If It's September, It Must Be Bear Season!
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It's huntin' season! Our season's first bear hunters arrived on August 30...Bob Watkins (MA), Steve Mudgett (MA), George Skolfield (my dad - Great Island, ME), David Labbe (Brunswick, ME), and Duane Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME). Mom and Aunt Teri joined their husbands for this hunt and took advantage of the opportunity for their own mini-vacation. Uncle David provided dozens of lobsters, Steve brought dozens of ears of corn (and a BOX full of tomatoes from their family farm stand) and mom baked a delicious blueberry cake to add to our lobster feed - we ate until we could eat no more! Then we settled in for "orientation" - Wayne and I provide instruction and back ground information to our hunters so they will be well prepared for their hunt - we talk about what we've done and what the hunters can do to increase their chance for success.
Opening day dawned overcast and windy. Not perfect bear hunting conditions. The guys practiced their archery and firearms shots - Bob was dead-on with his stick bow, and Steve too with his compound. The others brought "big guns" and checked their sights. No excuses for missed bears! Wayne and I sharpened our knives, checked and rechecked our gear - we will be prepared for whatever the evening hunt brings. Out of camp by 2:30 while mom and Teri to Madawaska Marden's for a hunt of their own - a bargain hunt! Dropped guys off and finished bait run. The long wait began at 4:15 when Wayne pulled in for a visit before driving back to his guys for his own wait... A shot rang out at 4:30! Only an hour in to the hunt and already a shot! It could be David, or Duane, we waited for the radio call...it was David. He shot at a "nice bear". Wayne and I grabbed our fanny packs and went in to pick up his bear, or track it. No blood at the site but a good bullet hole in a root beyond the bucket. It was likely a clean miss but we checked for blood and found nothing. David was disappointed he'd missed (this was from the guy who originally wanted to only sit and hopefully SEE a bear - we had to convince him he might as well buy a bear tag and shoot a bear if the opportunity presented itself). David assured us it was a "nice" bear. We took the memory card from the camera on his site. Later, back at the lodge we can look at the chain of events captured by the camera... We sent David back up in the tree stand to finish that evening's hunt. Wayne headed back to sit near Steve and Bob, I waited until 7:30 then "rolled along" to pick up Dad, then Duane and David (who were watching moose in a clear cut). We all met back at the lodge; Steve had a nice bear come in but couldn't get a good bow shot so passed it up. We checked the camera memory chip... yup, a bear had come in - we had two pictures of it, a yearling, then more pictures of us as we searched around the bait site. Since there are definitely bigger bears coming to that site it is just as well David missed!
The hunt continued during this full moon week, which typically causes the bears to feed later in the evening, since it never is truly dark (sun sets as moon rises). We tried a morning hunt after trail cameras showed a bear on Steve's site at 9:24 a.m. on the 1st! Temps unseasonably warm, in the upper 70s; we're in a full sweat by the time we finish dropping off hunters and baiting sites. Guys were seeing lots of moose as they walked out of their sites, or at their sites - Steve had a very large bull come in one evening. "The Big 'Un" (bear) showed up at Bob's site at 6 p.m. on the 2nd. Bob "Smoke Stick" Watkins was experimenting with his raspberry smoke sticks and while the 350+ lb. boar came right in to the site he never presented a long bow shot for Bob even after 10 minutes of cruising the site, but Bob was very excited to have seen this bear! David had to leave on the 2nd, he has lobster traps to haul.
As the week wears down things get serious. Bob's smoke sticks seem to be working but he only has enough for himself and Steve, so Duane and I improvise by making pots for a honey burn. We'll try that tonight on Dad and Duane's sites... "Big 'Un" came back! He arrived at the site at 6:30 and Bob took a shot. The bear was not 15 yds. from his stand. Bob drew on the bear but was unable to make full-draw with his long bow and did his best to line up the shot - WHAP! The arrow struck the bear! The bear ran off and after looking in vain for blood, all Wayne was able to find was the broken arrow. It appears the arrow struck the bear squarely in the shoulder blade. Bob was crushed! He is an amazing archer and was so disappointed that he was unable to make a good shot. Steve had another bear come to his site but no archery shot presented. Duane and Dad saw no bear. BUT, they both loved the experience and can hardly wait to try again next year! After dinner we watched Bob's custom long bow promotional video, the one where he makes all kinds of trick shots, including shooting disks and clay targets out of the air! We sent Bob and Steve home with pictures of the bears they'd seen that were captured by our trail cameras during baiting season.
