the snowmobile trails, scoot/skidder trails, old roads and the back of woodlots. Remember to try and think like a bear. You weigh over 200 pounds and have winter clothing on in the summer! You want to stay cool and move slowly, but have your food source close by. Another key area to consider is the sign done by baiting. Tending bait every day, or every third day makes a well-worn path that curious passer bys will visit, adding more scent. I recall a fella calling me to tell me that he had found my bear site, but he had to use his dog. For what purpose he did this I don’t know or understand. Before you start baiting or making plans, you need to have landowner permission to bait.
Many of the lands in Maine holding bear are owned by timber companies like International Paper, Prentiss and Carlisle, or North Maine Woods. These folks are great to work with and lease bear sites for $80-100 per site. Sites are usually spaced about a mile apart. Or you can visit the local town office, find the landowner and seek permission. Always seek permission; I can’t stress how important this is. I will also tell you that if you place bait without permission, especially on a permitted leased site, you are in for trouble with the person leasing the site. Trust me I get very angry when I take a client in to a stand, only to find another hunter close by. I call these folks renegades without regard for others. They don’t care that I spent $4,000 on liability insurance, $100 for a site, $60 a barrel for sweets and jellies, $200 on a stand, gas, time baiting, and all the other costs associated with running a guide service. Over the years I have tried to remain calm and assist, with what are usually haphazard locals trying to get a bear. Each year I run about 10 local sites where there is noise, but bears. Places I would not put a client. I offer the locals these sites for free, these new friends are placed on a speed dial when I need help tracking or hauling a bear out. The other way is picking a fight and calling a warden. Call the warden and now the trouble starts with the local person, pissing on the bait, damaging the vehicles, stealing brochures, running their mouth or driving in during hunting hours and shooting wildly. You get more with honey than a stick.
Once you have found your area start with baits about ¾ to a mile apart. I would also suggest multiple baits if stream or river is involved. It is also possible to place baits a few hundred yards apart on opposite sides of the road. When the action picks up you can decide which baits to shut down. You need to be careful about overlapping sites with bears. In some cases this can be good, a backup, especially if a site becomes contaminated for some reason. Remember the range of a female and that of a roaming adult male. I have sites a few yards apart on the opposite sides of gravel road. Different bears tend to these two baits and for some reason don’t like to cross the road. I like a site in green growth on the edge of a swamp or stream that has some hardwoods or berry patch near by. This allows day cover, a cool resting place and food. It would be nice if it were between two ridges and had an escape path.
Another ideal way is the use of a boat or canoe on streams and rivers. Bear, like all creatures must have water. Canoeing down a stream, you can locate crossings, openings and stand locations. In many cases you can help avoid scent and detection by placing the stand on one side of the stream and the bait on the other side. River and stream runs work well for the local hunter or small service. Running a river route, while most enjoyable, takes a lot of time and patience. You need a few canoes or boats that you can leave in the woods, and then you will need to haul bait by the pails to the boat and motor or paddle to the sites. If you can find a nice easy river or stream it is very possible to put in four or five sites over a few miles. In this case it is workable for multiple clients. But remember, during the season you will need to transport not only four or five hunters, but also bait and bears. So have good water and at least a 16’ boat and motor. Running a river after dark is fun, especially if you know it by heart and can motor fairly fast without a headlamp, always a thrill for the clients. If you do run a river route don’t wait until the first day of hunting to run the route after dark – trust me!
Selecting the actual site for baiting or hunting also takes planning. I don’t use large barrels, steel pens or commercial pits. I elect to place the bait on the ground, in hollow stumps, at the base of old trees and occasionally I will place the bait in a 5 gallon plastic pail, either tied to the base of a tree with a large rock on top, in the ground or hanging at about five feet. The purpose of the rock is to stop coons, coyotes, fisher, martin and other animals from stealing the bait. Hanging the bait does the same thing, and makes the bear work harder to get the meal. The ground bait offers some attractions, such as pine martin, squirrels, rabbits, birds, fisher cats, coyotes and other creatures found in the Maine woods that help pass the time as you sit during hunting season. This also prepares the site for fall trapping of other furbearers. The reason I don’t use the barrels or commercial pits is simple, it’s a lot of work to haul these in to site and remove them, also I don’t think they are ascetically pleasing. I do understand that a 55 gallon barrel with a square hole cut in it, hung from a tree protects the bait and makes the bear work to get a meal, it just doesn’t work for me.
In the area I hunt, there is a network of gravel roads and over a million acres land owned by timber companies and private landowners. With many roads, over 1,200 miles of dirt road, it’s hard to go a mile without finding another road or crossing, so it is somewhat simple to box in an area with baits. My hunters can tell you, I have a large wall in the community room covered with topographical maps. All roads are drawn in and each site has either a red or blue dot on it. Red indicates a site that is shut down or is baited, but not to be hunted. Blue indicates active sites. I try not to kill more than one bear per site per year. And the following year I try to not to hunt sites I killed on the previous year, I do however still bait those sites to keep the bears active. Running over a 100 sites takes a lot of planning, pails and manpower. I input all sites into an Excel spreadsheet program with name, location, date baited, GPS reference and comments. I then make routes, usually five of them and number each site, meaning which bait to do first, then second and so on. At the end of each day I enter the information and site detail, like tracks, amount of bait eaten back into the computer and print the next days route. To assist in all this I use a Magellan GPS with topo map system installed. If I could afford it I would bar code each site and just scan it each time it is baited, maybe I can get a grant? It should be noted that each site in Maine must have a site tag 2x4 inches listing the owners name and address information. Here’s a question for the legal beagles, especially when each game warden has a different view. Does the tag have to be 2x4 or the wording and letters have to be 2x4?
Bait

There are a number of things to use for bait and lures. First you need some plastic 55-gallon water tight, snap ring top barrels. This will be used to store your bait. These also make great water barrels or storage barrels for off-season clothes, life jackets and other household items.
Baits that I use include dog food, cow grains, corn, deer pellets, cereal, donuts, popcorn, cookie crumb, granolas, grease, shell fish oil, skunk oil, fresh meat (sorry folks I am not sticking my hands in old rotten meat that is moving), molasses, oil of anise, cow blood, raspberry jelly in the 55 gallon containers. Stay away from seafood and chocolate; they can make a bear sick.
I suggest getting pastries whenever possible. Build a bin or have a work area in which you can dump the pastries you are collecting. Sort out any breads, bagels, paper and such. Bear will NOT EAT bagels. I don’t care if you shred them in a leaf machine, soak them in grease they won’t eat them, but coon and martin do. I think it is the seeds and onions that trouble the bears. After you have sorted your pastries, get some trash bags, place two to three five gallon pails full of pastries in a trash bag. Tie the bag. Place this trash bag in the barrel. Keep repeating this process, insuring that the bags are pushed or tamped down as you fill the barrel. Once the barrel is full you can suck the air out with a vacuum system or place a piece of plastic over the top before putting the lid on to seal it. It is critical that you seal the drum and have no bread or water in any bags. If this is done correctly the pastry will last at least 2-4 years, especially if they are Dunkin Donuts variety. I will go through about 150 drums of pastries, 800 gallons of cooking grease and 500 gallons of molasses in a season. This doesn’t not include raspberry jell, a quart to each bait pail daily, seasonings or grains.
Now lets get to baiting, you will need 5 gallon plastic pails, some folks like the snap tops, I don’t use them. I put a scoop of popcorn, a scoop of grain, scoop of Old Roy dog food, a quart or shovel of raspberry jam, and fill with pastry. I suggest if you are using frostings or other mixtures that they go in the middle of your mix, this allows for stacking of pails in the truck and not getting stuff stuck to the bottom of pails. I finish off each pail with a ½ gallon of grease and ½ gallon of molasses or cookie crumbs. Making 60-80 pails a day is hard work and expensive, about $5 per pail. If you make them up ahead of time, remember to cover the pails, as the rain will spoil it all. Another reason for covers, if you are using fresh meat this should be separate, and hung or buried. I start with fresh meat in baiting season and then start using it during the last week when bear are really trying to put on the fat before winter.
Some folks like to hang 5-gallon pails with holes in the bottom, letting it drip on the site. Or they take grease into the site separately and pour it on the ground. The idea of the oil/grease/molasses is that bears will roll in, eat it and track it all around the countryside, thus attracting other bears to your site. Bear is a lot like pig, the meat is similar and eating habitats are close. Some folks feed early in June adding pig wormer in it. This helps the bear, as most bears are like pigs and have tapeworms. Make sure this is legal in your state. I should also note that some states require pork meat to be cooked if used for bait.

