Ktaadn Guide Service: Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide

Ktaadn Guide Service: Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide: "Well Mother Nature has thrown in a monkey wrench on us, it was too hot yesterday which I truly believe is causing the bears to move late. We..."

Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide

Well Mother Nature has thrown in a monkey wrench on us, it was too hot yesterday which I truly believe is causing the bears to move late. We headed out to the sites just a bit after 2:00pm, and everyone was wet by 4:00pm. We are using our furthest leased lands as the first week we have the longest hunting time. Therefore it allows us to get over there and get set with still a good 4 hours on the sites. 7 out of 8 hunters went out, one, the "Pain" didn't feel well so stayed back at camp. 4 out of the seven saw bear, a couple were small and left along and the others did not present a shot. I sat out with my lady hunter Jill and it was so dam hot in the stands many thoughts run through my mind. We all did the showers with the scent free soaps and clean unscented clothes after. Sprayed down with the scent cover sprays and all the rest, so we started out scent free. However I had sweat running off be and between places unmentionable for a good 2 hours before things got even reasonably comfortable. At 7:20pm, the temp dropped very noticeably, but I don't think it was enough to get the animals moving. We heard a pack of coyotes off to our left for a few minutes, and I do believe we heard a bear getting up, snorting and snuffling, but by that time we only had minutes left. Jill is an archer so it is harder with light conditions to see for a good killing shot. A rifle hunter, as myself, have an advantage with a scope that gathers light and you can wait to the last minute, but an archer does not have. We very quietly left the stand and so quiet that I know we did not disturb anything. So hopefully tonight will be better, however the weather man didn't give me much hope on the 11:00pm news.......

Early morning moments

The weather has turned back to hot and not as cool at night as the weather man said. I do not believe it was in the 50s last night as it was stated it would be. This time of day for the next 4 weeks are the only moments of quiet I will have to put thoughts to words. I have put the coffee on, let the dogs out, got dressed, vacuumed and made muffins!!! Now with a hot cup of coffee at hand and my absolute favorite piece of electronics at my finger tips, a moment....
Our last guests coming from Maryland finally arrived last night about 10:30pm. They had been on the road all day and stuck in a traffic jam on the George Washington bridge, and a few other places along the way. They were exhausted when the got here, but arrived safe and no worse for the wear. We have 8 guests/hunters this first week. 3 of them have been coming for 6 years now and brought one friend with them. The other 2 are from Connecticut and we met them last year when they were hunting with another guide service. I know that maybe that doesn't sound very good, but often when one has a not so great experience but they love hunting, they seek somewhere else to come back to in the area. Mike and Rick, who are my repeaters, met them while at the local sporting shop, got talking and brought them down to meet Big E and I.
SQUIRREL!! I can hear him chattering and the shibas are off and running!!! LOL!!
So anyway, we have a great bunch of folks here this week, and such a good way to start the season. I will be going out and sitting with the young lady archer from Maryland. She had asked for that service when we met them in Harrisburg at the sports show. She has never bear hunted and is a bit uneasy, however I think she will be just fine and most likely will only need my services for a night or two at the most. She and her husband work with big time race horses and I truly hope that for all their hard work that they win the triple crown someday soon!!! Mr. Coyote will be sitting out with our second youth hunter and once I'm freed up I will switch off with him to give him a break. Peter is a very good friend of ours. We went to school together and have been neighbors for a very long time. He has been an awesome help to us in so many ways. When Big E was in the hospital in 02, and Katelyn was still in school, had it not been for Peter, I don't know what I would have done. He kept an eye on Kate, let my dogs in and out, made sure they had food and water, and kept the wood fire burning so the house would not freeze up. He has come to our rescue many times, and gives the meaning of a true friend. We love him and his family and I think they are more like our own family than some. Won't get into that one, LOL!
Oh and I would like to say we were delivered a goodie basket yesterday from my friend Joy, who brought down some of her jams and jellies for the hunters breakfast!!! I can't wait to try the apple butter on toast!
So we are looking forward to a great first night and I hope I have lots of pictures to post in the morning. My Mom will be here to help with the big dinner, roast pork with all the fixings and strawberry shortcake for dessert! Yum, Yum!!! Until tomorrow......

