Full boar charge!
Black bear hunting in Maine is truly an exciting hunt! At Orion Outfitters and Guide Service we see to it that it’s more than simply sitting in a tree stand and hopefully seeing a bear. We look at the entire hunt from arrival to departure as an opportunity to provide a unique quality experience in which our hunters feel like family, learn a bit about the Maine wilderness, and hopefully see some wildlife!
Bear hunting is considered a somewhat safe hunt, but I can assure you that danger is just around the corner, and carelessness can quickly turn to a dangerous situation. Even if things go as planned, bears must be respected, as they are unpredictable, territorial, and well equipped to do what they have to do to stay alive.
This season, 2014, we saw some of the most exciting hunts and time spent in the Western Mountains of Maine. Beginning well before the first evening hunt, we had run-ins with bears on bait, and several times were bluff charged as we attempted to bait our sites. Gunner, my 15 year old son, and up and coming guide, was charged twice in as many days.
As we kicked off week one we found that we had bears on the baits almost every evening as we hiked back in to retrieve our hunters. Usually they just push off and we get out quietly, other times, the bears simply don’t want to leave, and hold their ground. Several times, sows with cubs were confronted. We started off the week with a bow hit high and I determined the bear was simply nicked. (as proven days later with a game camera video of the same bear, no worse for wear.)
We then started taking bears, and almost every time we pulled bears out in the dark, we had to deal with other bears circling us, barking, growling, and popping their teeth as we worked to get out of the woods. We had also had moose to contend with and several bulls and cows made our evening travel on trails interesting!
We went 5 for 6 during the first week, and we were very happy with the strong start! Week two began, and we saw temps rise into the high 80’s, and activity slow somewhat. The bears fed mostly at night while the humidity hung in the air. We shot 3 bears out of six hunters and were still above the state average for bear hunting, so we just kept working hard! I knew things would shift. The week was not without excitement, as several times we had bears under stands just after dark, or on the bait as we approached for a morning hunt.
As we entered the third week of the hunt we were ready for action! The weather shifted quickly into a fall pattern and we found ourselves in the 50’s and 60’s! The first night began with 3 bears being taken, two with rifle, one with a bow. It was a busy night at bear camp, and dinner at 11:30 p.m. was welcome! One hunter had 4-5 bears wrestling under his stand after dark, and often, bears would be nudged off as we entered in the mornings or afternoons.
With all of this activity, we did have several hunters that had yet to have opportunity. This is not uncommon, as bears are again very unpredictable. One hunter, Kalen Hutchings had seen two bears briefly, but did not have shot opportunity. On Thursday, he hunted in the morning, and still nothing. After I retrieved our hunters from their morning hunt, they all sat down to lunch and maybe catch a catnap. I planned to move Kalen back to his original bait site for Thursday evening, one of which we access right from camp called “Tachycardia.”
I hiked into the bait which as about a quarter mile into a swamp, and directly under a ledge, and upon my approach, heard a loud thump on the ground several times. As I neared the bait, I heard the barrel getting slammed around and soon witnessed a large bear on the bait. I set down the bait bucket, turned around quietly, and sprinted back to camp.
As I approached the cabin, I yelled for Kalen, “Grab your gun! Let’s go! Bear on bait!”
Within 1 minute, he and I both started our hike back in to the site, both toting shotguns. The rest of the hunters watched us rush back in from the porch of the cabin, not sure exactly what was going on.
We sprinted the first quarter mile, stopped for a moment to catch our breath, and then started our stalk into the bait. It was quiet…for only a few moments, and then crash! The bear was still on the bait and was aggressively trying to pull the barrel from the tree. We first gained a visual at about 90 yards, but I wanted to get him into a closer position for a clean shot. We stalked into within 45 yards before I felt comfortable. The bear disappeared.
Moments later, the bear appeared directly in front of us on the left side of the bait, stood with it’s front legs up on the barrel, and broadside.
“Shoot!” I said…and Kalen raised his gun, a scoped 12 gauge, and fired! The bear was hit, and soon ran uphill to our left and out of site. For a few seconds the bear disappeared…
In an instant the bear appeared less than 10 yards and in a dead run directly at us! It’s ears pinned back, eyes fixed, and it was running like a rocket! The bear was low to the ground, with a spray of mud flying behind him. “Shoot him!” I said, and he and I both fired in a spray of hasty shots at close range!
As the bear closed to 10 feet, a well-placed shot ended the charge, and the bear dropped in his tracks. He stood briefly, and slumped over…
Kalen and I looked at each other in disbelief that this had actually just happened, and then I quickly thought about what the guys back at camp may be thinking. Neither of us had a phone, and we enjoyed the moment of adrenaline, excitement, and hunter camaraderie.
After tagging the bear, we hiked back to camp to get the game cart, and let the others know what had just happened. We were greeted by an anxious crew of hunters, and the story was replayed several times before returning to remove the bear. Kalen was quickly a legend!