Chris hard at work or enjoying the ride

Cooking oil or grease is critical to making a good bear site. You can find this at most any cooking establishment. Watch the grease, some will has Crisco or will settle out and thicken like Mel Fry. You want liquid grease in 5-gallon containers. Another concern is cleaning products. Most owners will put this aside for you or let you pump from there drum with a hand pump – it saves them money. You should also watch out for grease that might have cleaning solutions in them – this will drive the bear away. I had cases where I switched grease from different establishments, some with Crisco and the bears moved on or took a few days for them to enjoy the new scent.
Hanging or using a 5-gallon pail has another plus. You can flip a bear. Lets say you have a bear that is working a site late at night and you can’t get him to come in earlier. This is probably a large bear and very educated. Take a pail from another site that has been played with or chewed – something with plenty of scent on it. As for teeth marks in the pail or can, a 2” bite is a nice bear. Cut back on bait at the next baiting and install this pail at the site where the bear is coming in late. This will cause the other bear to think someone is coming in early and getting his meal, forcing him to move earlier if he wishes to eat. The other thing to consider with a late night bear, is that the bait is not safe enough, out in the open or is too far for him to get there from his bed before sunset. Do a little back tracking and see if you can find a site closer to his or her bedding or home range. Think like a bear, its August and hot, you are dressed in your winter coat and ski pants. Where do you want to be? In the water, where its cool, away from bugs? An educated night bear will come to the bait quicker, if you can get bait near his bedding area.
As for the method of placement or how the site is prepared is up to each person. Some like to use bait cribs, making a three-sided log cabin wall about a foot high. Others dig a hole and cover the hole with large logs, using 4’ long logs. Large old stumps look natural. And still more wire a plastic pail to trees. I prefer to use natural depressions and cover them with brush or logs. In any case, haul some brush or treetops to the right of the bait. This will be used to hang scent rags or put a honey dish at the base of the brush. This will make the bear enter the site, put its head in the brush and block the view, allowing the hunter to raise the firearm.
Remember to “lug out, what you lug in”. It’s the law and called leave no trace or minimal impact. At the end of the season your bait site should not look different than before you started. No trash, surely no nails in trees, tree stands are stored away and the area is raked.
Conditioning the bear to baiting and scent is critical. I enter a site and talk to the bear “coming in momma bear”. I take the pail to the site, dump the bait and bang the pail on the tree three or four times. I also smoke at each site; I wear sneakers, BUT DO NOT USE BUG SPRAY. Over the pre hunt or baiting season I condition the bear to my scents and the sounds of the ATV or Toyota bait truck. I also do very slight trimming of the area. More on trimming and selecting stand location in the next chapter. I try to bait no earlier than 8 a.m. and be done by 3 p.m. I also carry a rake with me to the sites during baiting season. I will rake a site and try to get some track going. I really need to know the number and size of the bear visiting. If a sow with cubs if visiting, along with other adults, I want the client to know that before sitting.
Winds in Maine usually back around to come out of the North West in the afternoon; unless it is going to rain then they come from the South East. For this reason when entering a bait area or road I like to put my baits on the West or Northwest side of the road, this puts the stand East of the bait. When taking a hunter in to hunt, I act like I am baiting, “coming in momma bear”, I then get the client in the stand, tuck them in, bait and then exit. When placing the hunter in the stand, it is important to be as quiet as you can be, no metal or major talking. If you are self hunting – a big problem, that bear expects to hear you come in, leave and your truck start and leave. It is next to impossible to sneak into bait.
In order to start a bear coming to bait you will need a lure or other attractant. I know folks that hang rotten bags of meat or carcasses of beavers, chickens or other not so pleasant things. First I am not touching anything that is dead and moving – the smell never comes off your skin. Second it just doesn’t look good, but is does smell like 12 miles of dead fish. One thing I have tried is the 12 miles of dead fish sticks sold by Cabalas. Be very careful – as these are like incense and are burning. I like to take a washed an old t-shirt with baking soda, then cut it into strips. Get yourself a 3 pound coffee can and make the following lure. You are going to place the strips in the coffee can and hang a strip at each site. The lure is cinnamon, oil of anise, molasses, some mineral oil, ginger and trout/bass lure from Wal-Mart. There are also commercial lures like “Bear Bait” that has a strong raspberry smell. I also carry a spray bottle of oil of anise ($75 a gallon) that I spray on the trees and branches around a site. This pass season we used a new product called “bear bomb”. I used one on each hunter for a two-week period – the results – a bear at every site the can was used. However at $8 a can – I can’t see using it all the time as a commercial guide. A gallon of molasses poured on trees and a gallon of cooking oil poured on the ground is usually enough to start a site. If an old site the bear are probably waiting say, “What took you so long”. If I am baiting a site that I have used in previous year, I like to move the site and stand a few yards. Bear are conditioned and this provides some new ground for them.
Stands
In talking stands we can talk all night, wood, metal, self-climbers, how high, how far away. Man the list is never ending. I wish I could get everyone to use a self-climber and use it in reserve position so that they are behind the tree, not out in front, but that is just a dream. So I go with metal ladder stands. I have burned all the wooden platforms that I owned. They are heavy, rot and have to be taken out at the end of the season. I purchased stands from Cabalas and Wal-Mart with a rating of 300 pounds. I position all stands, whenever possible on the East side or downwind of the bait, I do keep some sites with the stand on the north side as back up in case of rain or incoming storms. While the stands come with 15 feet of ladder in five-foot sections I only put them up with one section, or ten feet. (This is not Deer Hunting) A stand over ten feet in height will produce more of a downward angled shot that will exit low. The height of the stand in bear hunting is critical for the shot and sight. Stands fifteen up or more are dangerous to clients and result in more wounded bears. Comfort is also important, while the stands come with a piece of padding, adding a $7 plastic boat seat with a back offers great comfort. Drill a few holes in the seat to drain water out. The stands come with straps and stabilizer bar, use both and make sure they are tight. To insure the stand or ladder is right, put up on the tree, stand on a rung and hold a rung with your arms straight out, if you are straight and at 90 degree to the ground that is good. You can make it straighter, but no more of an angle. Straighter is better. You need to know if the client is a rightie or leftie. When standing at the bait and looking at the stand, put the stand somewhat to the left of the tree for righties and right for lefties. And there will always be folks wanting a straight on shot. I encourage a shooting bar or rail. Buy the inexpensive stands and make a shooting rest if desired. This can be done with zip ties and a four foot crouched stick. Attach the two sticks and lay another across. Another way is to bolt a piece of tubing on the stand and lay a 4” wide board across from side to side. The board works for a coffee rest or the elbow. Listen we are shooting usually at 15-30 yards with one shot and many times the shot is not where the rest is located.
This leads us to talk about bait and distance to stand. The stand is going to be no more than ten feet high and the distance should not exceed forty yards. If at all possible I would like to be 7-12 yards from the bait. The problem with this is movement and camouflage. It is almost impossible for the average hunter to sit 5-6 hours on a stand without movement. For this reason we will place our stands at least 20 yards out from the bait. I like finding an alley, scoot trail, or opening that is about four yards wide, with the afternoon sun off my left shoulder if I am sitting in the stand looking at the bait. DO NOT CUT ANY LIMBS OR TREES until after you have placed the stand. Once in the stand either run a string from the bait to the stand or have a ground man come to the base of the stand for trimming. The ground man only cuts or moves limbs as you direct, all you are looking for is a shooting window, NOT an ALLEY or bush hogged lane. Camouflage and concealment is the key. Instead of cutting trees, get some large black zip ties and pull the trees out of the way attaching them to another tree. Any brush that you cut can be placed behind the bait, off to the right of the bait or wired to the stand. Remember the height of the hunter when sitting in the stand trimming. A 6-foot guy trimming for a 5-5 guy doesn’t work well. In some cases, especially within days of hunting it is best to remove the limbs away from the site. Any open ended evergreen limbs should be rubbed with dirt to darken them up and reduce the smell of fresh cut boughs. In placing stands I have two schools of thought, get them in early or put them in the day of the hunt. As I said I prefer self-climbers as you can vary location and height, but not all folks feel comfortable in these. Usually the Thursday before the next week I make a decision on the sites to hunt and start installing stands. It doesn’t take the bear long to locate the stand and check it over, this will happen the first time the bait is hit. The bear knows exactly what the stand looks like and its shape. Before a bear comes into bait, it patrols the area checking scents and viewing the trees among other things. The bear will look directly at the stand and the shape of the object in it, you most likely will not see or hear the bear doing this, but he will see you. Another neat trick is to place a second stand or self-climber the day before or day of hunting in a different location. In either case the stand needs to be downwind of the bait, in Maine that means south east of the stand. You also want to avoid shooting up or down hill. I am writing this in regards to an adult bear, not for a sow with cubs or the yearling. Adult bear are smart and educated they know what to look for; the yearling is just trying to beat the others to the bait.
I’ve talked a lot about height and distance, here is why. You need to shoot a bear in both lungs and the heart. A bear taken this way will not go much more than 30 yards. The key to making this shot is height. Ground to ten feet is the best – while level or ground is great, there are several factors to consider before making a ground blind. Safety and comfort, sitting on the ground after dark in an area not known and listening to bear at the bait is not always fun. Ten foot gets up you to see the area and allows for a near perfect shot behind the front shoulder, dropping the bear. Not one bear this past season went more than 30 yards. If you start going higher the bullet or arrow will pass through at an angle only taking part of a lung or worst missing them altogether. The vital area on bear is smaller than a deer’s. I require my hunters to sit in a stand at the range and hit a 3x5 index card placed on a plywood cut out of a bear, where the heart and lungs are located. If you have a foam target take a string and run it from fifteen feet and ten feet high to your target, you will see what I mean.
Camouflage of your stand is very important, again don’t be cutting walking paths, shooting lanes and such, cut only what is needed to make the shot. As the season draws near you will want to provide some camouflage to the upper part of your stand, unless you are tucked in behind the firs. I suggest cutting some boughs and zip tying them to the uprights of the stand, especially around the feet area.

Hunting bear

The clothing you select for bear hunting is not important, but scent is. Be it a $500 scent lock or surplus camo from the Army store, they all work. I use camouflage jump coverall or two-piece surplus. These are washed with baking soda and stored in a plastic bin with cedar and fire boughs. At camp I have bough building where folks can hang their clothing, lined with fresh cedar, spruce and fir limbs. The rest of your hunting gear can come from the Army Store or Wal-Mart. A $2 head net for bugs, camouflage hat and gloves for $6, rubber boats of some type $20, camouflage face paint $3. Since I don’t usually hunt in the rain I go more for warmth. If you have clothing you are wearing under the camouflage wash it in plain water and hang outside to dry, there should be no bright colors – bear see colors!
I have talked about scent conditioning during baiting season, now let’s talk about scent during hunting. I feel that bear are most comfortable when human scent is at least four to six hours old. For this reason I like to start putting hunters in around 1:30 p.m., this is a long set however for some. If you can’t sit that long and be still, don’t go in early, wait until three or four o’clock. If with a guide, proceed as you normally would when baiting, except you slip silently to the stand. I have no real answer for do it yourselfers. Park a fair distance away and try to get into the stand without making much noise. Bear are used to hearing your truck or ATV come in, the pail banging and the vehicle leaving. I tell hunters to not move for at least fifteen minutes after I leave, the bear are close and sometimes will come right in as Chrissy noticed. Bug dope, sunscreen and other such things should never be used at a site or on your person. I have been using the Thermo bug machine, and have dropped all concern about using them. They are safe, affordable and keep the bugs at bay. Black flies, I try to convince myself that the black flies are really humming birds around me. I enjoy face paint in lieu of a facemask or net – be aware of the oil smell. Once again you can’t beat the pricing on these at Wal-Mart. Cover scents in which you spray yourself do help. I use scent in autumn and guess where I get it.
We are trying to fool the bear’s nose. It is not uncommon to have a bear make the circle before coming to the bait or walk the trail that I was on to bait, checking the scent or looking up at the stand. During baiting season I make noise going and coming from the cubbies. My odor gets around (doesn’t sound right). I want the bear so comfortable to human scent that it not thinking twice about coming to the bait. The closer I get your scent to mine the better we are. I don’t use fox urine, cover scents or the so-called “scent killers”. Another story relates to Gib as he was sitting on Trout bait. A mom and cubs came to the bait. Mom immediately came by the stand and walked my trail to a clearing and was standing up looking for my truck. She never looked at Gib, but was looking for me. She then returned back to the cubs and bait. Aside from the fact that these potions provide limited protection from a bear at 7 yards, I have conditioned the bear to scent conditioning. Remember a bear can smell bacon grease at over ½ mile away. That said, over the long run, the scent-free hunter would see more unalarmed bears, at shorter ranger than the hunter who has strong odors.

• You will need unscented soap, baking soda, non-scented toothpaste, washcloth and towel (we can wash them during the week here). Before we go you should wash with unscented soap, and finish off with baking soda. It doesn’t hurt to put a little on before getting on stand – especially if sweating. Brushing teeth with soda and rinsing before going to stand is also a great scent reducer. Do not use scented deodorant, shaving creams, gels, lotions, and regular toothpaste before hunting. The mouth produces the greatest odor this is one-way bugs and no seem em’s find you.

