Bear hunting in Maine

[migrabill]

So I will be in Maine hunting bear for the first time ever from September 15-21. I will be with an outfitter called Matagamon Wilderness. It seems like their success rate is pretty good, but the bears look a little small. Anybody ever hunt there before, or anywhere else in The Maine North Woods, and have any advice for me?

Thanx-
Bill

 

[Mekaniks]

I don't have any advice, but I am following along with interest!

 

[Gemsbok45]

If you want big black bears go to Southeast Alaska.NewFoundland looks to have some big ones as well. Mild winters and salmon runs are key!

 

[CADDIE5]

Bear in Maine are small. I'm 5'6" 200#. Stuffed Bear not cub in corner of lodge Maine Northwoods moose lodge looked like my little grade school brother. My moose outfitter offered Bear hunting at $800/day after moose hunt. Ran his dogs so you better be in great shape. Saw bear bait can setup in woods. Hitchin post in wide open to rest your gun on. No cover to hide hunters. Better food and portion at a soup kitchen. Hot dogs,burgers,chili, spaghetti. Expired snacks. Last nite steak was thinner than carne asada. Website said all you can eat-crockpot to feed 6 hunters and guides. Their kids were entitled.We hunted in zone 1 on the Canadian border. Outfitter and wife had new $$$ trucks every year. Our cabin looked like a shed from the 60's. Two inch thick mattress on bunk bed had rodent holes. Hope you have a better experience. Took me 23 yrs to pull a moose tag.

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

Good luck on your hunt!
I'll be on my first bear hunt also starting September 11th in the U.P. of Michigan. It's where I'm originally from so really looking forward to it.

 

[Adipose]

I have hunted with Mattagammon Wilderness a few times. We started hunting there maybe 30 years ago. That is when Don Dudley owned the store, campground and the guiding business. His son is a Game warden and is on the Tv show about Maine Wardens. He still lives there at the Dam, and if you can try to meet him. He has an amazing life story, moved up to the wild of Maine to raise his family, run a trap line and built that business. He is one of the great Whitetail trackers and a great guy to speak to;

They sold the Business to the Christianson's, and they are also great people. I have hunted with them also. The area is vast wilderness and abuts Baxter state park. Lots of cliffs and caves in that area and great winter ground for bears. If I remember correctly, I don't think I spent to many nights if at all without seeing a bear.

An Adult bear in Maine is 200 Lbs. I have been in Camp there and have seen a Bear taken that was 500. I think for most new hunters black bears are hard to judge size, and usually get excited when they see their first bear and end up taking the first one, hence a lot of bears are taken from 125-200 lb range. If you can judge a bear size and hold out, you should be able to harvest a nice Bear 250+. The bigger bears are there, but when there is a good population of bears, you will see many.

If you flyfish, there is some good trout fishing there, and we used to bring Kayaks and do the river run in the morning fishing all the way down to the flatwater pull out spot. Don would open the dam a bit so we had good water going down. The lake is also a nice place to paddle and see moose along the shore.
You will have a very good hunt, I have been in many bear camps in Maine and I can honestly say they do it right.

 

[HankBuck]

So I will be in Maine hunting bear for the first time ever from September 15-21. I will be with an outfitter called Matagamon Wilderness. It seems like their success rate is pretty good, but the bears look a little small. Anybody ever hunt there before, or anywhere else in The Maine North Woods, and have any advice for me?

