 |
| FishTails |
MY FIRST BLACK BEAR
[By Jim Summers, February 9, 2004]
 |
| (Editor's note: Jim Summers is the West Virginia BASS Federation Conservation
Director. We thought this was good opportunity for Jim to share another of his passions as an outdoorsman with
you. We hope you enjoy this account of Jim's bear hunt in Maine lat year.) |
Recently I went on a bear hunting trip to northern Maine. I had never hired an outfitter and was really in the
blind about every aspect of the trip. My hunting partner Robert Fomby and I picked one from the Internet sites
and proceeded to make inquiries as to the time of the hunt, license fees, equipment needs, references etc. We located
Sportsman's Pride Outfitters in Grand Isle, Maine. Keith and Wendy Cote are the owners of a really nice lodge and
go out of their way to make our hunting experience a true memory to cherish. There aren't many times I go hunting
and get up at 7:00am and breakfast is on the table and after breakfast you can take your ATV and ride miles of
trails before lunch and get ready to hunt after lunch. After your evening hunt, your dinner is waiting for you,
then its sitting around the camp fire and listening to stories of the days hunt from fellow hunters and of hunts
long past.
Including Keith there were four guides in camp with us everyday, all of which are very knowledgeable about every
facet of bear hunting, trapping, and skinning. My guide was Pete, while not guiding for bear and moose Pete is
a welder, who uses his vacation to have time to do what he loves, guiding and bear hunting. Pete was assigned to
take us all to the rifle range on our first full day in camp to check our weapons for accuracy. Everyone is required
to fire at least two shots and make adjustments if necessary to ensure a clean shot. I had been shooting at the
range for over a month and had my 7mm mag Remington right were I needed it. But, after the baggage attendants at
three airports beat my case all up I needed to check my 700 just to make sure. I fired the two required shots and
they were on top of each other, my Leupold scope had held up under the abuse dealt out by the uncaring baggage
attendants. Pete commented by saying "You shoot pretty good Aye". I told him that I had been practicing
for a month before my trip and he thought everyone should do that because he has to track the wounded bears and
a well placed shot makes the difference between tracking for hours or minutes. After a great lunch, I took a shower
and used my Scent-a-way shampoo and body wash, put on my Sent-Lock liners and my camo and was ready for my first
evening of bear hunting over bait in northern Maine.
My first evening of hunting was uneventful but my hunting partner Robert harvested a 225lbs bear and two others
were taken. by hunters in the lodge. After three days seven bears were harvested but I had not seen one. On my
fourth evening however a 500 plus pound bear made a brief appearance crossing a small opening to my right naturally
I was facing to the left. The big bear was coming with the wind and was 90 to 100 yards away and I could only see
him for 2 or 3 seconds. I had remembered what Pete had told me about a big bear will circle and come to the bait
with the wind in this face. This meant the big bear was coming in behind me so I quickly checked behind me to see
what I could see, nothing at all, the trees and underbrush was so thick I couldn't see 5 feet and could not even
see the ground except directly under the tree. Just the site of the big bear caused me to feel my heartbeat in
my fingertips, the adrenaline was flowing, so I sat motionless for 3 hours in hopes the bear would show himself,
so motionless in fact that a bunch of black-capped chickadee's landed in my tree and one lit on my hat and walked
around for a minute before flying off with his friends. As darkness set in I was straining my eyes and ears to
get a sign of the big bear, but on this night it was not to be. I checked my watch and my time was up one half
hour after sunset, I made my way out of the tree and walked a quarter mile to where Pete was waiting with the truck.
See anything were Pete's words as I opened the door." Yes sir". I said, "I saw a bear that looked
like a Black Volkswagen Beetle". Pete and I discussed the bear and the stand all the way back to the lodge
and came to the conclusion that the big bear busted someone in the stand and he knows where it is and checks it
before he come in to the bait. We decided that I should move to a new stand for Friday closer to the Lodge. Friday
afternoon I went to a new stand 500 yards from the Lodge and set on the stand for five hours and saw nothing but
squirrels.
Mike Smith from around Uniontown Pa. was on stand Friday evening when a big bear came within 12 yards of him and
his arrow from his PSE bow hit its mark. The big bear whirled around and ran into the thick woods and out of site.
When Mike came back to camp he told us he hit a big bear and it was a good hit. The next morning a 6:00am we all
assembled in front of the Lodge to go look for Mike's bear. At 6:10am Ron, one of the guides, came to the Lodge
and announced he had found the bear and we would need some help to get it out of the woods and onto the truck,
because it was a good one. Good one was an understatement, the big bear ran about 50 yards and down a hill. Keith
had his ATV in the truck and immediately unloaded it to get the bear. When I walked down to where the bear was.