I smoke, not while on stand however. I am not even going to cover smoking in the stand, expect to say don’t do it, but each year I have a “Smokey” who shoot bear while smoking and large bear. I chalk this up to the wind being just right and that bear do smell smoke in their travels.

Weapon
If you want me to talk bear medicine, nothing beats a 12-gauge shotgun with slugs or a .444 Marlin. Both guns drop the animal in its tracks or make’s a large hole that produces plenty of tracking blood.
Listen, I am a guide, not a politician; the choice of weapon is a never-ending discussion with no right or wrong answer. As for the bow hunter I suggest something with at least a 50-pound draw and standard 125 grain broad heads. Many use 30-30, 30-06, 7mm-08, 308, 303, 338’s. Its all a matter of choice and what your comfortable in using – shot placement is the critical part. Do not use a gun that you have never fired or used. And always, check the gun at the range prior to hunting, I don’t care if it has been cased and locked away since the last time your fired it – remember Murphy’s Law – what can go wrong, will go wrong. Sight in your firearm or bow. One thing is clear and there should be no argument. No stainless barrels or chrome bows. Bear spot this mirror in a flash.
• When firing at an animal the average hunter is four times less accurate, or worse, than when firing at a stationary target on the range.
• A bear hunter on stand rarely has more than one shooting opportunity at any given bear. No second shots usually. At the shot, even through the heart, a bear will bolt from sight within the blink of an eye.
• The heart/lung region of the largest Maine bear is smaller in size than that of an adult white-tailed buck, and is surrounded by heavier muscle and bone.
• Bear shot in the heart/lung with succumb quickly. A bear hit in the spine, shoulder, brain will run at up to 30 mph and cover 10-20 miles through the most impregnable swamps.
• 2/3 of the body is covered with heavy fur and fat that will seal a wound.
• The heavy scapula (shoulder), spine and skill will halt arrows and all but stop bullets, preventing a quick harvest.
• Bear shot in shoulder can run almost as fast on three legs as four.
• Considering all the facts, the single most important issue is the ability of the arrow or bullet to penetrate completely through a bear’s chest and exit a little lower (elevated stand).
• Rapid-fire power, like semi autos is not what is needed. One shot, properly placed.
• You are trying to hit a 3-5” area at 5-20 yards, not a 10” pie plate at 50 yards. This is why bears live to be a ripe old age. We will talk and work on the lung/heart shot, leg forward or slight quartering away that allows for the correct shot.
• No head or brain shots – aside from destroying a once-in-a-lifetime hide or mount, you may not kill the bear. The neck shot is extremely “iffy”. So focus on the heart/lung area when practicing your shooting.
• You will be releasing or shooting from a sitting position with a rest.
• Some use string trackers on arrows, there are risks with flight patch, pulling arrow or getting pulled by limb or failure to release, not to mention reduced arrow speed.
• A standard 2117 arrow with 150 or 125 grain Muzzy broad head with 60-pound bull, maybe 70 for the rugged folks. Remember range is 5-15 yards.
• At 10 yards the 12 gauge with accurate sights can be devastating bear medicine.
• We will talk, but scopes set at low power, like 2x, more than that and all you will see is black hair at 10 yards.
• No matter how experienced you are as a hunter, preparing to shot a black bear at a few yards is like lining up a winning putt on the Masters Golf Tournament. Now it’s a black bear, a potentially dangerous beast, the pressure and effects far outclass any mere though of something like “buck fever”. The adrenaline and blood sugar are the culprits – human chemicals that surge into the bloodstream during moments of great excitement. This causes the heart pounding, breathing, and trembling of the limbs and the sudden loss of sensory perception. We all feel and get this way – I did several times during last years hunt. You may tremble, empty your gun of shells, and feel to weak to pull back the string. Considering all this, there is little wonder why hunters are so doggone proud when they kill a bear. Can we learn to control these sense and be relaxed enough to see, think clearly and shoot well? The answer is yes. Its called getting in the groove, the release or aim and squeeze is second nature. An expert shot does not happen in an hour, nor does an expert golfer happen in an hour. By the way I don’t golf – pasture pool here in Maine. But I need you to practice shooting and releasing every day if possible – self-confidence building. People tell me they shoot deer off hand at 200 yards – really! I can’t hit a pie plate off hand at 75 yards 4 out 5 times. Practice – if you can’t shoot or release every day then, repeatedly raise your rifle, UNLOADED, or bring your bow to full draw, fix your sights on random targets in your den or basement. Get quicker and picking the target naturally. The muscles will become stronger and steadier and your actions will become smoother, more direct and sure. New guns even allow dry firing. For recoil checks, have a friend load your gun or not load your gun with one shell. At some point there will not be a shell in the chamber and you will dry fire – what happened?
• Because we are shooting less than 20 yards, skill may not seem important, but in all the excitement and rush, accuracy is compromised, especially when trying to hit a 3x5 heart or lung. Just when you honestly tell yourself “no doubt about it, I can shoot this bear in the heart”. I can guarantee the worst case of “buck fever rush ever”.
• You will not be shooting off hand, but in a seated position with rest across in front of you. Somewhat like a bench rest. For righties the stand is not straight on, but angled a little to the right from the cubbies. Bow hunters need to practice releasing from a sitting position. While these are ladder stands with chairs and you are offered safety belts – it is still safer to sit, no to mention the bear can see you better standing than sitting.
• Practicing – the stand is best at 9-10 feet off the ground. You are trying to hit a 3x5 heart/lung on an angled shot. Through rib, muscle and fat and have exited. If you have a portable stand or staging try practicing at no more than 20 yards. Oops add a slight breeze, maybe drizzle. Ok, I know you all hunt deer this way – just wait until the phantom steps out, soft and quiet as a mouse. Quick shot or waiting for a moment. Just remember the longer you hold draw or have the gun raise the more the arms get heavy.
• On my range is a stand, targets and 3d for practicing when you are here.
The Shot

Oops the wrong leg is forward
You are on stand getting ready to make the shot at a target 3x5 inches at 20 yards. Your heart is pounding; your breathing is not in control. Where, how did this bear suddenly appear? Relax breathe from the stomach, by that I mean breath deep, move your tummy, in through the mouth out the nose. The bear will settle down, as the bear moves into position quartered just a little with its front leg forward make the shot just behind the forward shoulder. Most all hunters are using scopes these days, get a good scope, I use Tasco’s, and preferred low power, like a 1 to 4. At 20 yards 4 power will make any bear look huge.
After you make your shot, reload your weapon and put it back on the bear. Watch the bear, if the bear is down, watch it, if it starts to get up or move fire again. When a wounded bear decides to get up and get going there is no warning – its up and going.
After the shot there are three questions to answer. They will help locate your bear.

What did my bear do or how did it react? Did the bear roll over; drop dead, spin, spin and spin then run, turn and bite at itself, drop and get up, flip or sit down. The bear slammed sideways, then crashes out and starts moaning is a good sign. The bear that spins and spins and then takes off is not a good sign – shoulder shot and it will be extremely hard to locate this bear, in fact in most cases the bear will be healing up and back at it next year. The spinning is a result of the bear trying to figure out why only three legs go, once it figures this out it is gone. Bullets and arrows will not penetrate the scapula or shoulder plate area. The bear drops dead – that’s always a good sign. Bear drops dead, then in a few minutes gets up and takes off. This is not good and you are in for a very long night. Bear that flip, drop or go down and start bawling have been stung, like by a bee – this is not always good. Leg shots and so called gut shots can produce some strange sounds and allow the bear to get up and going fast and usually result in a long track.

Which way did it go? Its going to get dark soon, you need to know which way your bear went, without leaving the stand. Look for a visual mark at the point of last reference. Flag this area so you can find it again. If you are on a guided hunt, use the clock system with the bait being 12 o’clock. Don’t leave the stand and go looking for the bear.

