I was going to respond to this several days ago and decided against it. However, as a life long (so far) resident of Maine, I believe Marlin 450 is embellishing a little (lot). Yes, there are 400 pound bears, 500 pound bears, and might be a 600 pounder roaming around. The average, taken over bait, is closer to 125-150 and not everyone, even with reputable outfitters gets a shot at bear, especially after the first week of baiting season. Many of the bigger bears are taken with hounds.

Yes, there are a lot of bear, yes I can go for a ride most every night and see a bear, but let' s be honest, they aren' t a secret and they aren' t huge as implied.