It begins!!

And so it begins!! Our first guests arrived early, coming in yesterday. The rest should arrive by noon time. I still need to run to Lincoln to finish my shopping. I have been so very busy this year, seems more so than usual which I didn't think could actually happen. I had returned to college back 4 years ago and I thought I was busy then!! Of course we have had some family issues that have been time consuming and stressful, and then with other things such as breakdowns with the trucks and such, it simply has been a different kind of year. I do not mind being busy, actually I think I thrive on it. Of course after it is all done, I crash hard. However I will enjoy it while it is here. I do love the guide service, and hunting. The excitement of my hunters easily flows through all of us. So I will try to keep posting regularly documenting the life of a Maine guide through out our season. We have a young couple coming in today that I'm looking forward to very much, as we have been corresponding by e-mail and phone and they are so excited. This will be their first bear hunt ever, using bows. They work with race horses, shoeing, grooming, boarding and training. A different life style and from the sounds, never a dull moment and from what they tell us, I find it hard to believe they had any time to take off. Hoping to make it a fantastic trip for them! The group that is now here have been coming for 6 years, so it is like old friends coming for a visit. The other 2 guests are also new folks, lawyers, so it will be interesting to talk with them, as my degree was legal technologies. Well, all for now folks...will keep you posted!!

Counting down....

With just a matter of a few days before our first week of hunters arrive for bear season, we are in high gear to attempt to get things done. One would think that, well.. we had all summer to get things done. However it doesn't always work that way, as in needed capital to continue projects and we probably took on a bit more than we should have. Oh well...we will make it!!! I have the house almost ready, another day of picking up and cleaning and it will be done. I need to get the shopping done and that is what I'm a bit worried about as I need to make a few trips out of town to accomplish that. Deliveries will be hear tomorrow afternoon, so I have to be home to receive them. Therefore it looks like Saturday is going to be one of those "crazy days"!!
We got the new hanging beams placed and anchor bolted yesterday. Looking at the pieces on the ground, I did not realize how tall it was going to be. However as Big E stated, a moose hanging needs the height! I lettered the top beam back a couple weeks ago on both sides and meant to do something down the side posts, but got side tracked. Easily done, at least for me. I looks good just the way it is, cause it's the way it's gonna be!
We are finally getting a little more very needed rain. Baiting on the woods roads has been unreal with the dry conditions that you could literally grind your teeth with the dust that penetrated throughout the trucks. The roads were so dry and dusty that there was an actual layer of nothing but powder covering everything for 25 feet off the roads. This is also the earliest I have ever seen the leaves change. Leaves are covering the roads like they usually do it October already, and here it is only August. The visibility in the woods will be unreal this fall for the hunting seasons!!
One of our workers is heading back off to school. Nick, the son of Peter "Coyote" Cote is heading back to Eastport to the boat building school. We'll miss him, but he has assured us he will be around on the weekends. We wish him the very best as he is an exceptional young man!

Well many more things must be accomplished today, and just maybe I will get some baking done as well as the temperatures could use a little heating up in the house. Nights have been getting into the lower 50s and high 40s, although I was told the temps would be rising next week. I still don't expect it to get too hot though and will continue to be cool at night.

It is a wonderful life

Big E and Peter Coyote are off to gather the game cameras, then will be heading off to Webster to bait and set the cameras up out there. The Webster sites are new to us this year and have taken a lot of preparations to ready them for the first week of bear season which starts next Monday. Guests will be arriving this coming weekend and then it is high gear for us for the next six weeks!!! I have been so busy and so many things have been going on with family and other things, that I feel like I'm behind schedule quite badly. However, I do love it when a plan comes together!!!