And what sounds did I hear? Did the bear go crashing off, walking slow, was there thrashing in the bushes, was there groaning or moaning sounds. How long did you hear these sounds? A crashing bear that then starts into a loud moaning is a dead bear. A bawling bear is not always a good sound, especially if it is running. The bear is stung, like by a bee and wants to get far away.
Tracking the Bear – The Art and Science
After the shot comes instant success in a dead bear on the bait or a short track. However there are times when it will be a long track, in all cases you will need some tracking abilities. You will also need some tools to assist you in the recovery of your bear. These include rolls of flagging, flashlight, glow sticks, maybe a string liner, strong knees and good pair of eyes. I don’t care what people tell you, you can tell the size of animal, sex of animal, condition of an animal, and so much more from its tracks. You can tell what the animal is thinking, what way it is looking and even if it has eaten.
Start at the point of impact, where the bear was standing when shot. Aside from the tracker, keep others back behind you so that you can survey the scene – spend some time on your hands and knees reading the site. Now we will do CSI work. What are the signs? Is there blood on the trees, if so how high and what color is the blood. Is there a pass through of the bullet or arrow, visible from damage to the ground or another tree? Is there hair, bone or fat? If there is bone or fat you will have a good indication of where the bear was hit. Are there tracks from the bear, if so get down on all fours and put your hands in the front tracks and knees in the back? Learn the stride of the bear, walk in the bear’s tracks with your hands and knees, and notice everything on the ground. You can actually feel the bear walking, turning, standing or looking. You are looking for each drop of blood, turned over leaves, broken branches or ferns. I am willing to bet it won’t be long before you are in some thick, thick cover searching for your bear. Dense jack fir is the time to be alert. While you are working the ground, there should be a person behind you that is alert to noise and surroundings. This person or another should be flagging or running a string line. Flagging should be placed so you can see one piece to the next. If using a GPS mark the location of the bait and if battery life is good leave it running to create a backtrack. Lighting is critical to tracking. I was using Nite Lights and various other lights, but by far the Cabala’s extreme dual 6 watt LED is the best light available and will last an entire season. It is also a steel tube, like a mag light, so if need be, you can tap a bear on the nose in self defense. While hard to lug in the woods a Coleman light produces a different type of light and when casted shows up blood very well. You can make a reflector out of foil to block the light from coming in your eyes. Tracking is an art and working with nothing but prints and a few drops of blood takes hours to locate a bear. There are many, many tricks to tracking, the best being experience. For example a blood splatter will usually point the direction of the bears travel. The color of the blood will help understand the area of the wound. Blood brushed on trees tell you about area on the body and if there is an exit wound. A few drops on the ground, over 100 yards tell you that the bear is not seriously injured. If you have done your pre season scouting, you probably have a good idea where the bear is heading. A cool, moist, mossy area, with water and dense cover. I don’t usually push bear, the reason for this is that I collect all hunters, then go back to retrieve or look for a bear. By the time I collect all hunters and ship a few back to camp, an hour or more has passed, plenty of time for a bear to be bedded or expire. You may start a track at 8 p.m. and at mid night only have gone a few hundred yards. When working on your hands and knees hold the flashlight just about the ground and shine in the direction of the tracks. Moving the angle around until you can see the shadows of the depression made by the bear. As my clients know I carry a track kit which includes drink, tea, string liner, knife, rope, batteries, spare gps, saw, chapstick, aid kit, cyluames, rolls of flagging, reflective thumbtacks, portable radio, compass,, spare compass, leather man, whistle, marker, Popsicle sticks, toilet paper, candy, camera, strobe light, maps, epi pen, cell phone, gloves and handkerchief. Please note that I have a client wear the backpack and vest containing these items. I also carry trail mix, as I plan for a long night. I don’t like to leave a bear down all night, especially in warm weather, as there is a real risk of losing the meat. If things look like they are going to get dicey, like the bear is still moving and very much alive, it may be best to wait until morning to continue the track. There have been a few occasions where I have a few clients with me tracking and when things get dicey in the dense brush, I am more concerned about the clients than a bear. Some are nervous, get branches or sticks in the eye, wet feet (for sure you will be in a swamp), hungry, tried, trying to rush ahead or off to the side, cramped and that’s just the guide. Safety is always first and foremost Never allow Anyone to Have a Loaded Gun, especially after dark. The only time to load the firearm is when you know that you are within range of the bear and then only the client should dispatch the bear. This is usually in a thicket, under the dark of night, not the best condition for shooting, especially with someone else holding the light. I can’t stress enough about safety, especially if there is company when tracking. Company is other bears coming into the bait. These bears are really not interested in you; they are interested in the bait. However caution should be used in approaching or tracking with other bears nearby. Client care is critical, keep them close, on a couple of occasions I have had clients tell me I was nuts as they took off running through the woods, usually the opposite way out. This is not good, breaks the group up while you search for another member, and can startle other bears.
Field photograph’s taken just after locating your bear can never be reinvented or duplicated. They capture the facial expressions, joy and enthusiasm of the hunter. Position the bear across a log or large rock, clean up any blood on its face, get behind the bear and raise it head. Take a lot of photos, turn the head for a side profile, and get your guide or friends in the picture. While it may be dark and you will take more pictures at the cooler or camp, nothing beats a woods picture.
Hunting Gear
In the packet I sent you was a listing of some gear thoughts – I will refresh and add some more.
• Bow, case, quiver, hunting arrows (you have released before), practice arrows of same weight, hunting broad heads, practice broad heads, bow stringer, bow tools, arm guard, mechanical release, 20 foot cord, hard case, rifle/shotgun, scope, sling, cartridges (that you have been using). Bow, arrows, rest, plunger, sight and quiver are covered with non-glare camouflage paints. Shinny spots are repainted weeks prior to coming. No new odors. Detachable quiver.
• Insect repellant – Avon Skin-So-Soft SEE SCENT CONTROL. I don’t use bug dope and suggest you don’t either. However if things are that bad for you, then you need to wear the dope to the site every day for the pre baiting season, making sure that you get the scent around the area. Bug Dope DOES trouble bear and it will take them awhile to calm down, if they do at all. My suggestion, don’t use it period.
• A watch if you wish – bear can hear a ticking watch at 20 yards, so get yourself a cheap digital and make sure it is dark in color, no shinny stuff in the Maine woods. This will also protect you from the Allagash Boogolo, a very crafty creature to say the least.
• Small packsack/backpack, head net, camo hat/gloves and flashlight, candy, also 20’ cord, whistle, compass, jacket/sweatshirt, rain gear and anything else you might think you need. This will be hoisted or passed to you, can hang on tree. It will also carry your pee bottle and snacks or water.
• Camo paint – no part of the skin should be exposed.
• Try releasing or shooting with head net, gloves and hat on.
• Camera, film, batteries
• High top rubber boots
• Camo shirt, pants, belt, cap or hat, face shield, t-shirt, handkerchiefs, cotton gloves…all hunting gear needs to be camo. Wash everything, no brighteners, and then seal in trash or plastic bags. Also great idea to hang outside for a few days. Underwear and socks is key to scent control – sweat builds up, make sure to bring plenty.
• Camp clothing – casual clothing to wear around camp or to go to town in.
• Don’t worry Wal-Mart is only minutes away.

Safety First
I shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time on safety; you all have had a hunter’s safety course and always know what is behind your target before pulling the trigger. I always beg the question; we are driving down an old back road in deer season, when suddenly up ahead, standing in the road, about 200 yards on the next corner is a nice buck. Do you take the shot? If the answer is YES, you’re not hunting with me.
Over the course of the years I have had bullets go through the floor and roof of my truck. A firearm discharge in camp-twice. A discharged shot into the ground when a hunter tripped.
Before I get started, the law in Maine requires that all firearms be unloaded 30 minutes after sunset – the end of legal shooting. You can’t shoot from a motor vehicle or on a paved road, gravel yes, but not paved.
“I am not being mean or questioning anyone’s safety habits, but all guns will have the action open at all times, unless on stand”. It is a quote I use year after year. I walk you to your stand, you climb up and I will pass you the firearm, action open. When I come to retrieve you after sunset – dark – the gun better be unloaded and the action open. I understand that clients get nervous and so would I being on stand in the dark with bear at bait or at the base of the stand. Many clients have a round in the chamber for safety only and I hear the action working as I arrive at the stand. Some times a load gun is passed to me, or back at camp I see an action closed and will open it only to have a round eject. I have gotten so these days that I not only open the action, I insert my pinky into the chamber to insure there is no shell, this was taught to me as a young boy by Master Guide, mentor and writer Dave O’Connor.
When tracking wounded bear I do not load my .44 or allow clients to load a firearm. Think about it, loaded firearms in the woods at night! If we are really close and have an angry bear, we will know it long before we need to load. At this point, and I can write a few stories about tracking wounded bear, the client next to me with one round in the firearm and my .44 will have a few rounds in the cylinder.
A lot of folks carry a pack with stuff. Now it depends on if you are using a guide or doing the hunt yourself. Do it yourself is a lot like deer hunting, so a pack is in order, and with equipment for operating in the dark. If you are using a guide that is proper, that is taking you to the stand and picking you up, well then only a few items need to be taken.

Bear Camp


Bear camp is one of the most exciting places to hang out in Maine. I rate it higher than deer camp. There is plenty of time for sleeping or lounging during the day, a game of cards or hanging by the fire in the evening. The food is excellent and the friends are warm and charming.
The usual bear camp is much like the deer camp, holding 6-8 hunters, maps on the wall, a bath or central shower area, cooking facilities, large tables, bunk beds, picture board, camp log and a fire pit of some type. Modern appliances have also arrived such as the microwave and TV. One thing is for sure the coffee pot is always on at bear camp. It is important to have plenty of refrigeration, not only for drinks, but meats and supplies. Putting 6-8 people together for a week requires a lot of grub.
Personalities at bear camp vary greatly, just as in the work world. Unless you book the camp for your group entirely, it is likely that you will be living life like in a college dorm. There are early risers, late risers, early to bed and late to bed. Loud folks, soft folks and maybe even a person who has done it all “shake the hand that shook the world”. This to me is what makes bear camp – the people. By the end of the week, folks that have met each other for the first time are requesting to come back when the same folks are present the next year. This is a lot like networking.
Family and children are not always welcome or taken by their spouse’s to bear camp, in my mind this is a bad idea. This is not only a true hunting experience; it is a vacation and a chance to unwind. I have had the pleasure of having couples, couples with big and little kids, single college girls and multiple couples on bear hunts. Heck sometimes it’s a family thing with husband, wife and youngest in the stand at the same time.
Bear pool – no this is not bear playing in the pool. Most of my groups do what is called a bear pool, like $10 each, and then whoever gets the largest bear wins the pot.
Care of Game

Care of game is probably the most important question or plan you have to make. We can let no animal or fish that we harvest go to waste. Bear retain heat and its hot out usually during bear season. Bear meat can spoil quickly. You can’t leave a bear down in the woods for any period of time and expect the meat to be good. The second the animal is harvested, enzymes start breaking down fat and muscle.
The hide needs to come off the bear as soon as possible and the meat needs to be placed in a cooler, ask your guide if he has a cooler?
I bring all bear out whole for a number of reasons, less dirt, proper weight and hide care. We weigh and gut the bear at camp, then to the cooler with hide on, unless we can get all the pictures now. Usually its dark and pictures are done the next day or so. Your cooler temperature needs to be 33 degree’s and make sure the body cavity is propped open. However if you can take the hide off quickly, do so, only if you are not concerned about pictures.



Cleaning the Entrails

As I mentioned the bear are brought out whole. They are weighed proper and hoisted by a strap around the neck. A large bucket, I use an old molasses barrel. This is placed under the bear. A cut is made from the groin area to just below the rib cage. As with deer, do not hit the entrails. There will be lots of blood. Slow work your way around, allowing everything to slide and drop into the bucket. The Gall is attached to the liver, if you are interested in saving this for later sale. Sale of gall is not legal in all states. Next reach up and into the cavity to remove the lungs and heart. You will soon notice that bear have a very small stomach, not much bigger then a large cucumber. If you are into CSI work, you can cross cut this and see what the bear has been eating, usually grass and nuts. You can wipe in the inside down with paper towels or allow to drain.

A few words are in order about skinning; a warm bear is like working with Jell-O, but skins much easier, except for the greasy hands slipping off the hide. Before I explain cutting a bear, I want to make a disclaimer – I am not a professional taxidermist. There is an art to making a mount or rug and as such each artist (taxidermist) does things different. If at all possible it is best to have them do the skinning instead of a butcher. One of the benefits of using Troy White is that his profession is as a taxidermist, but he also cuts meat and guides. The following is how I in general skin a bear. We need to hang the bear first by its rear feet. So cut from the middle of the rear paws forward about eight inches, do not cut any tendons. Work a hole through under the tendons on each side; you will use a gambrel in each leg or two ropes attached to pulleys to raise the bear. If you were smart, one of these leg cuts were made when you tagged the bear. If not, the tagging station probably just put a hole through the leg and now we have two extra holes and a tag to work about. Remember do not loose this tag. All meat packages that you give away or store in a freezer must have your name, address and tag number. You will cut from paw to paw inside the leg across the anus to the other side and work the hide off the legs. You do not need anything more than a knife to skin and quarter a bear. Sever the leg at the joint by the paw. At this point open the cut from anus to the belly cut that was used for gutting. This cut should have stopped at the beginning of the rib cage. You may wish to save the penis, many boil this down for a conversion piece or drink stirrer.



