Anybody in Maine putting up good numbers or size bears

[J.R.]

we got lucky yesturday dumped on the bait in the rain nothing really sounded good but they worked on it and got one going they had it bayed up on top of a mountain for 3 hours, as we was getting a few dogs that didnt make the run. so we walked a mile in and just as we got to them the bear broke and it left the country in a hurry as the crow flys they was 6.3 miles away from where they had it bayed up to the kill spot. we had to walk in and cut the bear off and shot it 30 feet away from us on the run dogs only 50 yards behind it.dogs was warn out bad started on the bait around 8ish 3rd bait we checked before we found a hit one. killed bear at 3:45pm long day for dogs so we gave them today off they earned it. didnt wieght it since it was rainin so bad but im saying around 180 orso

[lifreediver]

i dont know since 2007 with dogs it has been gettin worst to find a bear or have them come into a bait between the bait guys shootin a lot of bears the first two weeks and it bein warm and plenty of food in thee woods this year it was prettyy bad supposed to be less hunters with economy so were are the bears seems like not movin in small pockets of natural food i dont think the hunting in maine could get any worst than this year depressin great now they can trapp then before we get a shot at them pittiful and take two idk

[Treesadie]

100 to 200 bait sites? For 1 outfitter? Christ, thats just ridiculous. Those baits must be on top of each other or someone elses. No wonder the paper companies are cutting back 10% on bait sites next year. Glad I bait on private land.
On another note, 11 outta 12 is damn good in my book. You are right kordog, one bear is aplenty. Its all about the greenbacks to the state, although I don't think many bear are trapped in maine compared to sitting and doggin.

[bob baldwin jr]

100-200 sites I would NOT want that BILL or the labor that goes into it . You Registered Maine guides do have my RESPECT but that is something I just am Not interested in .If it makes sense from a business perspective more power to you .I have taken the guides courses and certainly have gained knowledge but prefer to leave it at that . Perhaps I am just NOT good enough dealing with customers .

As far as the STATE making money there has to be a fine BALANCE somewhere.I suppose we can always find something to BITCH about .

[J.R.]

most outfitters do have 100 or more and dont need or use that many bait sites but thats just cause they r greedy and dont want others to have them pure greed
all u ever hear is my bears my area my my my
i always wanted to become a guide just to help pay for my hobby but im scared i will get the guide way of thinkin runnin threw my head and i dont want to be known for that way of thinking
u alway hear thats how i make my living blah blah blah
i own my own dump truck and make my living with it but sell gravel to others and others sell to me its never the same way of thinkin in this business just in guides/outfitters

[LDB]

I have never been to Maine but it is on my list of places I would like to hunt. We bait out west here but I have never heard of anyone having 100+ baits. That sounds like an insane amount to me. I am a licensed guide in 3 states but I can understand why the public gets upset about what the guides are doing if they are running that many baits. How is a local guy supposed to put out a few baits to hunt off without conflicting with the guide? Out here individuals are limited to 3 sites each, outfitters limit is determined by fish & game and forest service, one outfitter I worked for had a 90,000 acre area and I think he was allowed about 10, though we never needed that many.

I guess we are lucky out here in the fact that we have elk to keep the majority of the hunting public busy in the fall, leaves most of the bears for the houndsmen, although there are getting to be more bait sitters here, there is just more people around here than there used to be period. I have no Idea if you guys have enough bear to support 2 per hunter but I do know that it sucks when managers start letting revenue factor into decisions about management. It happens here too, doesn't make it right. But if they can sell twice as many tags everyone that works for DNR can get a new truck and a pay raise.

[J.R.]

LDB it is a act of congress to get a bait site on paper company land around it does make alot of people mad.but if u do get one and intend to run hounds on it perpare for a battle with the outfitter up or down the road i am not saying all outfitters are like that but 99% of them are. they are still a few good ones that will even let you go run your hounds of a few of there baits when they r done bait huntin but not many would even think of lettin u.
cause after all it is there bear not the state of maines
I have started bait on land the state owns they hold a lottery and u can atleast have a chance to get a few baits here and there and i would love to see paper companys do the same, every 3 years they hold a lottery and change things up a bit
and LDB when ever u get over here look me up u can hunt with us anytime for free hounds or over bait

[bob baldwin jr]

JR : A lottery every 3 years would NOT sit well with the Outfitters . Some have had their sites for 40+ years and AIN't about to give them up with-out a big fight . Every year I get more frustrated with the goings on in Maine .Lately been doing more trips to the Canadian Provinces .Less BULLSHIT to put up with . The State of Maine for various reasons over the past few years has seen a big decrease in their income revenue . Wonder WHY I suppose this trend will keep continuing . Not about to MOVE out of state yet ,but there are certainly other places to move to .