Thanx-
Bill

@migrabill: if you’ve never hunted Bear before Maine certainly has plenty and you should expect to see some. How are you hunting: over bait? Or behind hounds?
I’ve made 9 different black bear hunts (all were fully Guided) starting in the 1980s and most were in Maine ( a couple in Quebec). All my Maine hunts were in the Northeast or Northwest part of the State. Two were Hound Hunts and the rest over Bait….I enjoyed everyone of them and especially the Hound Hunts because we had action (a chase) everyday. There are some hunts now that might combine Hounds in the mornings and Bait sits afternoons. I preferred baited hunts because you can be selective on what Bear you shoot, provided you can judge “size” which is very difficult. Hunt prices are relatively inexpensive for Bait only and more for Hounds and more still for Bait & Hounds. If you’ve never killed a Bear and will be content with a 150lb. - 175lb bear then Maine is a good place and success likely around 40%+/-. The average bear killed in Maine averages 135lbs live weight and this statistic was published by Maine Fish & Game and I’ve read it several times. Guide “estimated weight” is Never accurate and Always over stated….only a Guide that scales every bear can be believed and most do Not scale their Bears (only 2 guides I used “weighed” their Bears). In the Maine Camps I’ve been in I’ve seen a total of about 50-55 bears taken and only 5-6 scaled over 200 lbs —— but three of those scaled 305, 315, & 356. Interestingly All three of the 300lb.+ Bears I’ve seen weighed were from the same Camp and on consecutive years (2007-08?) when we went on “Spring Hunts” that were conducted exclusively on Indian land (Pasquemody?) where one Outfitter had exclusive hunting access too. I don’t believe Spring Bear hunting is legal in Maine unless it is on Indian reservation land ?? I believe our Outfitter lost that contract after a couple years. The rest of my hunts were Fall hunts and most Bear I saw brought into Camp fell into the standard 130 - 150lb range. They still make an interesting mount and the hunt is always fun. It is exciting to see hounds chase and tree or bay a bear regardless of size - the dogs are the best part of the Hunt. Unfortunately, many Guides “expect” You to shoot the first Bear the dogs tree/or bay and you might not be able to “pass” on a legal bear (in Maine ANY Bear is Legal - unless laws changed?). On Bait - it’s just you and you can “pass” whatever you want. I did not know this “practice” on my first Hound hunt and it led to quite an argument under the tree when my hunting buddy wanted to pass on a very small Treed bear (under 100lbs.) - the Guide threatened to END our hunt if bear wasn’t shot (it was Day 2 of a 6 Day Hunt). Ask questions of your Guide about his “practice”, I think many Guides are reasonable and I just got one that was a jerk. Regarding Bear “size” in Maine - every guide and every area in Maine has the same genetics and same average size bear - Most will be well under 200 lbs. If you want Big Black Bear then Maine is Not the State to go - North Carolina, Vancouver Island, Alaska, even PA and NJ average larger Black bear. But Maine Bear hunts are reasonably priced and Camp usually fun…..I went back to several Maine Bear Camps in Late Fall just to hunt Grouse, Woodcock, and snowshoe hare. Hope you enjoy your hunt - Maine is great, you might see moose, we also had Fisher hit our baits and also Coyote, beautiful State especially in the Fall…..good luck

 

[Hogpatrol]

Hunted back in the '90s near the Allagash river. In five days of hunting only saw one bear and thought what the hell am I going to do with it. Let it chow down on the bait. Funny no one has mentioned the bugs. Where we hunted, they were of biblical plague proportions, no see ums, black flies and mosquitoes. Had to tape the shirt sleeves, pant legs and wear a head net. No food or bug spray allowed in the blinds or tree stands. For me, it was one and done. YMMV.
Forgot to mention, when the guides took us out to the blinds/stands, there were other "hunters" in the vehicle that must have thought they were going in to town to hoist a few. They were loaded up with after shave lotion. I had to do a lot of tongue biting on that trip.

 

[Siennacoyote]

So I will be in Maine hunting bear for the first time ever from September 15-21. I will be with an outfitter called Matagamon Wilderness. It seems like their success rate is pretty good, but the bears look a little small. Anybody ever hunt there before, or anywhere else in The Maine North Woods, and have any advice for me?

Thanx-
Bill

Bears in amine are small . Average 125 pounds . They are raised on bait and most shot will be 2 . I’m heading up next week. Went once before but didn’t see any. Hope to have better luck this time