Bill and Kathy Bernier arrived in the middle of all this bear hunting stuff for their two-week vacation, and to do some fishing.
Our seond week bear hunters cancelled - this slow economy is killing all of us. Their business was down so they couldn't afford a hunt, others had lost jobs. It "trickles down" and affects us too. So, when Joel Guimond of Track Down Kennels and Lodge (Wallagrass, ME) called looking for a guide, I jumped at the opportunity to work for this legend of a bear guide! I worked with apprentice Paul Gagnon to guide Roger, Ken, Matt, Justin, and Lucas on an "ATV hunt." We would all use ATVs to commute to the sites. I don't know, but I think the guys enjoyed the ATV riding almost as much as the bear hunt! By week's end, all had seen bear. One had killed a pretty "V" necked bear, another had a similar experience with a bow to Bob's...arrowed the shoulder; some passed up smaller bears while others had large bears show up just after "legal". Often, as our hunters were out, Paul and I would wait at 1st Lake Wallagrass until it was time to pick up our hunters. We'd listen to the geese, watch the trout rise, and enjoy the sight of the changing foliage. We'd build a little fire just to pass the time and keep the bugs at bay until temps cooled with the setting sun and it was time to collect our hunters.
I was so impressed with Joel's operation, his guides, and the entire experience. Their facility is first-class, wife Rena runs a tight ship in the kitchen - the food plentiful and delicious. Guides keep busy every morning skinning bears, filling bait buckets, doing chores around the facility, repairing or washing vehicles, and getting ready for the day's hunt. After the hunt they gut bears, have some dinner, and if there's time, sit around the camp fire with their clients to swap tall tales! I hope I have another chance to work for Joel in the future - it was a real treat!
On the night of the 10th, after returning from Joel's, I found Wayne at our game pole with a beautiful 250 lb. boar with a perfect white "V". He was so excited to have killed such a pretty bear and put some nice meat in the freezer for winter. Kathy and Bill, and Grant were there to celebrate with him. Now we can look forward to bear stew and roasts!
Did I mention we had more truck troubles (along with the broken CV joint)? Yup, transmission went in the green truck, got it back, then the gas tank leaked so we had to get a new one. The gray truck also had its share of repairs. With the help of Bill Bernier (who loaned Wayne his truck the night Wayne shot the bear) and neighbor Mike Michaud (who loaned Wayne his truck the night the Greouxs shot their bears) we were able to keep our transportation schedules!
Dan Daigle delivered 6 cords of wood on the 13th. With help from Grant and Jim Jandreau we'll have it put up "early" this year (earlier than December I'm sure!)
We had two "characters" stop by for a visit on the 16th - Herve Pelletier (Topsham, ME) and his son Alvey (Norway, ME). They were camping and fishing at St. Froid Lake and wanted to find us - Herve used to work with my grandpa! It was like meeting long-lost cousins! Herve was charming and the two of them kept Wayne and I in stitches for hours! Kathy and Bill had us down for dinner that night.
We made bear stew on the 17th and shared with Kathy and Bill. Jerry and Sandy arrived for the weekend and surprised us with lobsters and some of Sandy's canned goods - yum! Wayne and I snuck away for an afternoon of ATV riding on the 20th. We rode through Dickwood trails to Carter Brook trails, and on to Herman Guimond's camp to look at the amazing view of Spaulding Pond. Larry and Joel Guimond arrived too, for the same view and while we each had snuck away for some quiet, we ended up reflecting on our love of the St. John Valley, the beauty of the vast views. Wayne and I expressed our gratefulness to the Guimond family and their generosity in sharing so much of their land with others. On the way home we stopped at Wallagrass Stream and built a fire and roasted hot dogs for dinner as the sun was setting. We got home just in time to greet Kevin and Jason Geroux (Old Town, ME). Kevin won a 1/2 week hunt we'd donated to the Penobscot Youth Conservation Association. They're up for their hunt. Kevin is quite a sportsman and shared many stories of his caribou hunts and fishing trips in Labrador and Newfoundland. Skye Sutherland (NY) is a business woman and artist who came to visit family and also "get away from it all". She was intrigued by the bear hunt. Kev and Jason's hunt started on the 21st. I stayed home to make dinner and visit with Skye and her labrador retriever, Zack. At 8 p.m., in typical fashion, Wayne's truck rolled in for dinner. But instead of parking the truck, they backed to the game pole...they had two bears! Kev shot a yearling but Jason got a nice 200 lb.+ boar, with a white "V"! We celebrated their successful hunt until Monday turned to Tuesday. Eldon Jandreau (Portage, ME) will do their taxidermy work.
