First bear of 2009 with hounds

[Borderpond]

Nice going Spruce Mtn !! I spoke with Mike Carver from Sunrise Guide Service in Bingham tonight. He said they are 8 for 8 with hound hunters so far !!! Looks like you Maine guys are stacking them up pretty good !!!

[hellcat]

Scott
Sounded like a nice hunt !! Glad to hear that Bonnie is starting to show her tree dog ability.

[spruce mountain]

Borderpond,I'm glad to hear that Mike is doing well.We hunt near each other,I think I heard them on the radio last week.He usually has some guys from west Virgina running dogs for him I think.
Jess,It was a nice hunt.I'm going to have a break with no hunters in a couple weeks so when I can mess around I'm going to try to get some video of her treeing for you guys.

[Borderpond]

I've run up that way with Mike Spruce Mtn. Treed quite a few bears and killed a real big one there a few years ago.Lots of bears but it is rough terrain, least in my book. Cant think of how many times we walked up some real steep mountains to a tree just in time to hear the bear bail !!! Back down to the truck and then up another mountain.Yup, played that game a bit !!

[spruce mountain]

Borderpond,Yeah that sounds real familiar it happens alot up here the only place that I hunt that is even worst is the MT Abram Sugarloaf area over closer to were I Live.

[Borderpond]

Worst place I have ever hunted in Maine was in the Kokadjo area. I was guiding some folks out of my buddys Northern Pride Lodge . We got on a bear that took us right up Spencer Mtn. what a nightmare.Dogs had it caught in some ledges.It was so steep that there was no way to get to them without mtn climbing ropes and stuff. Waited all night and into the next morning for the dogs to quit and come out.

Best place I have ever ran in Maine was the Grand Lake Stream area. Pretty flat country with an awesome road network.

[spruce mountain]

I hunted down east a season and there is a nice road system and nice flat terrain but I missed the ridges and mountains,I guess its just what your used to.

[spruce mountain]

I took a family day today and took my 11 year old twins,Hunter and Hayden and my wife Joy hunting yesterday.We got on a fairly fresh track.I started with Gunner and turned in Wille,Ally and Duke.The dogs had had a few days off so they were ready to crank.I guess Duke was feeling espescially good because he soon took the lead and nobody could catch him.This is usauly his farther Gunners role but today it was Dukes turn to show his stuff.In a little over an hour they had it treed.The closest we could get to them was a little under a mile.I was thinking on the way into the tree that this was going to be a long drag out of there with the crew that I had today.We arived at the dogs and they had it treed in a small white maple tree.I got the dogs tied back and got Hunter ready for the shot.He was pretty excited and rushed the shot and ended up just grazing the bear.No fear, dad was there to back him up,Yeah Right.I fired 5 times with my 44 mag pistol and I didn't fare any better than he did.So the race was back on,Hunter was feeling pretty bad becuase he thought that he had blown his chance.I told him that I thought that the dogs would catch him again and Hayden was giving him some encouraging words also.By the time we got to the truck we could see on the GPS that they were treed again.I told hunter that he was going to get a chance to redeem himself and we got the smile back.This time they also had it treed in a white maple tree and Hunter got ready and made his shot count.The dogs did an awsome job and so did the boys.I was especially proud of Hayden for being such a good sport, even though it wasn't his turn to shoot.He was as happy for Hunter as we were.This tree was only about 40 feet off the road,I told them that sometimes things happen for a reason.Everyone agreed that it was a great day.

[spruce mountain]

The first thing that the boys wanted was to have there picture taken together.

The boys with there trophy

Me Joy and Hunter with his bear.

The boys wanted to help drag

The dogs Gunner,Ally,Wille and Duke.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

A great day to remember, Spruce mtn. Congrats to the boys.

[spruce mountain]

Thanks Hillbilly,It was a great day that I will never forget.

[Eric Muff]

Congratulations!
Nice pictures too,those are days you will always remember.

[Borderpond]

Nice going !! Great pics too. Bet they will be talking about it all week at school wont they ?? LOL

[spruce mountain]

Thanks Eric,Yeah Borderpond,they already have the pictures picked out that they want to take to school.LOL

[spruce mountain]

The bears seem to be disapearing fast.The baits are realy slowing down.The lack of natural food is causing them to den early.I'm afraid it is going to be a short season this year.We were able to get another one today.The dogs cold trailed for an hour or better before they jumped it.I started with Gunner,Duke and Willie,Gunner and Duke got out ahead on the jump and Willie fell behind.They ran for about an hour and they put the bear across the road,about 150 yd's ahead of us with no shot.We raced down to where they crossed to turn in Bonnie and Clyde.While we were getting them out to turn in,the bear poped back out of the bog and back across the road about 50 yd's ahead of us.We ran down to put Bonnie and Clyde right on the track.Gunner came out of the bog and ran in behind them. Duke Got messed up in the bog for a few minutes so I grabbed him up.The other three made a loop up onto the mountain and headed right back to where they had just crossed.This time we were waiting for them and the hunter droped him right in the road.

The hunter and his bear.

Gunner,Duke,Bonnie and Clyde.