A murder of crows awakened us from a blissful slumber in the White Mountains. We quickly donned our apparel and had a quick bite to revive us for a morning of still hunting. Bear hunting over bait isn't a push over as some people believe it to be. New Hampshire allows baiting at permitted sites at the start of the bear hunting season. Some states such as Maine allow you to pre bait an area up to six weeks before the opening of the season. I knew the lack of getting a shot off was worrying Pat a little. I didn't see it that way. I was having fun in some beautiful creation and being part of the circle of life. As we drove in a southwesterly direction past Mount Cleveland to our left we spotted some turkeys. One of the changes in this part of New Hampshire has been the spread of the wild turkey. They are now found all over the state. My Dad was surprised when I told him that when I first crossed the bridge on the Little River in Twin Mountain there were some hen turkeys on the side of the road. Normally one thinks of large bodied whitetails, bear and moose but not the wild turkey. It was great to see a success story although some people don't view it as such. Pat and I commented on one peice of property for sale that overlooked the majesty of the White Mountains. Pat quipped," I wonder how much the view tax is? " One unfortunate situation is that in New Hampshire you can have an additional property tax based on what kind of view you have.

We headed back to the area where I spooked the bear at a ground stand site. Pat found an abandoned orchard and wanted to scout it thoroughly. We arrived on the hillside and prorceeded to walk through the lowlands. The woodlands around here are a combination of mixed soft and hardwoods. Intermittent streams and beaver bogs round out the area. As we entered one site we found an old dump. It was overgrown but one saw the remnants of old household appliances and broken bottles. It did shatter some notions of the area being pristine but seldom are all places void of such things. We found fresh droppings and tracks. We followed them through the wet undergrowth as we approached the area near a stream. We found sign of moose as well as deer. At one point we decided to cross the stream. It was a natural crossing where deer, bear and the moose saw fit to go. As Pat crossed I snapped a picture facing southward of the stream with a small bundle of sticks blocking a portion. After the shot I spotted a fleeting black image. It was a black bear cub. That little cub flew across the stream and headed into the thick woods that we had just traversed. I told Pat about it. He asked what was the size. I informed him it was small. About the size of a medium dog. That meant it was this years cub and would need the protection of its mother to survive the upcoming fall and winter. It would be off on its own for the next fall but for now the two were bonded. We walked towards the direction where the cub went and began a search to see if we could see the sow. We could hear her walking back and forth along the banks of the stream but we could not see her. Bear in mind that this is the brushy northeast and not the open meadows of the west. We then decided that the best course of action would be to walk away from the area and go back to the truck. I did not want to make an orphan if I could help it. Pat agreed and we took off.

We approached the area where he parked his truck and proceeded into the woods. We wanted to get a better picture of what the bears were doing. We found trails and in the process we kicked up a deer. One could not ascertain what it was. Just a blurr of white through the overgrown hillside composed of crab apple, hawthorn , tiger maple and sugar maple trees. We emerged into the cut clearing of a powerline. We walked northward to see more of the lay of the land. It seems that there are a number of apple trees growing on the powerline . We figured that the bear were bedding down in the lowland near the stream and heading up to the apple trees to feed at night. After that we had planned to sit at the same site as I did the evening before . Plans went awry. I called up my mother and she said Mary was having a problem. I called her up and she informed me that it seems someone was breaking into the celler of her place. I told Pat that I needed to resolve this problem and had to leave at noon time. He understood and wished me luck in dealing with this issue.

I packed my things and we shook hands. I had a wonderful time and experience in the White Mountains. I will return to the Whites. I may be at my permitted bait or I may do something improvised such as the scent wick with anise oil. I am not sure but I do know I will be back.

Really good read, details and descriptive writing, really enjoy it! Hope you have more to write!

Thanks for sharing!!!!!

A view tax? Wow never would have thought it.
Thanks for sharing, you painted a picture with your story.

Thanks for all of the complements. NH has that unusual policy. You pay a higher rate if you have a nice view. So if you see some property for sale with a mountain range in view,guess what? You will pay a pretty penny for that view. NH does not have a sales tax nor a state income tax so they get revenue from other sources. Property tax is very high in NH.