When I contacted Gary's Guide Service regarding a Maine Black Bear Hunt I told Gary I only had 3 days because of work commitments and he said "fine, come on up to see us". Gary promised to send me a "packet of info on what I would need to do for preparation for the hunt. I received the packet in the mail a few days later, and it was then that I first realized that I was dealing with a man who paid attention to details.
I had expected to read a lot of the already known thinbgs to do in preparation for my hunt, but there were a few "surprises". Gary suggested that everybody at his camp take Chlorophyll tablets at least 5 days in advance of the hunt. These tablets purge your system of some of the odors that the human body gives off. I took the tablets for a week before the hunt, and the only side effect was that they make your stool a greenish color. They are readily available at your drug store, or sporting goods store.
Gary also advises his hunters to wash all of their clothing in an odor free detergent and store in bags. Gary's hunters also use an ample supply of baking soda and cedar boughs.
I would be hunting with a group of guys from Pennsylvania. The hunters were Don "Rowdy" Rose, Cliff and Jerry Lindenberger and Dennis DelFraino. Gary and Karen made everyone feel very welcome and were great hosts. Following a hearty supper we gathered around the table to get our stand assignments for the next day. Gary had trail cameras set up at the sites, so we were able to view pictures of bears that were feeding at our stands! Gary also keeps very precise records on his bait sites. If a bear is hitting a particlular site, he documents it in a chart he keeps. This way he knows if a site is worth keeping open or not. Detail, detail, details.
I was assigned a ground blind, which I felt OK about. If you would rather hunt from a tree stand, he will accommodate you with one. Rowdy was going to do something on the first day of his hunt that surprised me. He was going to hunt all day from his blind. I had heard that bear hunting in the morning is useless, and that all the bear activity would be in the later afternoon and early evening. But Gary advised that it was a good idea and it was Rowdy's hunt and he could do as he pleased.
On day one Gary and I dropped of Rowdy at his site and went to get some bait. On our way back to the woods we met Gary's son Aaron with Rowdy in his truck. Aaron, while on his bait run, had spotted Rowdy beside the road waving his arms. Rowdy had been on his site only 19 minutes when a nice 160 lb bear walked in. Rowdy dropped him in a hurry with his .44 mag. pistol. Once we were all back to camp we had lunch and then began our preparation for the afternoon hunt by taking our scent free shower. Once done we loaded into Gary's truck and each went to our sites. Gary brings you into your site and makes sure everything is OK before he leaves. Gary picked me up at dark without any success. Cliff had shot a bear after only 2 hours on site. After supper Aaron came over with some more pictures of Bears take from some of the sites over the last few days. Sleep came hard that night as the excitement grew for the next day.
Day two dawned rainy and windy. Not exactly ideal conditions for hunting. Some hunters I have hunted with won't take hunters out on rainy days. However, Gary believes that you can kill a bear on any day, rainy or not. He says, "You certainly can not kill one in camp". Most of the morning was spent Smallmouth Bass fishing with great success. If you like to fish this is one great deal that most outfitters do not offer. Free Fishing! I followed Gary to my stand with my own car, as I had to leave for Vermont following my nights hunt. We said our goodbyes, and I knew that I not only had Gary for a guide those three days, but had left there with a friend. I hope to visit there again soon.
Unfortunately, it poured all the while that I was on stand that night. I put rain gear on, but it was too hot, and I preferred the water to the sweat. I got soaked to the skin. I came out of the woods at dark, and hopped in my 1987 Ford Bronco, and paddled my way home. No bear.
In summary, Gary Tourtillotte, as I said before, is a man that pays close attention to detail. He feels that there are so many things in a hunt that are uncontrollable, that he likes to have a grip on the things that he can control. The results of his hunters this year were 16 for 16 on guided hunts. You can't get much better than that. Jerry and Dennis both scored later in the week.
I would recommend his camps for a guided or unguided bear hunt. His accomodations are great, and the food is nothing less than fabulous. To reach Gary, call him at 207-732-4543 or email him at garytour@midmaine.com. His website is www.garysguideservice.net You won't be sorry.
Editors Note: The next night, Gary placed a youth hunter on the same stand that I was hunting on, and he killed his first bear. Go figure!!! His name was Mathew Proudlove. The son of Gary's Taxidermist Tad Proudlove. |