Chris hard at work starting to skin his bear

We will now work the hide down, leaving the fat on the bear. I don’t like a two person method, two people with knifes waving around is not my idea of fun. Pull or work the hide down, sort of like rolling a jacket.

You are now going to start at the middle of the front paws and cut down each leg and then meet the chest cut, sort of like a “V” if I have explained this correctly. Again work the hide off the leg and sever at the paw joint. Working the neck, ears, eyes, nose and jaw takes time, so go slow the weight of the hide will help you. Once done roll the hide up, hair out, place in plastic bag and freeze. You should also save the skull for measuring or to boil and varnish. The average cost of a rug is about $125-150 per foot, which includes the felt back. This is figured, from nose to tail rump area. If your doing a head mount, you should also measure nose to eyes and distance between eyes prior to skinning.
The hide is off and now to process the meat. Do we use a meat cutter or do it at camp? A professional meat cutter like Mr. White charges $70-100 to cut, wrap and freeze a bear. More than likely you will not find a local meat cutter to do bear – they don’t like doing bear for some reason. It is a good idea to check out meat cutters prior to hunting bear, so you know what to expect. There are several businesses in Maine that will smoke the meat or make jerky. If we are going to process the meat at camp, here are some basic needs.
You will need a few knifes, bowls or plastic bins, grinder, clean work area, wrapping material, marker, radio, drinks, and place to wash your hands. There is no reason to use a saw to cut a deer, moose or bear, none what so ever. I recommend going on line for a butchering guide or purchasing a how to book.
First get all the fat off the bear. I mean the entire fat, shave it. Save the fat for trapping or any friends that render down for joint lotion. Next take out the back straps and loins – unless the bear was cooled quickly the inner loins may not be good. The back straps are located along the backbone from shoulder to rear. Cut off the shoulder with your knife. Then one rear quarter and the other, the rib or mid section will drop. If you work the rear joints and separate at the ball of the hip you do not need a saw. You can pick the meat off the ribs and neck for hamburger. With these pieces or quarters I lay them on the table and make one slice to the bone and lay it open taking the bone out. You can now make roasts, steaks, and stew or burger. The key is to get all the fat off. If time is a problem, freeze the quarter and let it almost thaw then work it and refreeze. There are several flavors that you can add to hamburger or have it processed to make sticks, jerky, sausage and more.
Cooking Bear
Bear meat is the same as pork, YOU MUST COOK IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I like bear hamburger and not to thick a steak. You can also enjoy the sausage or a roast in the crock-pot. Again the key is to insure no fat or grease is cooked with the meat. A grill or one of those George Foreman machines work well. If using a crock-pot, use the rack, or maybe place a few bricks in the bottom.
There are many recipes for cooking bear, but bear can be substituted for store meat in most all recipes, just make sure to cook it all the way through.
When selecting a guide questions to ask
Its not all about kills and ratio
While I would like it very much if you would visit with us and have a great hunt, I know that many of you are looking at other guide services. Here are some basic questions to ask or information to seek before booking a hunt.
Over the years I have heard many horror stories about guides, yes-even guides in Maine. Now I may not be the best and heck some folks may not want to come hunt with me again, although that has never been said. I hear stories of promises not kept like no meals, hunting the same site week after week, won’t let a hunter use a bow or muzzleloader, guides that don’t bait or do it yourselfer, not enough stands, no bait, no bear, no kids allowed and no shotguns. Lets get clear – if you are not happy with a guide or service, contact our Maine Fish and Game Agency and Maine Guide Association. A person can find a loophole and promote bear hunts without a guide license. You stay at their camp, given a map to a bait site, shown where the bait is keep, and told where the tagging station is. You get your own food, bait, set your stand, and do it yourself. Most likely this person doesn’t need a guide license.
• Gather all the information on a service you can, either by print or via the Internet. You can also contact the State’s Fish and Game or Guide Association for information. Gather information from a lot of guide services, we are all different.
• Think about what you are looking for, do you want to be a number, like one of twenty five hunters or are you looking to be in a smaller group of like ten or so.
• Find out if you get a five-day hunt or six?
• Will the service let you help track a bear? Will they track after dark to protect your meat or wait until morning?
• What happens if I wound a bear, can I still hunt?
• Can I use a bow, muzzleloader, handgun or rifle?
• Are meals included?
• Is there a range or target firing area?
• What else is there to do or see?
• Ask about the hunt. How do you get to the stands, at what time, who baits, who comes to pick me up at night?
• Long talk on the baits, how many, how and when are they baited? Can I go with you when you bait? Am I hunted recycled bait? Can I change baits? What do you bait with?
• Ask about success or opportunity to see a bear? This is a very dangerous area, as figures lie and liars figure.
• What is check in and check out time?
• Talk about ability to track and retrieve a bear? Will they search at night for a wounded bear or wait until morning?
• How is my bear taken care of, is it quickly skinned, is there a cooler? Who will butcher and wrap the meat? How is it wrapped? Is it frozen? What do I need to bring. Is there ice available?
• What other fee’s are there? Road, access fee, bait fees, or use fee. Is the hunting license and permit included in the cost of the hunt?
• How close to town to get supplies? What about hospital or pharmacy?
• What type of stands? Are there shooting rails? Are there safety belts? How far from bait? Set up for left and righties? How high?
• Explain any special requests, explain food allergies and ask about special services.
• Is the service licensed and insured? Are there licensed guides? This may sound foolish, but there are ways to get around a license by having the hunter do a lot of the work. A service should also be carrying $1,000,000 in liability coverage for paper companies.



Bear by Canoe

My favorite way to hunt bear is by boat or canoe. Rivers, streams or lakes offer an excellent chance for the true experience. Great for a do-it-yourselfer or smaller outfit; it is very hard to do with over eight clients because of the time. However nothing is more relaxing then loading the canoe, paddling or motoring across the lake or up stream to your favorite site, set back off the waters edge. I run a river and a lake to get four baits. The baits are off the beaten path and actually closer to bedding and thickets than by road. I think that is because they can’t cut with 250’ of the water. In some places the river is narrow to about 10 yards so I can put the bait on one side and the stand on the other. Talk about a great scent cover and vision. The bear are not looking across the river for danger, but to the trees and river itself. Make no mistake, this type of route takes time and is hard to run every other day, unless you leave a canoe at the stream.
Many of my sites are near water, if you recall from how to select a site, water is critical to the survival of all animals; it also creates bogs, marshes, swale and moss. Think of where you want to be on a hot day with a fur coat on. In many cases I am lucky enough to have the bait on one side of the brook and the stand on the other. Talk about fun, there is never a dull time, fish, otter, beaver, ducks, mink, deer, squirrel and bear.

Henry Swist baiting on Intervale Brook, bait is on the right behind Henry and the stand is on left out of picture – what a view.

Allagash Boogolo and Spruce Budworms – A Story

Spear hunting is now legal in Pennsylvania
There are things that I am never sure if I should brief clients on for creating panic about the Maine Woods, this is one of those cases. Usually Dick Perry, MMG informs the clients about the Allagash Boogalo and Spruce Budworm.
It is not uncommon for hunters to carry a small caliber handgun while hunting bear from a stand, especially if the hunter is sitting in a thick green growth known to hold Spruce Budworm. Some years ago the State of Maine was infested with this creature, it resulted in mass herbicide spraying and huge clear cuts of giant timber to slow its spread. From a combination of spraying and exposure to direct sunlight the budworm mutated in to the Spruce Budworm. The creature is about the size a bat, long teeth, wings and is scaly. Usually staying in trees eating, bark and leaves this insect leaves others alone. However it is extremely protective of the spruce tree, wanting it for itself. Encounters with a budworm are rare, but are known to happen. A hunter will be sitting watching and listening for the bear when suddenly the budworm is on their neck attempting to bite. They have such a tenacious hold, that the only way to get them off of you is with a small caliber handgun. You must use care as the creature is on your neck, don’t pull or your neck will come with the creature. The only way to get the budworm to release from you is a shot to the head. This is close quarter shooting, an inch or two away. Make your first one count. They travel in pairs so pay attention.
The Allagash Boogolo is not an animal to be feared; in fact many hunters have been saved by this mighty swamp dweller. The Boogolo has feet like a moose, but walks upright and is about five feet tall. Their eyes shine bright and they have ears like a Jackass. They are a protected species and usually only found in hardwoods.
NABF
North American Bear Foundation is one of the best organizations that I have found. They are truly about bear and education on the life of bear. If you have the funds, it is a great group to join.
The Bear Club
Maine has a well-known club for deer called the “biggest bucks” in Maine. It also has a Bear Club, bear over 100 pounds. The Maine Sportsman in Yarmouth administers this club, like the buck club, you complete an application, submit the five-dollar fee and are recorded. You also receive a very nice bear patch for your hunting shirt.


The Slagel (Kevin, Dennis, Chris, George), Meachen (Patty, Jason, Anthony) and Swist Group. What a great group for a hunt, they had never met each other, and Jason was hunting with his wife and 6 year old on the stand. The Molly route was the most productive route in the week prior to the start of hunting. I made the call, had Roy and Chris set six stands out of fourteen baits on this route. It went dead over night. With over 70 man-hours of hunting by Tuesday and no bear seen – things had to change quickly. I wonder if the garlic served in the chicken could be the cause. Oh wait, George, did see a Wolverine, no drinking before hunting. I had to move hunters after Tuesday, not something we usually do. A move to B Loop and Fletcher. Suddenly results were happening.

The funny man – Dennis with 1st bear
Dennis was at Lichen when a bruiser pushed forward through the thick brush toward the bait. Nice shot and instant kill for Dennis. Now George was up for a long ATV ride and one shot on a 125 pound male. Henry was seeing a sow and cubs, but in a surprising move an adult male of 165 pounds came forward. Now Henry was packing for a Moose trip to Canada. Jason, Patty and Anthony worked hard and busted butt, but it wasn’t to happen. Kevin worked No Where, but this bear went nocturnal and is a nice bear after seeing camera pictures.
The weather the first week was not great for hunting, hot and warm, not much moving about.
Chris bounced a few baits finishing at Den on the stream without seeing a bear. Great fireside chats and entertainment by Dennis around the campfire.