We've had a couple of frosts up in the hills, but here on the lake we received our first hard frost on the 26th. It looked like a dusting of snow! Wayne and I got up early to scout moose - we saw two bulls, three cows and a calf along with a bunch of grouse. Moose season should be good! As September winds to a close, we turn another page...bear season is behind us - moose is yet to come...
Opening day dawned overcast and windy. Not perfect bear hunting conditions. The guys practiced their archery and firearms shots - Bob was dead-on with his stick bow, and Steve too with his compound. The others brought "big guns" and checked their sights. No excuses for missed bears! Wayne and I sharpened our knives, checked and rechecked our gear - we will be prepared for whatever the evening hunt brings. Out of camp by 2:30 while mom and Teri to Madawaska Marden's for a hunt of their own - a bargain hunt! Dropped guys off and finished bait run. The long wait began at 4:15 when Wayne pulled in for a visit before driving back to his guys for his own wait... A shot rang out at 4:30! Only an hour in to the hunt and already a shot! It could be David, or Duane, we waited for the radio call...it was David. He shot at a "nice bear". Wayne and I grabbed our fanny packs and went in to pick up his bear, or track it. No blood at the site but a good bullet hole in a root beyond the bucket. It was likely a clean miss but we checked for blood and found nothing. David was disappointed he'd missed (this was from the guy who originally wanted to only sit and hopefully SEE a bear - we had to convince him he might as well buy a bear tag and shoot a bear if the opportunity presented itself). David assured us it was a "nice" bear. We took the memory card from the camera on his site. Later, back at the lodge we can look at the chain of events captured by the camera... We sent David back up in the tree stand to finish that evening's hunt. Wayne headed back to sit near Steve and Bob, I waited until 7:30 then "rolled along" to pick up Dad, then Duane and David (who were watching moose in a clear cut). We all met back at the lodge; Steve had a nice bear come in but couldn't get a good bow shot so passed it up. We checked the camera memory chip... yup, a bear had come in - we had two pictures of it, a yearling, then more pictures of us as we searched around the bait site. Since there are definitely bigger bears coming to that site it is just as well David missed!
The hunt continued during this full moon week, which typically causes the bears to feed later in the evening, since it never is truly dark (sun sets as moon rises). We tried a morning hunt after trail cameras showed a bear on Steve's site at 9:24 a.m. on the 1st! Temps unseasonably warm, in the upper 70s; we're in a full sweat by the time we finish dropping off hunters and baiting sites. Guys were seeing lots of moose as they walked out of their sites, or at their sites - Steve had a very large bull come in one evening. "The Big 'Un" (bear) showed up at Bob's site at 6 p.m. on the 2nd. Bob "Smoke Stick" Watkins was experimenting with his raspberry smoke sticks and while the 350+ lb. boar came right in to the site he never presented a long bow shot for Bob even after 10 minutes of cruising the site, but Bob was very excited to have seen this bear! David had to leave on the 2nd, he has lobster traps to haul.
As the week wears down things get serious. Bob's smoke sticks seem to be working but he only has enough for himself and Steve, so Duane and I improvise by making pots for a honey burn. We'll try that tonight on Dad and Duane's sites... "Big 'Un" came back! He arrived at the site at 6:30 and Bob took a shot. The bear was not 15 yds. from his stand. Bob drew on the bear but was unable to make full-draw with his long bow and did his best to line up the shot - WHAP! The arrow struck the bear! The bear ran off and after looking in vain for blood, all Wayne was able to find was the broken arrow. It appears the arrow struck the bear squarely in the shoulder blade. Bob was crushed! He is an amazing archer and was so disappointed that he was unable to make a good shot. Steve had another bear come to his site but no archery shot presented. Duane and Dad saw no bear. BUT, they both loved the experience and can hardly wait to try again next year! After dinner we watched Bob's custom long bow promotional video, the one where he makes all kinds of trick shots, including shooting disks and clay targets out of the air! We sent Bob and Steve home with pictures of the bears they'd seen that were captured by our trail cameras during baiting season.
Bill and Kathy Bernier arrived in the middle of all this bear hunting stuff for their two-week vacation, and to do some fishing.