We were in Scarborough Maine at the Cabelas store this past weekend as guests and exhibitors, which was pretty much a last minute decision. I was contacted a couple weeks ago by their events coordinator to come down, set up and meet and great. We talked to a lot of people, but like most any trade show, often it is just folks who feel they have something is common, of which they do; the love of the outdoors and hunting! I don't know if it will pay off for us or not, but I did figure it couldn't hurt and to affiliate with Cabelas is definitely a good thing! I did have a phone call yesterday, but waiting for confirmation. We get lots of inquiries; thats the norm for these things. I'm certain that getting our name out there helps even if it is just someone talking. We often get the " I went hunting with so and so", or "I'm going hunting with so and so" when folks stop to talk, and thats OK too. I figure if they don't have the best experience with "so and so", that they will possibly remember that couple from the Katahdin area they talked to that seemed so nice and friendly. Two thirds of our guests each year are repeats. We have a group coming that has been hunting bear with us for six years; another couple who first came as a twenty fifth wedding anniversary event, for seven years. We have two other groups that are coming back this year for the second time, however not consecutively. So I guess that speaks for itself as well.
This is not the easiest business to be in and not one that will make one rich, however that depends on what "rich" means. If one looks at it as money, well no, but if one looks at it as a way of life, I could not be any richer. It is a wonderful life, to live in a place that has such natural beauty and to be able to do the things that you love,and meet really great people who share that appreciation. I feel blessed every time I go kayaking, with every sunset, every call of a loon and with every critter that saunters through the field, the changing of the leaves.....it just goes on and on. Would I like to be rich in a monetary manner, well who wouldn't as this world is run by the evil dollar bill. Maybe some day, but for now I'll just try to enjoy every day for the blessing it brings and be thankful that I'm alive to enjoy it. It is so true that life is not the breath we take, but the moments that take our breath away.

Water fights and woman hunters

An early morning  up at 5:00am with preparations for the cement to be poured for the new industrial game hanging apparatus. It's 7:00am now and the trucks have arrived. I thought the good old fashioned hanging tree, which actually was trees was just fine, however Big E with the help of the "Pain" thought we needed something more.
I will explain the "Pain".....he is a gentleman, if I may call him that, from Massachusetts and Connecticut as his property is on both sides of the States borders. He has been coming hunting bear and ducks with us for 6 years. He is a generous fellow, but sometimes......he can be a bit needy and or pushy. We have had an ongoing love/hate relationship during the years. I open the kitchen in the mornings at 7:00am for bear season, and he likes to irritate me by showing up at the door insistently around 6:00am, which is usually when I head for the shower. The door is still locked at this time, mainly because I know he will do this, so he will stand there and knock and demand to be let in. This has led to him getting an early cold water bath on 2 occasions. The first time was in 2008, when once again he came a knocking. Our daughter was still at home so I recruited her as my partner in crime. It was quite a morning I must say, as I had her watching him through the windows although he could not see her. I went to our front door, opened it up and shot a round out of the old 12 gage to distract him, and it worked as he then started to sneak around to the front. One more shot! Bang!!! He then carefully diverted back towards the side door which is the main entrance. In the meantime I had filled a pitcher full of ice water and as he started back up the stairs, Katelyn quickly opened the door and I let him have it full frontal!!! Not one drop of water missed! While he was in shock, I slammed the door shut and told him I would see him at 7:00! Wet and defeated he retreated back to the cabin. During our many conversations throughout the year, he kept telling me he was going to get even with me, and I informed him that I also had time to plan and plan I did. The next bear season he attempted the early entrance once again, and once again with my partner in crime we baited him in. Again at the door, knock, knock, knock...."let me in I want coffee" he whined. Katelyn had been instructed to hold his attention with the "whats the password game". "Coffee" he answered. "Nope, not done" she replied."Apple Pie" he tried once more. "All gone" she said. "Whats the password then" he asked just as I stepped around the corner with the garden hose. "Water" I said as I turned in onto him full blast! He had no where to go and had to stand there and take it, only to once again walk back to the cabin, dripping from head to foot saying "Oh what a terrible person"! "See you at 7:00!!! Well last year he decided the water is very cold at 6:00am in the morning in Maine, although he found other ways to irritate and agitate and the battle between us goes on. I looking for a good super soaker; anyone got one I can borrow???