The Harvey (Chrissy), Swist, Bloom, Ardnt, Cooper, and Mowry Gang

Well Master Guide Perry was in full swing. This group pounded the ground hard. Weather was cool and good for hunting. The route was Hopkins and Union. Bear were seen the first night, in fact 5 out of 6 saw bear, with Chris killing a 155lb on Wet. I do not allow Chris to hunt active sites, only his sites or recycled sites. I was out voted by the group on Monday and told to let Chris hunt with them. He loaded the self-climber and took the spare bait. Chip fired at Frost and we had a track underway – the bear went vertical up a 60-degree bank about seventy-five feet high. Kevin saw sow with two cubs. John went bust for 9 days I might add. No one was moving, but John. Hells Funnel or Stand went dead, and to think big foot was there. Kevin took a 165lb off Deer on Wednesday, a 180 degree behind him free hand shot with a 30-30 on his first hunt for big game, dropped dead. I like being able to see the headlights of the truck when retrieving bear. John still hasn’t seen a bear. Chrissy is moving sites. Now we have thunder and lighting, most stay in camp. Jim is soaked, Chrissy and John elect to stay against my judgment. I was trying to pull them at 4 pm because of the storm, but they wouldn’t hear it. The storm missed them. Chrissy saw the refrigerator but no shot. John still hasn’t seen a bear. Chip sees like five or six bear, mom with 3 cubs and some others, no shot.

Henry’s .450 Marlin did the trick


John, Chip, Michael and his brother Chris
John is intense, he will stay until he sees a bear, an order is placed for Turkey Hill Ice Tea to be shipped over night; he’s not leaving. I move him to Fir and bear appear from everywhere. Behind him, sitting on the ground looking at him, across the stream. A shot is fired, a miss into the ground – the stress is high and John is convinced he has ruined his chances of seeing a bear. He is up the stand, down to check for blood, up in the stand and down again. Reload the muzzleloader and another bear appears in about 20 minutes, then another tries to sneak into the bait. One shot from the muzzleloader and the bear is down on the other side of the brook. Jim is working Dip when a bear appears after some jokers are shooting up on the road, he doesn’t miss. It is possible this is Chips bear – there is a fresh wound to the leg. Henry tags out on the 165lb and heads for Canada. Jason and Patty have returned, working Beede bait site, its just not working.

Big Jim Cooper of Ohio with a Maine Bear






The Wilson Group, Don, Rich and Ray

What a team we have here, kind, gentle and ready to have a great time. Dad (Ray) has taken me aside and is overjoyed about being able to hunt with his sons – “don’t worry about me, get the boys on a bear” were his comments the first night when we are alone. Little does Ray know that I’ve heard from the boys “get pop a bear”. This is fun; my job is to get them all to see a bear.
We are hunting Route 181 and the Salt Shed route, but first we go back to the backup Molly sites, these sties came back on line hard after the first week. Again Monday we hunt Rub, Cable and Walter with no bear – enough, lets move on. I was beginning to think they were ghost bear, but pictures tell a different story. Vosine is on the Fletcher route and work the sow and cub. Rich see’s a bear at Meadow and asks me to put dad on the site. I do and I put Rich on Like It, Rays bait, guess what Rich gets a bear, boldly walking in on the moss. Bear are moving all about now and finish the hunt on 181.


Kauffman Group, Ray/Dawn, Hans and Amy
Here are the boys from PA, and they are looking to be part of a soon to pass Maine Tradition, that of trapping a bear with steel. Ray and Dawn, Hans and his wife Amy. Amy is the daughter of Ray and Dawn. Now these folks are really into trapping – they might even make it into the Maine club of coyote trappers. Experienced, trained and equipped. Scent control is critical in trapping. Everything is washed, waxed, wrapped and placed in lined wooden boxes. After showing the sites to Ray and Han’s they will be the only ones allowed into the sites. Everything is handled with rubber gloves and rubber waders are worn to avoid additional smells. There are many regulations covering trapping and it is very time consuming to set the fences, warning cards and bed a trap.

Ray Kauffman Bear – was it 370 or 490?

There is nothing like the sound of “trap chain” when tending a set. I am very proud to be part of the last tradition and the sound is music to Ray’s ears. It is a monster – it is either 370 pounds or 490, I can’t recall after all this excitement. And what a chore to get this baby out of the woods and to the meat cutter.
Han’s is still working the Molly route and No Where, both of which show nice bear that are working really late at night, but as with the hunters it is time to move on. Meadow is showing at least three bears on the camera and we set the site. But as luck would have it with weather and time, no bear are taken.

Chris and the Heart Attack
All clients have met Chris my nephew. He is with me several days a week and truly loves the out of doors. Think about it, all day long riding on an ATV, driving a beater Toyota pickup in the mud, racing a snowsled across the pond or chiseling a hole in the ice, what kid won’t like that. Anyways at sixteen, Chris has taken three bear and two deer; one of the bear was two hundred sixty five pounds. Chris is also an excellent tracker and understands how to have a great time with clients. Dick and I continue to work with him on his story telling and how to become a great believer in what you are selling – that is required to be a Maine Guide. Anyhow, Chris has his own baits, these are reserved for him, as I don’t allow him to hunt client baits, they are also usually in areas near a built up section or where there are problem bears. One of his baits – “barrel bait” is a remote bait on the Molly Route. I had a night a two seasons ago to hunt with him, so I took a book and camera and sat on Rub while he hunted Barrel. I was just getting my evening nap as a bear was working the bait when I heard the .444 roar in the distance. I was on the radio calling Chris; his response was in a whisper, “be quiet”. Chris what’s going on, did you get him I asked? There was no answer on the radio. I was out of the stand and jogging the ½ mile to the truck. Once at the truck I radioed him again. “The bear is right here, under the stand” came his reply. Hold on I will be right there. I bounced down the road toward his stand and turned on the side road. “I hear you coming, stay out there, the bear is right here still moving” Chris stated. I bounced on and got within about 50 yards of the stand. I got out of the truck and told Chris I was coming, I knew he could hear me. I heard his voice whispering again over the radio in the truck “don’t come in”. Right, I loaded my .44 and headed to the stand. Chris was still in the self-climber about five feet off the ground saying “its right there”, pointing beside the stand. I upholstered and looked, but could see no bear. I glanced toward the bait and could see blood on the trees behind the bait and a blood trail to his stand and blood on his tree where the bear walked by. I told Chris to get down. He passed me the gun, which I unloaded and watched him slowly and shaking move step by step down the tree with the stand. Once on the ground he was all talking about the bear flipping over when he shot and then coming straight at him. I assured him the bear was dead, it looked like a good solid hit, especially with so much blood. We started on the track, there was blood going straight east along the brook on a ridge. We had gone maybe twenty yards when Chris looked toward the brook and said, “there he is”! Now the blood trail was still heading east in a straight line, I looked at the brook and the beaver, fifteen yards away and said, “that’s a beaver”. To which we started to argue and Chris became incensed that I could not see this bear. After trying to get him to move along on the blood trail, which he won’t do, I said “it’s a beaver “ and just up on the bank to prove it – just as the bear jump up to me to prove it was a bear. A from the hip shot was fired and the rest is history, it was a good eating bear. The final chapter is that when skinning out the bear there was only one bullet hole – from the .444 Marlin. This means I just scared the bear to death – and the bear caused me to need new underwear.

Chris loves to track and sometimes he gets excited and really takes the lead, out ahead way to far for protection. This night we had a bear that was wounded and was near death. On the track I jumped the bear up and he crashed in front of us. With that I had everyone take a break, resting and lying down on the moss, be it around midnight now. Lets let the bear bed up or bled out was my thought. We were all wet from the swamp, hungry and tired. Well a few minutes went by and hunter got up to pee – they really should turn a light on so as not to pee on their fellow hunters leg. Ah that warm feeling. So after about thirty minutes we started out again. Now into some really dense growth, swamp and water bushes or alders. This is not my kind of fun with a kid in the lead and six hunters to watch over. Again, no loaded firearm. Suddenly Chris is behind me, “he went that way” pointing to the swale or swamp grass that was almost as high as our heads. This is like looking for a lion in the grass. I could see the bent over grass and blood smear. Next came the snapping and grunting. Ok, where are the hunters. I got the .44 out, but was having trouble finding my reading glasses. I can’t see the sights without them. Then Chris yelled “there”. “Where” I shot back. “Everyone on the ground” I yelled. Chris was pointing to his feet. The bear had made a loop like a “J” and died about three feet from Chris’s boots. It was a long drag that night.
Julie, Dennis and Adam are locals, folks from Maine that really decided it was time to try a Maine hunt. None had the time to purchase or run a site, let alone buy bait. I was concerned about hunting locals, but gave it a try. Boy did we see bear and have fun. What is troubling is the fact that they came from work covered in grease and smoked – yet they still saw bear. Julie, Dennis’s wife had to try this bear thing out – she is hooked and can’t wait to go again next year.
Henry is back and working a few sites, but not seeing the bear that he wants. He has seen bear, just not the right one. So we move to Frost, where the stand is literally on the brook. A sand bar with a huge cedar tree growing it allows for cover. The site is wonderful, fish, mink and bear all around. The bait is in a large hollow stump, about four feet around. Henry is watching and waiting, the 450 Alaskan poised. Cedar limbs have him well protected, when he glances toward the brook at the base of his stand. Oh my heavens…the bear is at the brook taking a drink of water, less than ten feet away and Henry is undetected. The Alaskan barks it’s magic.
Jason, Patty and Anthony are back for another exciting season and sitting in multiple double stands at a site called Arthur. I had to come by Jason to get to another bait, so coming out I stopped again and banged the pail on the side of the road. Jason said within minutes the bear came out working the brush near the stand. There were two different bear, and then one decided to approach the bait – bang – but a limb deflected the shot.
The Wilson Gang and Uncle Gib are visiting the last week and what a week this will be. Ray, Don, Rich and Gib are a tight family group. The old men want the boys to get a bear and the boys want pop’s to get a bear. God blessed them very well; all had chances and fired at bear. Don saw pine martens and got his first bear at Bobcat. Ray was working the site Rich worked last year at Like It and connected through the firs. Gib worked Hobble and Trout and saw more bear in a week than you could shake a stick at. Rich worked a couple of baits and then moved to Moss. There is a serious story about this large, large bear, one that should really be printed.
John and Chris connects on bear, fighting the weather all week, hot and then rain.
Kevin and his boy Connor, had an exciting time on their first bear hunt. The old man suggested to his boss, Kevin that he take Connor hunting bear as a birthday gift. Having never been hunting bear and not had my two-hour Power Point presentation or lecture, they came in blind the first night. At the stand they lugged coolers, drinks, food and had very little hunting clothing. Yup, you guessed it, while eating an Italian they had five bear come in, different sizes and different times. The next night, after loosing the cooler and being a little better prepared they saw two bear while eating Tuna sandwiches, one of these had a nice white blaze, but would not come out behind the large Pine tree at the bait. This goes on and on each night they are hunting. I moved them to other baits and the bear would come out under the stands. I keep asking them when they are going to shoot; oh we’ll see said Kevin. All the other hunters wanted to follow them or use their sites.
The stories and tales continue, I could write a book about each clients adventure, as no two are the same. A nice yearbook with photographs and stories would be fun to put together. I will see if we can work on building such a report. My next project is to write a book entitled “Maine Professional Guide Manual”. I have almost finished the draft and hopefully it will assist you and others on the journey.
Journals and Record Keeping
I was a very poor student in school, as you can tell by the English and grammar used in this book. I hated English, pronouns, adjectives, subjunctives, nouns, verbs and all that goes with understanding the English language. I still don’t know why we pronounce words two different ways when they are spelled the same, nor why words like two, too, and to are spelled like they are. But along came my brother in law, a Maine Guide and Guidance Counselor David O’Connor. Ya the guy who has written all the books about where to hunt and fish in Maine, the guy who has traveled to just about everywhere and now writes for the Northwood’s Sporting Journal. When I was twelve Dave told me to get a notebook and write down about the day of deer hunting we had just completed at Swift Brook. I was wondering if I should have wrote that when I tagged the deer I had to ask him what gun he used. Anyways, I did write down my thoughts, the weather, the wind, who was hunting with us, where we hunted, what we saw and went so far as to note what we eat. It is now well over thirty years later and I still write DAILY in my journal. Did it help me in English, not really, but as I look at the shelves and read the stories to Zach and Chris they help create great memories and hold the truth of my stories. By the way Mr. O’connor always carried two Nikon cameras with him, one of color and one black and white. Does that explain the two film Nikon’s in the truck and one digital Nikon on my waist at all times? There are many stories about hunting with Dave, but that is another book.
Dick and Lorin Trapping
From time to time a guide likes to have bear meat in the freezer to make it through a long Maine winter. This year we had a request to remove a bear. Well the nurse’s at the local hospital, to which Dick is a friend with, wanted some bear meat. It took almost twenty-two steady days to get the critter, but Dick didn’t give up. The nurses are happy and Dick is having a rug made for them. As for me I would not let go of Meadow bait – I trapped until the close of the season. I had a few educated bears. They had learned, from Han’s, to flip the cable trap. I got new cable, washed, boiled and waxed. Still day after day the buggers would flip the unit. I went to No Where in search of Kevin’s bear, only to have the same thing occur. Calls were made to the biologist, who laughed and said it was a game. I even went so far as to relocate the trap and set two, but the season closed without meat in the freezer. I am hoping for at least a road kill deer.

