It is official. Guide service cashed deposit check and mailed information paperwork to me for my fall 2013 black bear trip in upper Maine.
I will carry my 41mag loaded with either 265gr LBT or 265gr Cast Performance. The 44mag will be a back-up. It will be loaded with either 300 gr WFN LBT or 300gr Cast Performance.
This will be my first guided hunt and first bear hunt. I have a lot of work to do to learn what I good bear looks like.
Any suggestions on reading material is greatly appreciated.
Any helpful hints on field judging a bear is also greatly appreciated
Thanks
Rick

Well for your first bear I would say the one with hair and no milk on his lips.;)

Anything you get will be a good one since it will be your first and with a handgun to boot.

You might look up Jim Shockey, he does a lot of bear guiding in Canada so he might have some reading on his site. I personally don't care for the guy, but there might be something there.

Good luck and dream of big bruins.

Spend lots of time looking at alot of bear pictures, film,and videos. I have taken two over the years, and they are one of the hardest animals to judge for size.

I agree. The bear I took in AK back in May was 18 1/2" and we thought it was a small bear for the first 20 min we watched it. It wasn't until it started walking off that we noticed a swagger that clued me in that we should hasten to get closer... almost screwed that up.

Go to the Adv. Photo Viewer and select black bear to see some good specimens.

Excellent! I too will be hopefully heading to Maine for bear next year (next year is in 30 mins!). What is the name of your outfitter if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks for the advice Gary

I am using Driftwood Lodge & Camps. They are located on Upper Shin Pond in Mt. Chase Maine.
What outfitter are you using?

Rick, I am using #9 Lake Outfitters of Bridgewater, Maine. I hunted moose with them year before last and was happy with all aspects of the hunt.

Good luck Whit on the hunt

Thanks, Rick, same to you!

I've shot a number of bears. They are much harder to judge than any of the other critters I've hunted. The size of their head and how big the ears are is a really good clue. A big bear normally has small ears that are really far apart. A young one has ears that look like a doberman and are right next to each other. I think the ears pretty much stay the same size and the head grows. The way the move will also be a clue.

Aaron

Ask the outfitter to place a "sizing" stick or barrel near the stand (if hunting over bait). One of the best indicators are a bears ears. If they look like they are on top of his head and big....you have a smaller bear. If they look like they are coming off the sides of the head and small then you have a big bear. I have killed 3 in the last year with archery gear. 2 out of stands and one spot and stalk. They are very addicting.

You've got that right!

Look for a bear that appears to have small ears coming out the side of his head, and short legs with a belly that appears to almost drag the ground when he waddles around. Shoot the one that most closely resembles those attributes.

How big were those bears skulls?

Aaron

Don't ask one in PA how to judge the size of a bear......every bear that anyone see's is "at least 450 pounds and the size of a VW Bug!!!"

Then at the check station more look like big Lab's than VW Bugs. Hahaha.

Good luck to both of you and it will be interesting to hear about your hunts and see photos! Do take lots of pics. Of camp, scenery and your critters. I've been wanting to hunt bear in ME for many years. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do so.

Happy Birth Day 500!!

top: 19 5/8"
bottom: 19 1/2"

Thanks, TCTex

Nice Bears 500,and Happy Birthday.

Thank you!
Ken

Nice bears. Thanks for the information. I will post pics.

Excuse my ignorance but, why is Maine so popular for bear and not Wisconsin or Minnesota, success rates? The guide services I've read on the net list bigger bears in both of these states with maybe lower east coast bears growing bigger in there areas.
Steve

That's true. Marketing by established guide services in Maine is the only answer.

yeah we have some good bears here in MN.

I will also agree on bears being hard to judge!
my last bear was nothing huge, but a good bear around 200lbs and I had to look at him for a while before I decided to shoot.

I have done a lot of "studying" to become better at judging them, and found that the "Bearin Down" series is great for teaching how to judge bears and even gives some tactics. Mostly it is all bow hunting, but its done over bait and is relevant if you are also bait hunting. The first 3 videos are great (although dated) and can be had pretty cheap

Here is a "no brainer" bear that I had on my camera this fall. Reminds me of the Jack O'Connor quote... "the big ones just look big"

One reason is you can purchase a license in Maine every year I believe. I just hunted Wisconsin in 2012 and it took me 9 years to draw that tag. I did see 6 bears in 2 days before I pulled the trigger.

Rick look at http://www.richardpsmith.com/ He has a good book on bear hunting and a good DVD on field judging bears.

For me I went to Maine because I can buy the license over the counter while Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota are lottery.
MIHunter, thanks for the link

Over counter license to hunt with dogs or bait. With a resident big game license I can shoot a bear during firearms season for a minor $5 tagging fee, no extra permits. Success is high as well as being able to find bear anyplace in the state. Hows this for big?? http://outthere.bangordailynews.com/2012...ear-greenville/