My first reaction was total amazement this bear must have been 500 pounds its head was huge, what a bear I thought.
I got to hold all the cameras and video equipment while these 6 young men wrestled the bear on to the ATV and tied
it down, and then two of them had to get on the front to hold it down while the bear was transported to the truck.
This bear's head measured 20 5/8 and may be the biggest bear take with a bow in Maine the records are being checked
as I write this story. After getting the bear to camp, Pete told me to get my rifle and come with him to check
bait sites and to check out the one where the big bear lives. I had told Pete a couple of days earlier that I would
like to learn more about the process of baiting bears and how you pick sites and so on. Pete would carry the bait
buckets and I would stay back about 10 yards and watch because the bears were use to Pete's scent and a strange
scent would alert the bears that something was wrong. Finally we got to the area where the big bear lived and I
had to see everything up close, rifle in hand I led the way to the barrel in hopes the bear might be there. No
such luck, but the Big Boy got mad and rolled or threw the barrel over the hill. Pete with his calm manner looked
at me and said, "This is a big bear Jim." We looked around the area for a place to relocate the bait
and the stand for next years hunt and I told Pete if the good Lord is willing I will return just to hunt the big
bear. We finished our baiting and got back to the Lodge for lunch and a shower before heading of on my last evenings
hunt. Pete took me to my stand and wished me luck and I thanked him and climbed to my perch above the forest floor.
At 5:15pm a man and woman came within 20 yards of me on an ATV. Would this ruin my last evening of hunting the
majestic black bear? Everything was running through my mind, finally I decided no it will not hurt my hunt these
bears are used to the sounds of farm equipment and ATV's this is my last chance and I will stay here as long as
I can. Shortly after the ATV left the squirrel started frolicking around on the forest floor and in the trees around
me the next thing I new the sun was setting into the trees to the west, thirty minutes and my week of hunting in
northern Maine would come to an end. Out of 13 hunters in camp 10 had harvested bears and all thirteen of us saw
bears, but at this stage of the hunt I was starting to second guess myself, were they scenting me, can they see
me, what was I doing wrong 7:23pm I heard another squirrel behind me just as I did all evening sounds like this
one is going to climb my tree he is close. They say its not over till the large lady sings well believe me I could
hear her humming. Just then I looked down at my side and the squirrel was a 250 pound bear, how in the world can
a bear that size sneak up on me, it was not possible but there it was right under me. The bear walked about 40
yards and turned to the left took four quick steps and growled and stared to my left. I raised my 7mm mag Remington
and took aim with my Leupold scope and started to squeeze the trigger and the bear turned quickly around and started
to the bait, when the bear stopped this time I squeezed the trigger. The big magnum barked and the fire flew from
the barrel and the bear whirled and ran straight away from me at the same time another bear ran away to my left
then I heard my bear crash in the thick underbrush. I marked the last place I saw the bear and climbed down to
the forest floor into the darkness under the canopy of the forest. Flashlight in hand, gun unloaded I started to
my rendezvous point to meet Pete. As you recall I am only hunting 500 yards from the Lodge as the crow flies well
everyone there heard my shot and a cheer went up I was told. My friend Robert ask Pete if he could go with him
to get me and Pete said he never seen Robert move so fast to get his boots on. I met Pete and Robert near the truck
and we walked back to the truck. I put my rifle behind the set and took off my safety harness and coat. Pete told
me to take a break and catch my breath there was no doubt he could tell I was excited. We took the truck to the
site and Pete ask where the bear was standing and I walked over to the place and pointed to where I shot the bear.
Then Pete ask which was did the bear go and I showed him the direction, he told me to stay at the last sign of
blood and when he found more I was to move up to him. We took about three steps and found a blood trail three more
steps and Pete said I hit him good, he had a blood trail on both sides of the trail 30 yards more and Pete said
come here Jim there is your bear. That made it 11 out of 13 and the lady could sing all she wanted now. I had my
first black bear it wasn't the 500-pound plus bear I saw but I was very proud of it.
If you want a great bear hunt with great guides, great food and accommodations call Keith and Wendy Cote at Sportsman's
Pride Outfitters at
207-728-7365 or www.bearoutfitters.com.
I have already booked my hunt for 2004. Hope to see you there. |
|
|
|
