I love black bear hutning and would like to make it part of my life. What i would like to know is how do you get to work with a guide during bear season in maine or Canada if you don't know any guides personally? Would it be a waste of time to call and ask guides if they need help? I want to try and do this in the worst way but just not sure how to go about it? Any help is appreciated.

hey,
im kind of in the same boat as you are. I am currently a Senior in High School and i would love to become a guide. I originally wanted to become a Elementry teacher, but lately all i can think about is hunting. and my mom and all of my friends and everyone that is close to me and also my self is like what the heck lets go for it. So i am planning on going to The COAGS(Colorado Outdoor Adventure Guide School) I figure that if i dont like it that at the very least i will become a better hunter, but i really hope that this will work out for me and turn me into a profesional guide. and if i dont happen to like it or it isnt what i was expecting than i am only out of a summer and thats it. but hey its worth a shot you might as well call up some guides ya know, maybe do like an inturnship there with with them and maybe even land a job.

Hey guys,

I have looked into COAGS at times as well. They sent me an email recently to inform the registrants that a program about their school was airing on OLN or ESPN, don't recall which. They also had an article in the June or July Issue of Rocky Mtn Game & Fish.

COAGS can broaden your expertise and increase your readiness for guiding out west. But it is only fair to mention that there is a lot you can do on your own in this regard. Can you cook? Get along well with many different kinds of ppl? Are you a horseman? Knowledgable about the flora and fauna of the area you'll be hunting/guiding? Things to think about.

I don't know if you have access to your own land, or even WMAs within reasonable range, but if so, a good way to get experience is to guide ppl (esp. your friends) on hunts. Some guides offer apprenticeships with chance for employment upon completion of the internship.

Best of luck!

Kimberly
-------------------
Field Staff Writer, WomenHunters

Hi all
Tunatales, I am a Maine guide and I specialize in bear, moose, and turkey. As huntress said there is a lot more to being a guide than the hunt. I take local youngsters to my camps with me and teach them the ways. The ones that come up the most are from non hunting families. Learn all you can about indoor and outdoor cooking. You have to become an expert with map and compass, be extremely proficiant in wilderness first aid and learn all you can about the animals in the area you will be guiding both target and non target species. If you plan on working in camps get a working knowledge with carpentry and light maintainance because when you have sports in and something breaks they expect you to fix it. Learn field dressing your target animals and skinning. If you have a taxidermist in your area see if they will let you watch skinning for different types of mounts, caping ect. Books, books, and books. Well enough rambling. If I can help you out at all e-mail me or better still visit my website, swaybackcamps.com.

Go to a guide school, then find a job. My elk guide this year guides as much as possible and is booked from August through April between elk, deer, cat, turkey and ducks. then he gets a job from April to August.

One thing, if you like hunting, you won't hunt anymore. You need to get your excitement and joy from helping others.

--Bob

Try Maineguides.com lots of names and locations and contacts..