This afternoon we will be heading south to Scarborough to be a guest and exhibitor at Cabela's "Great Outdoors Days". I have the display all packed up and ready to load. I'm taking a few boxes of past issues of Outdoors Magazine with me of which I have been writing a column for over 4 years now, and this spring began an effort to distribute in the area as well. Looks like we could get some showers so I will have to cover the boxes with plastic so as not to get wet. I'm hoping this affiliation will be beneficial for the business as well as give us a little more exposure. There are many woman guides in Maine and the numbers have been increasing over the years, however not many are actual hunting guides. I had always thought that being a lady guide would attract more woman hunters, which statistics have shown are the fastest growing group of new hunters. This year I have 3 ladies coming hunting with us, which is the most we have ever had. One of the ladies has been hunting with us for 7 years. I will tell more about her along the way. I attempted to increase these numbers by approaching "Woman Hunter" magazine and it's representatives at the Harrisburg Sports show and offered special packages and hunts for women only. However they have yet to take me up on my offers which I thought a bit odd, but oh well...... I had taken this approach as a lady guide also thinking that I wouldn't be as accepted among the men, and this too has surprised me as I have been received with nothing but respect and have earned some admiration. It only goes to show that hard work will pay off in the long run, and one should never give up on their dreams.

Dry conditions continue

Well the rain we received did not amount to much and things are still terrible dry in the woods. Leaves are already covering the woods roads. There is one upside to this however; visibility through the woods! I have sat on many of our bait sites, and have done so for several years. This lets me experience what my hunters do, as well as to watch the behavior of the animals visiting the sites. I have seen bear come into the background of a site, without making a sound! What looked a bit dark, suddenly looked a bit darker, black even....and then it would move silently. The phantom of the woods!!! Black bears generally make not a sound, they just appear! Big E says they have their bedroom slippers on, LOL! These suttel differences and movements often go unseen by hunters, and when they continue to fidgit, move, swat, the bear see them and just as quietly as they appear, they are gone and the hunter goes home with an empty cooler. The year that I shot my 200 pounder I was in a stands of hardwoods. I was thinking it was getting close to the end of legal hunting time, when through the leaves off to the right, I saw that black shadow....only for a second and waited. It emerged out from some small evergreens just behind the barrel like smoke drifting across the ground, and looked straight up at me. I'm very good in a stand and I try to educate my guests for success. I moved not a muscle. The bear looked left and right, and again at the stand before feeling comfortable enough to have a smackle of sweets. I left the woods a very happy hunter!
Therefore the leaves falling early will be a bonus for hunters as far as visibility, but it also gives the bear an advantage as well. So it will all come down to this; did you listen to your guide???
Another upside to this situation is that I predict a very good partridge season, much for the same reasons as it will be for bear and deer as well; visibility!

Now some may not want to hear this, but as we do truly need rain, and moisture! The fire danger has been listed as high and very high for quite some time. Water levels in the lakes and ponds are at some of the lowest in years.
Therefore lets hope that if we do not get the rains, and I hope the weather stays sunny for our hunters and guests, we can always pray for snow!!!!