Young Richard Perry, tending for….gold maybe


A close encounter for Dick







I found this article tucked away – we have some emotional disturbed laws in this country.

Pair to pay fine for killing wolf

Hunter, guide violated Endangered Species Act

The Associated Press
AUGUSTA - Two men have agreed to pay a total of $4,750 in federal fines in the shooting of an endangered gray wolf in northern Maine, state officials said Monday. Joseph Cabral Jr. of Ripley and Allen Groft of Hanover, Pa., were accused of violating the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Both men could have been fined up to $25,000.
Authorities said Cabral was - a guide for Groft, who was bear hunt¬ing near Moosehead Lake in August 1993. Groft shot a 70-pound female gray wolf he found near his bear bait for the second day in a row, after his guide told him he could, officials said.
Groft later tried to tag the ani¬mal at the Maine Warden Service office in Greenville, where it was seized. Federal charges were filed in August 1994 after the animal was positively identified as a gray wolf.
Dick Scott, special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said it
was the first identification of a wild wolf in Maine in many years. Although coyotes are legal game in Maine, the gray wolf is federally protected and it is a violation of both federal and state law to kill or harm one.


That’s one big bear – Brandon Perry 525 pounds



Starting a Bear Business
Folks ask me if I would make a living guiding and working in the woods full time again. The answer is a resounding YES. The money is not great, but I am my own boss, I can take the kid to school, I get to see nature everyday and meet the nicest folks the good world has to offer. I love being part of nature and not just passing through it.
If you’re thinking of starting your own guiding business, think diverse. You will not make it on hunting and fishing alone. You will need to cut wood, trap, make crafts, have a winter job, plow snow, basket weave or something.
Location, Location and Location are the key to making the outdoor business work. One of the worst decisions I made was taking the business off the water. Second, find out if the land is protected and what your neighbors are like. The neighbors are a critical part to making this business work. Do they mind hunting, having a firearms range, do they mind the extra road traffic or having animals around. I am so lucky that I have such supportive neighbors; I cannot thank them enough.
Then there is the money issue, what’s the saying? Money solves the problem? Well in the guiding business that is somewhat correct. It is going to take money to build or buy and purchase supplies. And never ever over look a good accountant to keep you straight with the IRS. Also keep up on your liability insurances. I hear from guides all the time who run their business from the home without proper insurance.
I have listed below some of the things that you will need to get started and the yearly operating expenses. Enjoy and think it through. I you are really interested I would be more than happy to share my written business plan that the SBA helped me develop.












Yearly Expenses
Accountant-legal 500
Advertising 6,000
Bait 4,000
Barrels 400
Buckets 100
Boat registrations 75
Canoe gear 200
Camp maintenance 500
Linen 100
Dishes 150
Truck registration 700
Cellular 700
Radio repeater-maintenance 700
DISH TV 700
Food 4000
Heat 400
Electrical 600
Telephone 650
Internet 700
Insurance, ATV, truck, house, business 3,200
Workers Comp 1,500
Land bait leases 3,600
LP fuel 300
Gasoline 700
Lure 800
Office Supplies 500
Printing 500
Mailing 300
Property tax 1,000
Income tax haha
Legal 500
Wages 6.000
Landowner gift 500

Start Up Equipment
Main lodge, camps, fire pit, freezer, business plan, bank, advertising set up, brochure, letterhead, attorney-legal, tables, chairs, heat, furnishings, crock pots, cooking equipment, well, sewer, employees, atv, boats, canoes, paddles, barrels, bait supplier, sites, dumpster, meat cutter, signs, lures, scent rags, stands, vehicles, buckets, target range, spare firearms and bows, anise oil, stretcher, labels, web site, permits, incorporation, memberships, office supplies, computers, lighting, firearms, guide gear, first aid, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, cameras, clothing, cellular phones, contracts, VHF radios, bedding, GPS, stoves, lots of freezers, tracking equipment, flagging, maps, axes, furs, mounts, laundry, saws, spare clothing for guests and list of small incidentials. You are looking at a fair amount of change to get started. Equipment can always be purchased at yard sales, ebay or wal mart, bait sites, bait suppliers and bait leases is another story and is very time consuming, especially contacting landowners for permission.





Suggestions on Maine
Since it is my book and I am paying to have it printed I guess I can use a few lines to offer some suggestions on ways to help our great state.


• First our game department should be called Maine Fish and Game Department., not Fisheries and Wildlife. There should also be a merger to reduce spending, overlapping power trips, passing the buck to other departments, over paid commissioners and wasteful spending. It’s just unreasonable to me how we have more Atlantic salmon biologists in one office than we have fish biologists for the entire state. We have forest rangers, park rangers, Baxter rangers, Allagash Rangers, Bureau of Parks, Coastal Wardens, Game Wardens, Department of Environmental Protection, Marine Warden, and more fish and plant biologists can you can shake a stick it. Each group has their own building, telephones, vehicles, snowsleds, ATV, computers, secretary’s and administration. There is so much overlap, not to mention jobs not done. What does a Forest Ranger do in the winter? Why not help with ice fishing or sled regulations. What does a game warden do in the winter and spring, especially up north? Are they doing timber theft or fire control? Above all is the management of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the overlapping monies spent here should be a story for Readers Digest. Just let regular Wardens enforce the law. Fish and Game operates from hunter and fisherman, funding from license sales. Yet wardens can wait to get involved in regular police duties, far beyond what they were hired to provide. Second they think they have to get involved or be in charge. A sweeping merger of conservation agencies should occur to create one agency, much like is done in Pennsylinva. Oh lets not forget we don’t want deputy or volunteer wardens – why, well ask the union, it could take jobs away.
• Second, anyone wanting to hunt bear should be required to purchase a permit. This free taking of a bear during deer season – shoot it if you see it, needs to stop.
• Bear hunting in Waldo, Knox and Lincoln counties should be restricted. We also need to introduce some sows with cubs and a few young males to rebuild the population. The feed and habitat is excellent for bear, they just need a jump-start. But since a lot of anti’s live there who tried to stop bear hunting, I am not sure they want to see a bear in their back yards.
• Maine has only one biologist working on black bear, the project leader is just a figurehead and really if you listen has no clue about bear. We currently seem to be more concerned about Lynx that have been here forever – why the federal government is paying the bill. For the millions of dollars bear hunting brings into the state you would think that we would be studying and learning more about bear, especially since the timberlands are changing so rapidly. Maine has been a leader for years in bear study, so what it that most all other states publish on a regular basis “white papers” on what bear are doing, current study’s on range and food. Most of these can be found on a state’s web site. Not in Maine we are more interested in giving away a free truck if you purchase a license.
• We currently have a junior license program for the ages of ten through fifteen. Why isn’t it for any age? Why can’t a person be interested in hunting, find a partner, purchase a junior license and be required to hunt with that partner or person holding a proper license. Heck there are people that would love to hunt a few years under the guidance and direction of an experienced hunter.
• Wardens in general are not friendly folks; I am lucky to have two that are. Wardens have now moved away from a traditional green uniform to wearing SWAT clothing. Last year we got checked by a warden wearing the SWAT clothing, my kids thought it was the police squad coming after and were scared. Yet months later they were checked by my local warden wearing traditional green uniform like conservation officer should and they felt relaxed and commented that his uniform was better.
• Why doesn’t Fish and Game spend money promoting hunting and fishing in Maine? And I mean be serious about promoting the outdoor recreation business to other states and to Canada; it appears they don’t hesitate to solicit our citizens.
• Why do game wardens lie to get a conviction?
• People working or helping a Maine Guide should not be required to have a guide license. Is the commissioner a biologist or lawyer?
• The agent fee to tag a bear or deer should be five dollars instead of just a buck. It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to tag a deer or bear, the store makes a buck, get real.
• Confused yet, if not just try to read a Fish and Game law book on hunting or fishing.
• Should be able to fish year round, by any method, but catch and release only from October to January 1st.
• An ATV causes less damage then a skidder, harvester or dozer in the woods.
• Should be able to hunt coyotes year round at night.
• Commissioner should grow a set of you know what and tell the fed’s were going to continue to snare coyotes in deeryards.
• Why can’t you use a crossbow during archery season?
• You want us to register Canoes?
• If the state is going to buy lands for conservation, then it should be open to trapping, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling.
• A kid age nine can’t hunt, but can trap and is allowed to dispatch an animal in a trap with a firearm. They should be allowed to hunt at nine also.
• What financial support do guides or outdoor business get in Maine? The answer is none.
• How come guiding services can’t be allotted, say five moose permits for clients?
• When it says the tree stand must have a 2x4 inch tag with the owners name, does that mean the tag is 2x4 or the lettering is 2x4? Every warden has a different answer. But the letters on my icehouse better be two inches high.
• How come wardens don’t offer to visit guide business and introduce themselves, talking with clients? And when they are invited they don’t show. Must be part of that idea that all sportspersons are guilty.
• How come you can’t sell deer, moose or bear meat that is legally harvested?
• Why is there a length limit on fish, like a minimum of six inch on trout? Why not just say you keep the first five fish.
• Why does Fish and Game Warden Division charge fisheries division to stock fish? Why can’t they put the fish in the right ponds as directed? Again why does forestry charge for dropping fish or tracking bear with their aircraft? We are all in this together, this intra agency billing sucks.
• Why can I fish in open water at night, but not through the ice?
• The limit on salmon at one pond is one fish, but seriously across the road in the other pond it is three. Think about that for a minute, what are the chances of getting caught? Make it the same statewide; say two fish per day, per fisherman, period.
• Where are the deer? Is it the loss of wintering areas from over cutting, spraying of hardwoods, coyotes, spraying of blueberries, bear predation, no nut crop from over cutting or poaching? Can’t be poaching or nut crop, because where there are a lot of deer there is great wintering area or people feeding them.
• Can’t train dogs on bear below Route 9? Why
• Why not make a self-adhesive bear transportation tag like they do for anterless deer? It’s a pain to get something to remain on a bear’s fur.
• I think a book is in order that tells us what we are allowed to do, it would be much simpler. If you do something not governed, hold on cause it will be, along with a new fee.