Black bear hunting in Maine is truly an exciting hunt! At Orion Outfitters and Guide Service we see to it that it’s more than simply sitting in a tree stand and hopefully seeing a bear. We look at the entire hunt from arrival to departure as an opportunity to provide a unique quality experience in which our hunters feel like family, learn a bit about the Maine wilderness, and hopefully see some wildlife!
Bear hunting is considered a somewhat safe hunt, but I can assure you that danger is just around the corner, and carelessness can quickly turn to a dangerous situation. Even if things go as planned, bears must be respected, as they are unpredictable, territorial, and well equipped to do what they have to do to stay alive.
This season, 2014, we saw some of the most exciting hunts and time spent in the Western Mountains of Maine. Beginning well before the first evening hunt, we had run-ins with bears on bait, and several times were bluff charged as we attempted to bait our sites. Gunner, my 15 year old son, and up and coming guide, was charged twice in as many days.
As we kicked off week one we found that we had bears on the baits almost every evening as we hiked back in to retrieve our hunters. Usually they just push off and we get out quietly, other times, the bears simply don’t want to leave, and hold their ground. Several times, sows with cubs were confronted. We started off the week with a bow hit high and I determined the bear was simply nicked. (as proven days later with a game camera video of the same bear, no worse for wear.)
We then started taking bears, and almost every time we pulled bears out in the dark, we had to deal with other bears circling us, barking, growling, and popping their teeth as we worked to get out of the woods. We had also had moose to contend with and several bulls and cows made our evening travel on trails interesting!
We went 5 for 6 during the first week, and we were very happy with the strong start! Week two began, and we saw temps rise into the high 80’s, and activity slow somewhat. The bears fed mostly at night while the humidity hung in the air. We shot 3 bears out of six hunters and were still above the state average for bear hunting, so we just kept working hard! I knew things would shift. The week was not without excitement, as several times we had bears under stands just after dark, or on the bait as we approached for a morning hunt.
As we entered the third week of the hunt we were ready for action! The weather shifted quickly into a fall pattern and we found ourselves in the 50’s and 60’s! The first night began with 3 bears being taken, two with rifle, one with a bow. It was a busy night at bear camp, and dinner at 11:30 p.m. was welcome! One hunter had 4-5 bears wrestling under his stand after dark, and often, bears would be nudged off as we entered in the mornings or afternoons.
With all of this activity, we did have several hunters that had yet to have opportunity. This is not uncommon, as bears are again very unpredictable. One hunter, Kalen Hutchings had seen two bears briefly, but did not have shot opportunity. On Thursday, he hunted in the morning, and still nothing. After I retrieved our hunters from their morning hunt, they all sat down to lunch and maybe catch a catnap. I planned to move Kalen back to his original bait site for Thursday evening, one of which we access right from camp called “Tachycardia.”
I hiked into the bait which as about a quarter mile into a swamp, and directly under a ledge, and upon my approach, heard a loud thump on the ground several times. As I neared the bait, I heard the barrel getting slammed around and soon witnessed a large bear on the bait. I set down the bait bucket, turned around quietly, and sprinted back to camp.
As I approached the cabin, I yelled for Kalen, “Grab your gun! Let’s go! Bear on bait!”
Within 1 minute, he and I both started our hike back in to the site, both toting shotguns. The rest of the hunters watched us rush back in from the porch of the cabin, not sure exactly what was going on.
We sprinted the first quarter mile, stopped for a moment to catch our breath, and then started our stalk into the bait. It was quiet…for only a few moments, and then crash! The bear was still on the bait and was aggressively trying to pull the barrel from the tree. We first gained a visual at about 90 yards, but I wanted to get him into a closer position for a clean shot. We stalked into within 45 yards before I felt comfortable. The bear disappeared.
Moments later, the bear appeared directly in front of us on the left side of the bait, stood with it’s front legs up on the barrel, and broadside.
“Shoot!” I said…and Kalen raised his gun, a scoped 12 gauge, and fired! The bear was hit, and soon ran uphill to our left and out of site. For a few seconds the bear disappeared…
In an instant the bear appeared less than 10 yards and in a dead run directly at us! It’s ears pinned back, eyes fixed, and it was running like a rocket! The bear was low to the ground, with a spray of mud flying behind him. “Shoot him!” I said, and he and I both fired in a spray of hasty shots at close range!
As the bear closed to 10 feet, a well-placed shot ended the charge, and the bear dropped in his tracks. He stood briefly, and slumped over…
Kalen and I looked at each other in disbelief that this had actually just happened, and then I quickly thought about what the guys back at camp may be thinking. Neither of us had a phone, and we enjoyed the moment of adrenaline, excitement, and hunter camaraderie.
After tagging the bear, we hiked back to camp to get the game cart, and let the others know what had just happened. We were greeted by an anxious crew of hunters, and the story was replayed several times before returning to remove the bear. Kalen was quickly a legend!
RSS Feed