Rainy Days and Mondays

Well it is quiet here this morning as I sit on the porch and write this. It is currently raining and we do need the rain. The lawns crackle under foot and the tops of the maples are so dry, the leaves are falling off as if it were late September. I do love listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof. The sound brings to mind many memories of being at camp when I was growing up. We didn't have electricity at camp, so no TVs or such to disturb the peace. We would get together and play cards, or curl up with a good book. I didn't think about the conveniences that we didn't have at camp. Therefore we really didn't mind. We have vivid imaginations and did not need to have all the rigmarole that kids feel they can't live without today, and I think it was a better place because of it. Progress is not always a good thing, or at least that is how I look at things. We were happy and content and even might go out swimming even in the rain; after all we were gonna get wet anyway!
Camp life began at my Grandparents camp on an island in North Twin Lake. I can remember hearing the train which skirted the lakes shoreline and stopped at the depot at Norcross, a little community on the south side of the lake. The trains don't run like they used to and many of the train tracks in Maine have been deserted or turned into recreational trails. The depot is long gone as well. I remember getting up in the mornings and going with Grampy in the boat over to the depot store and picking up fresh baked donuts for breakfast.
Years later my parents built a camp on the Deep Cove road on Ambejesus Lake. Our camp was located on the turning point, looking straight up Pemaduncook Lake. I will explain something; these lakes are all connected. There is Ambejesus, Deep Cove, Pemaduncook, North and South Twin Lakes, and the West Branch of the Penobscot River flows through these lakes on it's was down stream. So we were only a boat ride away from my Grandparents. Every summer the local communities seemed to migrate to the lakes. We had CBs and Base stations for contacting the outside world. Other than that we simply enjoyed Mother Nature at her very best with beautiful views of Mount Katahdin. Many a night we drifted off to sleep listening to the lonesome calls of the loons echoing across the glassy waters. I miss those days, and the rain reminds me of the past. Both of the camps have been sold a few times over and this happened to several of the camps on the lakes. I can travel on the dirt roads and not recognize any of the names on the signs anymore. It is just not the same, as with many things in the region. The paper mills which once employed 80 percent of the local population have closed and downsized, with Millinockets mill being shut down and the East mill in the process of being sold again. I worked in the East mill of Great Northern Paper Company and at the time back in the 80s there was almost a thousand employees in that mill alone. Now it is barely running with just over 300 workers. So many things have changed; again so called progress.
Don't get me wrong, we are not a desolate place;we have so very much to offer. It is just that things have changed. However the beauty of the Katahdin region is alive and well, although the economy is not. I get a kick out of watching the evening news as they talk of a recession and even the D word. Truth is many of these small communities all across the country would say we have been in a depression for quite some time! Therefore it has become even more important to remember things the ways they used to be, but still look at the positive things we still have with hope. Progress can't take away Baxter Park, or the views on top of Katahdin. It can't take away family BBQs. It can't discourage kayaking or canoeing on the many waters of the region, or a good old fashioned picnic. I give the communities a lot of credit as they have become quite creative with several celebrations and events to liven the place up too! And it all has nothing to do with progress.

cool mornings, warm memories

I have no idea what the temperature got down to last night, but I added another blanket and at 6:00am I thought I saw a glimmer of frost on the top of the trucks.
Yesterday we were up early and on our way to tend the new bait sites in Webster Plantation; 15 in total. A few of the bait sites had not been worked too hard, however there was one that definitely has a huge trophy bear working. Big E is back on the job, but only as a supervisor. It is hard to keep him down but he knows what the consequences could be if he starts doing things too soon. We need to some how make these sites more efficient and less time consuming, which is very hard to do at this point in the game; trails need to be cleaned out, brush cleared for good shooting lanes, and tree stands placed. It is a lot more complicated than some may think. We don't just go out and throw down a bucket of donuts and hunt bears. Much planning comes into just choosing a good site, then many factors have to be taken into consideration; prevalent wind direction which in Maine is a wind from the Northwest, where the sun will be setting as the hunter does not want to be lit up like a Christmas tree with the sun in their eyes, another is water, a bear will want a water source, and the forest itself should be secluded for cover to make a bear feel safe to come in. Many hunters are a little intimidated with our forests here, but a bait site should not be too close to any roads or trails, but close enough that the hunter can quickly and quietly leave the stand at closing time.
This reminds me of a couple of hunters who were indeed terrified out there, but didn't want their buddies to tease them. One such hunter we called Coyote Jim, which is absolutely no relation to Peter "Coyote" Cote. To be honest, I don't even remember this boys last name! We had placed him on a bait site that was being worked well by a couple of fine bears. However, it is often that hunters will see other game on the baits; fisher, marten, rabbits, turkeys, moose, deer, partridge, fox and coyotes. This particular night, Jim had what he stated as a pack of coyotes come into the bait site. Here he sat in a tree stand, and no, coyotes can't climb trees! He has a rifle and a box of ammo with him! He jumped out of the treestand and ran approximately seven miles to the nearest light post!!! We were on our way to pick them up when we noticed a person pacing under the streetlight. When we stopped, an out of breath Jim, explained why he was there. I asked, did you ever just stop and look back? " No way!!!"" he stated. Well believe me he was the butt of all jokes and pranks for the few remaining days by his hunting partners and no, he never did get a bear. We have had over the years many characters that as we look back, make us laugh all over again. There was the true, real life Ernest T, with heel clicks and giggles. Smokey who was scared of his shadow let alone the dark woods  informed us when he arrived that he had a heart condition , when he was ready to leave, he informed me he was going to fire his doctor, because what his buddies had put him through, he said he should have dropped dead several times!! Then there were those who will hold a place in our hearts forever, who are no longer with us on this life plain, and those who have become family.