Who is this Lorin F. LeCleire, that calls himself a Master Maine Guide?
My mother is from Kentucky and dad from Canada. I was born in Bangor. My sister (Vikki O Connor), her husbands family, the O’Connor’s; along with brother Pat got me into hunting and fishing at a very young age. It appeared that I enjoyed the outdoors more than school. During high school I was running coon and trapping fisher where the Bangor Mall sits today. And to think mom, my aunts and sister were all teachers. At some point I attended University and found my way into emergency services and homeland security work for about twenty-five years. During the early years of University I lived in a woods camp in Township 32 with my good friend John, during which time we hunted and trapped for Christmas monies. Then in the 80’s my girlfriend, (now the wife) and I built a log camp in Township 32, no women were allowed at John’s camp. Then I figured I could work full time and also operate a guide’s business full time – wrong answer. So we purchased Alligator Camps on Alligator Lake above Aurora. Alligator is a wilderness lake, three miles long and half-mile wide, with trout and salmon. It was twenty-two miles by dirt road and we were the only folks living in the million-area territory, what a dream. Solar power and generator, never without power. As fate would have it, the person with the power, my employer, who provided me with health insurance was hoping to see a little more of me at work, so we at first kept Alligator and moved closer to town, allowing me to continue the guide business for fishing and hunting, while still working. The string got to tight and I elected to go back to the woods and spend time with Dick and the clients. Lorin is a life member of the NRA, Sportsman Alliance of Maine, Maine Trappers Association and Maine Guide Association. He has served as a board member of SAM, several wildlife committees and done extensive teaching in the areas of homeland security and hazmat.






MAINE BLACK BEAR HUNTING

Maine the Way Life Ought to Be!

We are proud and excited that you are considering a Maine Black Bear Hunt! Coming from a family of guides and sporting camps owners we work to provide you with the finest quality hunt available. Being in the outdoor and guiding business for over twenty-five years – “our job is to make you forget yours”. If this is your first time bear hunting you will find this one of the most exciting and enjoyable sports available. If you’re looking for a new base camp – we welcome you to Maine.

The Maine Black Bear has one of healthiest bear densities in the lower forty-eight states. Black Bear are an extremely smart and crafty animal. The average weight ranges from one hundred twenty-five pounds to over four hundred. Our state record stands at just over 680 pounds. As a sports person, don’t under estimate the bear or their senses. Stands are from a few yards out for bow hunter to 40 yards for gun.

We provide all licenses, stands, licenses, site leases, bait/lure, transportation to, assistance getting in stands, scents, and retrieve you and your bear later that evening. You get a SIX-DAY hunt, not the standard five!

We offer both steel stands or ground blinds – we also have double stands for youth and parent hunts. Prime hunting is from 4pm to a 1/2 hours after sunset. Silence and stealth is the name of the game. We guide/deliver you to your stand, pass you your weapon, insure your concealment and retrieve you and your bear after sunset. Your bear will be retrieved whole and weighed for live weight. Care of your meat and hide is critical to insuring a great memory of your hunt, it is also our reputation and we owe it to the animal that we don’t waste anything harvested. No bear is wasted in our camps!

You will camp among friends and fellow hunters. Our camps sleep 6-8, are full equipped, we have showers and a large reading selection for your enjoyment. You will enjoy home cooked meals and evenings telling tales by the fire. Lunch and supper are batch style with all the hunters gathering for the fixings like: chicken, steak, ham, lobster, spaghetti, chili, stews, soups, or Swedish meatballs. Of course there is always pies, ice cream, rolls, breads, salads and puddings.

You will arrive on Sunday or early Monday morning, sight in your weapon, be involved with the “bear talk” and visit your sites. We will walk you through tips, shot placement, the who- what-when and how of bear hunting.

We are located near Bangor on the Airline Road, Route 9 in Clifton. We are a
year round, full service, guide service sitting on the edge of over 1,000,000 acres of private lands that allow access to streams, river, ponds and over 1,200 miles of dirt roads and trails (great for ATV’s which are welcome).

You may also wish to enjoy Bar Harbor, Bangor, LL Bean, Old Town Canoe, Cadillac Mountain Sports or local shops during the day or after taking a bear. We also have boats, canoes and kayaks “free” during your stay with us allowing a chance to fish for bass or paddle a few hours into the sunset.
General Rates are $1,250 for a six-day hunt, call for reservation or complete brochure.
This is my gear list – those who know me, understand what my truck looks like when I am hunting or playing – always be prepared!
ON YOUR PERSON - VEST
0 Radio/Harness , radio, gps, compass, mag light
0 Handkerchief 0 Cell Phone 0 Sweat band 0 Water
0 Sunglasses 0 Firearm 0 Glasses 0 Ammo
0 Leather man 0 Lighter 0 Gloves 0 Nitelight
0 Headlamp
DAY PACK -TRACK-SEARCH PACK
0 Paper/Pencil 0 Cylumes 0 Flagging 0 Rope
0 Cat eyes 0 Headlamp 0 Stringliner 0 Survival kit
0 Batteries spare0 Peroxide 0 Ammo 0 Strobe Light
0 Water 0 Toilet Paper 0 Cigarettes 0 Maps
0 B/U Compass 0 Candy/Food 0 Camera 0 Epi Pen
0 Marker 0 Folding Saw 0 Knife 0 Aid Kit
0 Knife 0 Fire Starter 0 Water 0 Noodles
0 Towel 0 Cup 0 Silverware 0 Maps
0 Chap Stick 0 Foil 0 Lighter 0 Bug Dope
0 Water Filter 0 Trash Bag 0 Trail Mix 0 Mirror
0 Zip Lock 0 Candle 0 Sharpener 0 tea, sugar, etc0 Sterno 0 Spare Glasses 0 Binoculars 0 Ice Pick
0 Wipes 0 Batteries
SPECIAL ITEMS – LOOSE MILK CRATES
0 Chain Saw 0 Brush Axe 0 Boat gas 0 ATV
0 Ice Auger 0 Throw Rope 0 Fish Maps 0 Tackle
0 Fishing poles 0 Net 0 Worms 0 Live Bait
0 Spare Gas 0 Boat/Motor 0 Paddles 0 PFD
0 Kayak 0 Cooler 0 Ice 0 Waders
0 Tarp 0 Jump Start 0 Cot/mattress 0 Booster Cable
0 Wash Bin 0 Come a long 0 Hand Saw 0 Asbestos Bag
0 Sleep Mach 0 Cribbage Board0 Towels 0 Sun Block
0 Snowshoes 0 Spare Plugs 0 Axe 0 Bear bait
0 Motor battery 0 Spare Film 0 Camera 0 Batteries
0 Power Convert 0 Tow Rope 0 Pulleys 0 Climbing Gear
0 Radio Charger 0 Snowmobile 0 Tow Sled 0 Tape
0 Plaster Equip 0 Meds/Vitiams 0 20lb LP 0 Mattress Pump
KITCHEN KIT – York Box
0 Pots 0 Skillet 0 Cups 0 Plastic Cups
0 Coffee Cups 0 Water Jug 0 Silverware 0 Utensils
0 Cut Board 0 Salt/Pepper 0 Sugar 0 Tea
0 Soap 0 Bleach 0 Scrubber 0 Coffee cups
0 Zip Lock 0 Foil 0 Oil 0 Lighter
0 Matches 0 Paper Towels 0 Toilet Paper 0 Water Filter
0 Duct Tape 0 Trash Bags 0 Sharpener 0 Strainer
0 Aid kit 0 Bowls 0 Cut board 0 Matches
0 Paper towels 0 Plates 0 Skillet 0 Utensils
COOKING KIT – York Box
0 Stove 0 Lanterns 0 Mantles 0 Coleman Fuel
0 Bottle Gas 0 Grill Thermos 0 Lighter Fluid 0 Fire Starter
0 Griddle 0 LED lanterns 0 thermos stove
TENT PACK – Rubber Maid
0 Fly 0 Rain Fly 0 Tent 0 Ground Tarp
0 Hatchet 0 Pole 0 Stakes 0 Tent
PERSONAL KIT – Dry Bag
0 Socks (4) 0 Pants (2) 0 Shorts 0 Long Johns
0 t-shirt 0 Underwear 0 Slippers 0 Towel
0 Reading Book 0 Shave kit 0 Hat 0 Jacket
0 Gore sock 0 Gloves 0 Flannel Shirt 0 Turtle Neck
0 Rain Gear 0 Bib Pants
IN TRUCK
0 Binoculars 0 Radio 0 Ear Protection
0 Leather man 0 Knife 0 Rope 0 GPS
0 Maps 0 Toilet Paper 0 Aid Kit 0 Throw Rope
0 Gallon Water 0 Flashlights 0 Vest 0 Rain Gear
0 Sock 0 Gloves 0 Flagging 0 Wipes
0 Cylumes 0 Track Pack 0 Compass 0 Trail Mix
0 Paper 0 Tool Kit


The fur of Han’s and Ray – Impressive







































DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________¬¬__


DAILY LOG

Date_________________________ Day of Week ____________

Name of Guide Service ____________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hunting Partners
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Guide or Guides Today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Used ____________________________________________________
Name of Bait Site ____________________Town________________________
Time to woods _______________ Time out of woods ____________________
Food served today ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Trips or Events of the day ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened during the hunt: how was stand, bugs, time of bear arrival, type of bear, size of bear, what time did you shoot, how did the bear react, what way did it go, what did it do, how was the track and recovery, conditions of road ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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