BigGameHoundsmen.com

For a variety of reasons this season has been one I would just as soon forget .Just hit with too many sad circumstances. Had the oppurtunity to call a couple of guys that we always got together with 2 or 3 times per bear season . Joe and his brother-in-law Simon.For a variety of reasons Simon has thru the years become known as "SIMPLE SIMON" . I know for a fact that they are both dedicated bear houndsman even if they hunt with PLOTTS Joe is as honest as the day is long and if he tells you something you can take it to the bank. Simple Simon ,lets just say enjoys stretching the truth However a grittier guy you will not find . I have twice seen him get between a bayed bear and his hounds and he has the scars to go along with it

So any ways I call them to find out how their bear seasons were going . They both told me about a hunt last week that they were on . Seems they were rigging down a woods road when the hounds blew off. They stopped ,got out ,found some tracks ,and put out 4 hounds.2 of joe's males and 2 of simons males well the chase was on and lasted over a mile. When they got to the tree Simons 2 hounds had a bear treed. About 40 yards away Joe's 2 plotts had another bear treed. Niether were that far up the tree.Neither guy is a big bear killer they really just enjoy the chase.They took some pictures of both bears and were able to determine both were males each the same size and had identical white markings on the chest. Possibly 2 brothers from the same sow
Joe's take on this: In 30 plus years never had that happen. He would have bet $$$ they were twin bears Live weight a little over 200 lbs.
Simple Simons take: In his 30 plus years has seen it happen twice ,Not withstanding a few sows with cubs they have put up with over the years. Simons guess live weight a little over 250 lbs For this area of Maine I would have said that any bear over 180 lbs would be considered a mature adult bear.Simon also went on to conclude that it is a Phychological dis -order ,This coming from a guy called "SIMPLE" His theory being that when they were yearlings the sow was either killed or died and in that case the so called twins " BONDED for life" He also went on to conclude that they were lucky that a mature boar had not killed one or both of them. I have actually seen this with wild boar hogs but never came across this with bears. He also went on to conclude that they both probaly denned up together last winter . He was basing this on the fact that some of his chases ended in holes that he determined were dens and more than sufficiet size to accomodate two adult bears,

I guess anything in life is possible. Has anyone ever had anything like this happen to them? Hard to prove or disprove anyones theory but the more I think about it Simon could be correct. I always went with the thought that once a bear became an adult it always went about doing its own thing. Certainly have never put up 2 adult bears at the same time but I am sorry I missed that particular hunt . I would like to get you guys imput on this theory

THANKS
BOB

Treed a sow and big cub. We decided to let them come down and run them again. Turned 5 dogs loose. By time we rounded them all up we had 3 trees and 5 bear. I thought that was pretty weird .

The possibilities are endless once you turn those dogs loose.
Who is to say what if any relationship those bears had,just cool to see em treed like that

without killing the bears and DNA ing. cutting teeth and so on its anybody's guess. here's somthing that blew me away, years and years ago in the old days we use to sell the galls to some oriental people in New York state , now this was back in the 60's and early 70's , we sent 3 or 4 from Idaho 3 or 4 from Oregon and 3 or 4 from California, the old oriental guy calls and he's kinda pissed off , you told me you guys were from Idaho , I want Idaho galls , don't ever send me anymore of those CA. galls ,, how the hell did he know , we never told him that 3 or 4 were from CA . but he knew and don't ask me how. They looked the same to me.

Guitar Picker : I remember those days. We use to do the same thing till the FEDS busted a few outfitters up in Maine. Never could understand the logic behind it . Just a way to make a few bucks to cover some of the expenses. I guess the feds would rather the crows buzzards and coyotes got them . Something about selling bear parts without a license . Probably because they were NOT getting a piece of the pie or could not tax it.

Bob, I never treed 2 adult bears but this spring I dumped 2 dogs on a good strike, the race happened fast and and the hounds were off to the races. 3 or 4 miles down the road I hiked down a ridge to see if I could see the dogs cross, I should have brought my other 2 dogs to throw in there as the race turned and came right towards me and low and behold here comes a 400 lb boar and a 250 lb sow , they almost ran me over. This mating pair never did tree and stayed together until I pulled the dogs off as darkness set in. In hind sight I should have put my other 2 dogs down that may have provided the neccessary pressure to split them up or tree.