It is a rainy morning, but we still have so much to do. This is such a busy time of year for us; it seems once the 4th of July goes by, we go into high gear. We had plans of accomplishing so many things this summer, however with the developments of Big E needing surgery and the contract for the new land, we can only do so much. Our 2 old trucks that we use primarily for the business are being difficult. We are picking up the 98 this morning, only to leave the 99 for further repairs!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and "Blackcloud" at bay, that we can get through the season without any more major breakdowns!!! We really need a new truck, or should I say, new to us and newer than a 99 for sure! Oh well.......
We hope to have the new cabin all closed in, with windows and door, but will most likely still have to utilize our 28 foot camper for another year along with the 2 cabins. I just finished the cross beam for the new hanging apparatus yesterday which will make things easier on the guys with electric chainfalls and hoists. Hopefully I will have the uprights finished so the cement can be poured the first of next week. Big E is as I write, down on the new lot with a gentleman to put the culvert in and make the road that will lead to the site of the new lodge!!! So things are moving in every direction!
I'm so thankful for our good friend Peter "Coyote" Cote who we went to school with, and for the most part, grew up with him too. He got his guides license back in 03 and worked with us for 2 years before he and his family moved away for a few years. The family moved back 2 years ago, but Peter kept working away on construction jobs. However, he has come to the rescue so to speak and will be helping us out this season, taking us the slack for the recovering Big E.

Looks like the sun may peek out after all, and it's back to business!!!

Counting down....

The cool temperatures of last evening made me think of camp fires, and hunters coming in off the bait sites with exciting tales of their adventures. Of course we have camp fires often throughout the year as it is one of my favorite ways to relax. However, to have a whole group of folks from different places who have lived different lives tell their stories is a wonderful experience. If someone should also bring a guitar, we are in business!! It always seems too that a campfire brings out some of the greatest stories. Stories of the past and exciting adventures in exotic places. I love listening to them as I think you truly get an insight as to who these people are, and people are interesting. I also enjoy passing on the folk lore and tales of the Katahdin region, and I also must admit, it a tale gets someone going, well that is even more fun. Might I take a bit of an advantage and really whip up a wicked tale? I just very well might!! Although it is not nice to play on any ones fears or misgivings about something, and I don't want them to be terrified sitting in their tree stands; I do like to spin a good yarn as we New Englanders can of a cold north wind one stormy night back years ago when.......LOL, I must save that for the campfires!
Anyway......I'm looking forward to the arrival of our guests and the count down has begun. With Big E laid up I'm trying very hard to get everything ready, tending the baits with our wonderful crew and the many other preparations that I need to get done. It doesn't leave much time for other things I like to do, but I'm trying to mix it all up, put it all together and make it all come together for the very best new experiences that will lead to new tall tales to tell around the campfires.