[J.R.]

atleast it would give a chance for others who might want to start a outfitter service to get a chance to do it
the rules they have now dont give much of a chance for young guys to do what they love

[Treesadie]

You are right on J.R. A new guy cant buy any site now off the paper company. They are cutting back next year 10% as the baits are getting too many and too close to each other. Makes it impossible to have a few baits to run off of unless you talk to private land owners. Even then one may be set up beside an outfitter on paper land. I bought a state permit this year but didnt use it do it being way out of the way and I found out an outfitter had baits all around it on paper land. Just can't win I guess. Guess I will have to buy myself a nice rig dog next year to add to the pack and just drive around all the roads where the outfitters bait and get on those bears that cross the roads from bait to bait. Maybe be less work and no cost of bait. Hmmmmmmm.

[LDB]

Thanks J.R. that is very generous, if I ever do make it that far I will certainly hunt with the dogs. I probably wouldn't want to shoot a bear anyway unless we got on a real snake, just like to hunt my dogs, travel and meet other houndsmen and see their dogs. If you want to PM your # to me I will call you sometime and we can BS bear hunting and so on. If you ever want to do some western hunting get a hold of me and I will try to give you advice or whatever you need. Might even be able to take you out but can't promise anything on that end since I am usually really busy during hunting season.

Sounds like your DNR could put a stop to a lot of the problem with the conflicts over baiting by putting some reasonable limits on the number stations each individual can have. I bet if there were less baits out there would be more bear coming to each station(good for the clients of the guides, more bear coming to the bait you are watching means better chance that one of them is going to show up). I am surprised that bait sitting is very successful at all with that many baits in the woods, why would a bear come in if something seemed suspicious, wouldn't they just skirt the bait and then walk to the next one. I know where we hunted in WI this summer it is not unusual to trail through several bait stations before jumping the bear. Thanks again for the offer.

[bob baldwin jr]

JR : That in itself is the $64,000.00 Question . I would venture to guess that in the state of Maine 95 % of all Registered Maine Guides do NOT solely survive on their Guiding incomes alone . You either supplement it with something else or you already sitting on big $$$ . The few guys that take in say 40 bear hunters per week can make ends meet if their expenses are NOT too high . But really how many guys are in that position 5 or 6

If one really wanted to get into Big game Guiding There are a lot other places I would suggest Idaho and Montana come to mind .along with BC and Alberta . I have hunted all these places and have had guides from Iowa , Texas , Nebraska , Quebec ,Australian and even Germany .

The business end of the guiding business is full of Failures SAD to say but True .If you are NOT properly funded you go NOWHERE.

Even the Ranchers in Idaho and Montana that we have hunted with do so as a SIDELINE and NOT their sole source of income just for the love of the sport .Hell even a lot of Canadian Outfitters supplement the $$$ by working the oilfields or driving Semi's part time .

[laneysplott]

Bob, you are right on the money, there are only a few that only guide for a living with no other form of employment, and those are the guys who have big numbers of sites, Those are the guys who have worked there ass of for 30 years to build the buisness, who have worked there ass of and spent thousands of dollars and countless hours to protect bear hunting in Maine, and who gave everything they had for the bear refferendum in 2004, It makes my blood boil when guys bash outfitters for doing good, hound guys are more jelous than any other group, just remember boys if it was not for the big outfitters you would not be bear hunting because the HSUS would have banned it in 2004, some of you should think before you speak.

[J.R.]

i understand what they have done for bear hunting, and i do thank them for it.
My next door neighbor is wayne bosowicz and i talk with him a fair amount about bear hunting and hear what the guides have done to protect this sport even in the off years against the antis and give them a big thank you for it
but at the same time guides who do not use hounds or trappin as a part of there bear hunting will be the first to throw hounds under the bus to keep their bait hunting legal.
and i do agree hound hunters are the most jealous type of hunters out there we have been dealing with it all season cause our dogs have been doing really well this year we have been hearin all kinds of stupid things we have been doing to our baits so we can get the #s and size of bear we have its a never ending battle
there is good and bad in all, cudos to the good piss on the bad

[bob baldwin jr]

JR: To the general Public ,sometimes we as Bear Houndsman can be our own worse enemies
There are a few guides that offer both Bait and Hound deals with their own hounds .Then there are a few that CONTRACT out their Hound Packages to Non Residents . I have mixed thoughts on that topic .Other than one Maine Outfitter that thinks he is God's gift to hunting N. C. the only run in I ever had with someone was these Contract Houndsman .I still believe there is plenty of room for those that want to Bait , Pursue with Hounds , Trap for Bears or Bobbers .