It"s not uncomon to tree 2 or 3 bears out of an acorn patch , but I havehad the dogs tree two grown bears in one tree once and another time treed two grown sows and two cubs in one big fur tree. The sow with the cubs kept running the other grown sow farther up the tree. Wierd deal there . Never could figger that one out.

Year before last treed (2) 200 pound sows within 10 yards of each other. They were in acorns.

Well like i said we have Great populations of bears in northern Maine. but I have never found that SWEET SPOT or High concentration density spot yet swamps ,bogs,fields,beech ridges ,clearcuts .You never know when the hounds are going to blow off . I guess that is one of the reasons I found bear hunting with hounds to be so intrigueing

last year during training season we sent in the hounds on our feeder block and had 5 bears run out of the block. None of them treed. The largest one was run off the club by the older experienced dogs, and they ran it in place we could not access for 36 hours. Talk about a cluster.

few years ago - for about a year , there was a group of 5 bear around here- 2 sows , 2 yearlings and a cub they were seen together many times- ive seen 4 of them in a tree , both sows ,big pine, i couldnt see the cub but he could have been there
my buddy treed all 5 together - a whole herd of bear


a farmer saw them sunning themselves in a maple tree one cold day ,late fall , one sow was killed and suposedly the other was wounded but never found- we let dogs go there the next day and treed an unhurt yearling -



ive seen boar and sow together in a tree a couple times in june/july breeding season,

once had sow in a tree and boar backed rite up to the bottom of the same tree also in june / july

swamp with tall grass --u would have to see it to belive what it looked like --=when i was listening , walking in, i was thinking dog fight , just got a glimpse of bear rushing dogs ,,then he took off , had grass packed down for 100 yards -

- sow stayed, one dog came back and treed or i would have never even looked up the tree -- guess she had enuff of that boar

once i put dogs on a large boar and a sow - tracks were fresh in road in hard rain - they walked that boar most the day - i cant say for sure they stayed together but saw the big one a couple times bayed , i caught 2 of the 3 dogs off it a couple times , couldnt manage to grab all 3
then they got away from me--

found them treed on sow just before dark -

weirdest deal - walking into a tree- - saw a bear in a tree about 200 yards from the dogs ,- looked like average sow -
she was growling , huffing - came down tree and followed me aways towards the other tree-

i was expecting to find a cub -there was a large boar in tree - this was in the fall -

best theory i could come up with is maybe one dog split and treed then pulled to other tree - but no idea why bear would follow me --



one other time i saw bear in a tree when walking to dogs treed- it was quite a distance - beech tree -- maybe bear was just feeding or sunning -as it was late fall -



once in the fall, my buddy got to tree first said was 2 large bear in a beech tree-

one bailed before i got there -

PETE : Certainly some interesting situations you have found yourself in. Just about time you think you have things figured out the bears will throw you a curve ball . I gave up a long time ago trying to second guess them until I get to the tree or see them bayed ,then it is still not a sure thing .I guess that is what feeds our addiction

Yes, We have, sows, cubs, and yearling, sow, boar in summer, but the worst I can share is all summer a fellow hunter had a 150 lb bear running him out. The last day were were on our way home from a good season. Filled all our tags,and our friend called and said, this bear just hit, and I got a tag. I wanted to call it a season, but grandpa, never backed down on a bear. We had good dogs, that got it done. So, we turned loose, they trailed about half a mile and all hell broke loose. baying, squelling, You could hear the dogs getting hit. I got on the radio and said turn what we got left, its a bad deal.
I want sure what was going on, so, an old fellow with me, i sent down the trail, and the bear was coming right to me, a big racket, slow, and my buddy came back running and said I just seen two bear. I thought he was kidding, as I was right with the one the dogs was fighting. Then the dogs got one treed, I worked toward them, then they shut up, what the hell is going on, the bear crawled out. The dogs was scattered, and fighing all around me, stand the hair on your head. The long and short, it was three bear, one dogs killed, three went to the vet, and I stapled four other dogs, everyone was raked from the back. When they bayed the bear in front of them, the other two bear, were ambushing them from the back.My one and only experience, and I hope never have another.

I had four hounds put a 300 plus class boar in the tree and he had a 200 pound mature sow above him in th esame tree. The only thing I could figure was that boar was breeding the sow and wouldn't leave here. He did come down though and took all four hounds down the canyon a couple miles leaving me satnding under that damn sow, so I went to the next tree only to have him pop out as I approached and take those dogs right back to the sow past the first tree..........I was glad to finally get a leash on those dogs.

ike