Four friends of mine, Joe and Steve Davis, Marcus Sanger and Andrew Fogelsanger, and I recently went on a fall bear hunt in central Maine with Gary's Guide Service. There are quite a few bear hunting outfitters in Maine to choose from, but when it comes to outstanding service, dedication to clientele, excellent success rates and record-book bears, one need not look any further than Gary's Guide Service. The outfit is run by Gary, his wife Karen and their son, Aaron, who is also an accomplished guide in several states. Gary offers a fully guided hunt for most hunters, but what I liked most, and another reason I selected Gary's Guide Service, was the opportunity at a do-it-yourself type of hunt, better know as an Outpost hunt.
We were given a brand new lakefront cabin, bait sites and bait and from there we pretty much did the rest. By the way, the cabins are fully equipped, and even have washers and dryers to wash your hunting clothes every day in odorless detergent, which is a must when hunting Maine Black Bear. There is plenty to do at camp during the morning hours including fishing at one of several lakes or on the Penobscot River. After lunch each day there is a little time to relax before heading off to a tree stand or, if your prefer, a ground blind to hunt.
Having shot a bear in PA in '05, Joe Davis came on the trip as a fishreman/cameraman and he set up with Marcus in a ground blind at a bait site known as "The Swamp" on the first evening of our hunt. They were set up and quiet by 4PM and just one hour into the hunt a "shooter" approached the bait but didn't give Marcus a clear shot before leaving the area. However, just one hour later, the bear returned and stood over the bait bunker just 20 yards away. With the camera rolling, Marcus fired his shotgun, Boom! The shotgun blas found it's mark and the bear traveled only 30 yards before piling up. This was the first ever bear hunt for Marcus and it was over in just two hours. He later reported that he wasn't sure who was more excited just before and after the shot, he or the camerman! As an accomplished guide, Gary had told us during our orientation just after we arrived that there are a few things we can control, such as our scent, but that there are several things we cannot control, such as the weather and more importantly the bear. Well, y ou guessed it. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday passed with only a few small bears sighted. As excited as everyone was over Marcus's quick kill on Monday evening, Steve and Andrew were now experiencing emotions at the other end of the spectrum, with Steve having yet to see a single bear and Andrew having sighted only a small bear. It's amazing to see how high and low a hunter's emotions will travel in such a short span of hunting time, but that being said, Steve and Andrew held it together and kept the faith. On Friday everything changed. There were bears everywhere! Gary decided to move Andrew and our cameraman to a new ground blind and that decision paid off. Not long into the hunt a nice bear approached the bait. Andrew didn't hesitate for even a second as the bear stood broadside before ever reaching the bait. Kaboom! The rifle echoed and the bear dropped in it's tracks. Andrew's dream of harvesting a Maine Black Bear had come true and even more special was the fact that he'd shot the bear with the same rifle his late grandfather, Bob Fogelsanger, had shot a bear with many years prior.
About the same time and a few miles away, Steve finally received an opportunity to harvest his first Maine Black Bear. With a camera mounted to his stand and rolling, a big bear entered his stand area and wouldn't have the chance to leave. Boom! Steve's rifle found it's mark and the large bear traveled only a fee feet. Later on, while waiting to be picked up, Steve sighted two more bears, one which was another decent shooter. It was all smiles in camp that night, as we celebrated the end of a very successful week of bear hunting. About the other member of our party, yours truly, I was blessed to have harvested a bear in '04 and was seeking a 'monster' on this trip and happily passed on at least three shooter bears. I was priviledged to have sighted bears on several occasions throughout the week and filmed two bears for a substantial amount of time. As far as I am concerned the hunt was a total success. All three kills were captured on video including several other exciting moments around camp. The time spent with old frinds and new friends make this trip something special. From the crew representing PA Trophy Magazine, special thanks to Gary, Karen and Aaron. God bless and keep up the outstanding service. |