Our seond week bear hunters cancelled - this slow economy is killing all of us. Their business was down so they couldn't afford a hunt, others had lost jobs. It "trickles down" and affects us too. So, when Joel Guimond of Track Down Kennels and Lodge (Wallagrass, ME) called looking for a guide, I jumped at the opportunity to work for this legend of a bear guide! I worked with apprentice Paul Gagnon to guide Roger, Ken, Matt, Justin, and Lucas on an "ATV hunt." We would all use ATVs to commute to the sites. I don't know, but I think the guys enjoyed the ATV riding almost as much as the bear hunt! By week's end, all had seen bear. One had killed a pretty "V" necked bear, another had a similar experience with a bow to Bob's...arrowed the shoulder; some passed up smaller bears while others had large bears show up just after "legal". Often, as our hunters were out, Paul and I would wait at 1st Lake Wallagrass until it was time to pick up our hunters. We'd listen to the geese, watch the trout rise, and enjoy the sight of the changing foliage. We'd build a little fire just to pass the time and keep the bugs at bay until temps cooled with the setting sun and it was time to collect our hunters.
I was so impressed with Joel's operation, his guides, and the entire experience. Their facility is first-class, wife Rena runs a tight ship in the kitchen - the food plentiful and delicious. Guides keep busy every morning skinning bears, filling bait buckets, doing chores around the facility, repairing or washing vehicles, and getting ready for the day's hunt. After the hunt they gut bears, have some dinner, and if there's time, sit around the camp fire with their clients to swap tall tales! I hope I have another chance to work for Joel in the future - it was a real treat!
On the night of the 10th, after returning from Joel's, I found Wayne at our game pole with a beautiful 250 lb. boar with a perfect white "V". He was so excited to have killed such a pretty bear and put some nice meat in the freezer for winter. Kathy and Bill, and Grant were there to celebrate with him. Now we can look forward to bear stew and roasts!
Did I mention we had more truck troubles (along with the broken CV joint)? Yup, transmission went in the green truck, got it back, then the gas tank leaked so we had to get a new one. The gray truck also had its share of repairs. With the help of Bill Bernier (who loaned Wayne his truck the night Wayne shot the bear) and neighbor Mike Michaud (who loaned Wayne his truck the night the Greouxs shot their bears) we were able to keep our transportation schedules!
Dan Daigle delivered 6 cords of wood on the 13th. With help from Grant and Jim Jandreau we'll have it put up "early" this year (earlier than December I'm sure!)
We had two "characters" stop by for a visit on the 16th - Herve Pelletier (Topsham, ME) and his son Alvey (Norway, ME). They were camping and fishing at St. Froid Lake and wanted to find us - Herve used to work with my grandpa! It was like meeting long-lost cousins! Herve was charming and the two of them kept Wayne and I in stitches for hours! Kathy and Bill had us down for dinner that night.
We made bear stew on the 17th and shared with Kathy and Bill. Jerry and Sandy arrived for the weekend and surprised us with lobsters and some of Sandy's canned goods - yum! Wayne and I snuck away for an afternoon of ATV riding on the 20th. We rode through Dickwood trails to Carter Brook trails, and on to Herman Guimond's camp to look at the amazing view of Spaulding Pond. Larry and Joel Guimond arrived too, for the same view and while we each had snuck away for some quiet, we ended up reflecting on our love of the St. John Valley, the beauty of the vast views. Wayne and I expressed our gratefulness to the Guimond family and their generosity in sharing so much of their land with others. On the way home we stopped at Wallagrass Stream and built a fire and roasted hot dogs for dinner as the sun was setting. We got home just in time to greet Kevin and Jason Geroux (Old Town, ME). Kevin won a 1/2 week hunt we'd donated to the Penobscot Youth Conservation Association. They're up for their hunt. Kevin is quite a sportsman and shared many stories of his caribou hunts and fishing trips in Labrador and Newfoundland. Skye Sutherland (NY) is a business woman and artist who came to visit family and also "get away from it all". She was intrigued by the bear hunt. Kev and Jason's hunt started on the 21st. I stayed home to make dinner and visit with Skye and her labrador retriever, Zack. At 8 p.m., in typical fashion, Wayne's truck rolled in for dinner. But instead of parking the truck, they backed to the game pole...they had two bears! Kev shot a yearling but Jason got a nice 200 lb.+ boar, with a white "V"! We celebrated their successful hunt until Monday turned to Tuesday. Eldon Jandreau (Portage, ME) will do their taxidermy work.
We've had a couple of frosts up in the hills, but here on the lake we received our first hard frost on the 26th. It looked like a dusting of snow! Wayne and I got up early to scout moose - we saw two bulls, three cows and a calf along with a bunch of grouse. Moose season should be good! As September winds to a close, we turn another page...bear season is behind us - moose is yet to come...
Labels: September 2009
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