Well it has been one very frustrating and depressing bear season for this guide. Last week the only bears to even be seen, were the two that the hunters successfully took Monday night. It is mind boggling to try to figure out what happened or why, and then what more could possibly be done to change the situation. I thought long and hard as to what the variable could be that was in common at all of the sites and locations. Acorns? No, there are no Oak in one area at all. Beech nuts? They didn't develop very well, and no beech ridges in one area either. Apples? Although the apple trees even considering the small amount of rain we received this summer are laden heavy, no apple trees in two areas. What then......Mushrooms! The middle of the second week after steady rain, the mushrooms came out everywhere. Maybe we have some addicted bears out there tripping??? I also decided to do a little research after hearing one tagging station say they were hearing the same thing from the other guides in the area I contacted two other tagging stations and numbers were down with the same complaint. Then Peter got online and looked around to find guides and hunters all over the State with the same question...."what is happening,baits are going dead?" Although it doesn't make me feel one hundred percent better, I do feel a little better.......a little.
Fourth week and final week of bait season for bear is here. We only have two guests who are so very much more like family, Larry and Kathy Brown from Pennsylvania. I had planned on taking my daughter out onto a bait to hunt, however she has now come down with the cold that made it's travels around everyone. Therefore I ventured into the Maine woods and sat on a site myself. I will not take a bear that is not phenomenal as I have taken three bears thus far in my hunting career; my last being a 350 pound boar. We have several sites that were and are still being worked by that very kind of animal and being a good judge of bears, they weigh over 300 and up to 500 pounds plus. We put Kathy out on one of the baits, Peter sat out on one and Big E and I sat on two others. Larry works very hard and needed another day to relax and get ready so he stayed back at camp with Ozwald. I got settled into my stand with my rifle sitting across my legs and waited.... I have no idea how long I sat as I forgot my watch before I saw movement to my left. A lone small mangy coyote was eating and chewing away contentedly for about 15 minutes before slowly walking off. I watched an osprey dropping down limb to limb to check out what was for dinner along with a half dozen gray jays also known as gobbie birds. Of course squirrels!!! Lots of squirrels!!! Then low and behold black movement coming in from the left!! A sow that weighs about 230-250 pounds came around the back side of the barrel, reached in got a donut, jumped back and took off. About 8 minutes she came again with a repeat performance and off again. Once more she came and went again. About 10 minutes later black movement from the trail behind that bait. I thought it was the same bear, but after it finally ventured to the barrel I could see it was a bit larger than the first, shaped different; a young boar most likely came in very leery. He didn't hang around too long before bolting off as I watched through my scope as light was fading fast and I was loosing site. When he veered off to the right of the trail, even though I suspected the big boy was around, I did not have time, light or site to wait him out and took my opportunity to sneak out without disturbing anything and slipped away quietly, but happy. One does not have to take an animal to feel successful. I was so happy to have just watched these beautiful animals in their habitat; their living room. However it seems I was the only one to have seen any bears, but it did not damper my mood. I saw BEARS!!!!!!
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