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Old 01-26-2006, 02:10 PM
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TomFromTheShade
 
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Default RE: Maine Baited Bear Hunt

The best advice that I can give you is to make sure that you mask your scent as well as you can. I have had them so close to me that I could smell them without seeing them, being scent free is essential.

Don't expect to hear your bear come in on a bait. Even enormous bears are almost completely silent. A very large bear night break one twig intentionally on the way in, but most bears will come in like a fog.

Practice sitting still. This seems redundant, but maybe you could try sitting in a tree stand for a few hours every once in a while just observing wild life. You are going to be sitting there doing absolutely nothing for quite some time.

When your bear finally does come in you will need to give him the once over to figure out whether or not you want to take him. These are a few good rules.

If the bear has ears that look small and he looks like he has a very wide forehead he is a good bear. Mature boars will have broad heads with the ears way out on the edges of the skull.

If the bear looks like he has very short legs he is usually a shooter as well. Only big mature bears have that belly dragging on the ground look to them. Younger bears will appear to have longer legs, when in actuality they just have smaller bodies.

If you feel the need to spruce up your bait site (which you shouldn't have to if you have a good guide) then I would recommend molasses. It has a very heavy scent that travels pretty well through the woods.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. I did a ton of research on all of this stuff before my first bear hunt last year, and between reading books and stuff on the net, and talking to some of the guides on my trip, and having a little first hand success I feel like I'm an old hand now lol. By the way, if you kill a bear be prepared to book a trip for next year. It really is an addictive experience.
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