So goes the battle

It has often been said that behind every great man is a good woman. Well I think the same can be said that behind every successful woman, there is a great man. I have always known that the guide service is a joint effort between Big E and I. We each put ourselves into everything we do, one way or another. Yesterday I went out to establish some new bait sites, and had to do so without the company of Big E who is healing from a recent surgery. I have always been the navigator as I can read and interpret a map and compass very well. I have a fair understanding of a GPS. The large land owners who we lease hunting lands from require GPS coordinates for all bait sites. Easy enough. I mark their locations and name them so I can look them up on the GPS and it tells me how close I'am to the nearest and so on. However, yesterday I could have easily thrown our Garmin E-Trax out the window in pure frustration!!! Big E and I went over these new grounds early this spring and it was no problem for me to use the Gazette and navigate the roads we were on to the locations we had chosen. However, to find the exact spots was a bit more difficult. I will give myself some credit as the majority of them I walked to the exact location, but not because of the GPS, but because I remembered exactly our thoughts and reasons for the positions we chose. Here is where a few got really frustrating; things looks much different with full foliage and marking tapes tied to limbs that were naked at the time disappeared. Not only that, and I have noticed this before; there is marking ribbons all through the Maine woods!!!! I mean they are everywhere and every color!!! Therefore out of the 12 sites I visited, I found 9 with no trouble at all, however the other 3 were aggravating to say the least! I wasted an hour going back and forth before I gave up on one and just said, well boys, this looks like a good spot!!!! Big E kept track of me and the crew with the occasional phone call to my cell asking how are you doing, and how many have you got done, but without his eyes....well I did the best that I could. Beautiful bear grounds with excellent sign, after all, does a bear...well you know...in the woods?!
Anyway......I had 15 sites to open up, of which I accomplished to do 12. Now I feel this is also a good thing as often it takes us the same amount of time to do half the number of sites. Of course we need to go back, clear the paths and make them clearly identifiable for our hunters, trim shooting lanes and place tree stands and blinds which will take a great amount of time and effort. I will admit that part of the business I don't often do. I enjoy running the bait sites, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of getting the sites prepared Big E usually over sees this part of the operations, and that was before his operation! So I will once again have to venture over with the crew and get this work done and in the mean time the preparations I usually take care of back at home base are waiting....... On top of all this, my alias, of which I have 2, One is "Lady Guide" and the other is "Blackcloud", the later being that if something can go wrong it will, and it did. My 1998 truck which we have been trying so very hard to keep on the road as it is the major vehicle we truly need for the business ended up being left for the wrecker to retrieve. We have put a rebuilt motor in her back in 06, July 06 to be exact, and a transmission last fall. Now I'm not a mechanic. I have a general understanding of engines thanks to my Dad, but no matter what, it is not good. Big GYM as we call her lost power, bogged down and we could not finish the last 3 baits I had set out to accomplish. So this rolls around to...I need to do many things and I need to do them without some of the most important parts, Big E and Big GYM!!! This should get interesting........

And so it begins...

Well yesterday was the first day of baiting season and we got 10 sites done. The guys just left to take care of 7 sites, and will be coming back to reload and head out to Webster Plantation to set up 15 new sites, which I will be accompanying as I'm the navigator and we haven't been back over there since we first looked at the grounds. However when we did, the bear sign was awesome!!!! We have so much going on, trying to set up our new game hanging apparatus, all steel with electric hoists and chain falls. I used to do a lot of sign painting and lettering on trucks and such, so I got the top beam measured, blocked and started to paint, but was interrupted and gave up for the time being. I will try to finish one side later today. We have started building the new third camp and was in great hopes of having it completed before season, but it is not looking good, so we will still have in use our 28 foot camper.

Last night the coyotes were having a time. We heard them howling and yodeling in the neighboring fields well into the wee hours of the morning. No bears in the bait shed, which I thought with all the fresh bait we have been working up they would be visiting. Last year they were here right up until we started baiting and then were gone. However a few of our local sites are just a couple miles away and they moved onto them quite quickly. Our established bait sites have been being worked well even though there was no fresh bait. Bears are habitual creatures and continued to visit the sites on a regular basis. Folks have been seeing lots of bears and sign has been excellent, so I predict a fantastic season. We will be competing with a lot of natural food sources and some folks think that they (bear)  are opportunists, however bears are wild animals and will actually feed on natural sources before the pastries and such put out by guides and hunters. We have to pull out all our tricks in these situations. Apples look to be a bumper crop this year and the oak are loaded heavy with acorns. I haven't yet noticed whether the hazelnuts and beechnuts are heavy as well, but I'm sure most likely they are and they cycle with the acorns. Therefore we will have a challenge, but if the hunters are good listeners, sit very still and quietly, they should be successful. Well must get ready to go to the forest!!!