1st Guided Hunt booked

[Guy Miner]

Last year, I tried to book my first guided hunt. Was headed for Wyoming for a backcountry trophy mule deer. That fell apart when the guide/outfitter went out of business. I still went to Wyoming, and some wonderful people let me hunt their land. :grin: I even ended up with a 4x4 mule deer, but it sure wasn't a guided hunt.

Just "won" an auction for a "guided" black bear hunt in Maine! I submitted the highest bid - and ended up with a comparatively low price for a "guided" black bear hunt. Have always wanted to visit Maine, and am turning it into a family vacation. Wife, son and I will be dragging ourselves back east for the hunt - and for fishing - and for general sight-seeing...

Am hoping for the whole family to have a good time, and for my son and I to each tag a black bear, and for us to enjoy some mighty fine fly-fishing while we're there!

The bear hunting is over bait - which is different from the way I've always hunted here in the west. I think it will be interesting at the least - and am planning to use my .45/70 Marlin.

Very excited about this - especially since it looks like I'll be able to share the experience with my family!

OOOORAH! Guy :grin:

 

[bullet]

Guy, I think that is wonderful that you will be able to share the hunt with family and you share yourself with them fishing and site seeing. I am praying for you that all goes well and that there is even a deeper bonding with you and your family from the event and after the event with fond and happy memories for years to come. Hunting over bait is different for sure than what you are use to. Remember, everything has it pros and cons and I know you will approach this hunt with your son and family as just another adventure that you have been blessed by God to have. I am really excited for you and your family but mostly for you and your love of family, hunting and taking that 45-70 to get the job done. :grin:

 

[old #7]

congradulations.
I hear that Maine is similar to the pacific northwest.
You will literally be going from one end of the country to the other.
Good Luck.

 

[nomosendero]

Sounds great, congrats!! I would like to hunt up there some day.

 

[john480]

im going to maine in sept for a bear hunt to .its my first over bait .

 

[Greg Nolan]

Guy, congratulations and have a good time. I"ve been on one guided hunt and it's sure different than going it alone. Enjoy! I hear Maine is beautifull in the fall. I'm going to Wyoming unguided this year. Never been there before but I've got a couple of contacts. I hope I run into a nice rancher too. A four point Mule deer is a nice buck, you did good. Do you have a color preference on the black bear or are they mostly all black phase in Maine?
john480 Congrats to you also. I hope you both get your trophy animals and memories. Don't forget pictures for us that havn't been and probably won't ever get there.
Good Hunting
Elkhunt :grin:

 

[JD338]

Guy,

Congratulations on your upcoming bear hunt! You are in for en exciting hunt. The thought of a 300 lb bear coming into the bait without making a sound and only minutes left of shooting light is a rush.
Look for a big melon with small ears and put your bullet through the shoulder. :wink:
Here is a link to bear anatomy.
http://www.inberg.ca/hunting_essentials ... natomy.htm
What load are you going to use in your 45-70?

JD338

 

[cloverleaf]

+1 To everything bullet said!! Sounds like a great opportunity. Enjoy and keep us updated on your planning. As you know thats 1/2 the fun. Sounds Great! CL

 

[Hegland]

Congratulations on your prize, Guy. Maine is a beautiful area, inland and coastal. JD is right; I never thought something that big could move so quietly.

 

[Guy Miner]

JD338, quite a link, thanks.

Looks like we're going to put off the trip until end of next summer - just so we can all get the time off from school and work together - so it's quite a ways out. :? Still, looking forward to it.

Dunno if I'm going to use the 350 A-Frames I recently tested or the 300 gr Nosler Partition, which is supposed to be great on bear. Either way, I don't think it matters.

Interesting part will be working with my son. He's shot a lot, but mostly with his 6mm Remington and 100 gr bullets. The guide prefers he use something bigger if he can handle it. I've got a couple of good .30 cal hunting rifles he can choose from, both are handy enough for this sort of thing:

.308 Browning BLR, .30-06 1917 in a 'glass stock with the barrel lopped off to 21" - both are good solid rifles. He'll let me know which one he prefers.

Regards, Guy

 

[tjen]

OK whats your load going to be? We want all the details, for and after.

I have always Hunted Ontario and could drive so taking large Marine Coolers worked for me for both the hide and meat. Are you having the hide done there and shipped, meat to?

 

[Guy Miner]

tjen, if I headed out today - I'd use the Hornady 350 gr FNSP, over 50 grains of H4198, because that's the load I've been shooting for several years. Depending on powder lot, it churns up around 2100 fps from my rifle.

Since I've the luxury of time - I'll likely end up using either the 350 gr Swift A-Frame bonded bullet, or Nosler's 300 gr Partition. Beats me! :grin: With the .45/70 & modest ranges, I don't think it matters all that much as long as I place the shot well. Haven't ever shot a bear, so this should be interesting. Never been to Maine. Never hunted over bait. All new experiences - I like that! :grin:

Believe me - I'll have some posts to cover the hunt once it's all done. At this point I plan on having the taxidermy work done there and shipped. The meat is still a question - like you - I've always just hauled it in my own truck before, but have never hunted so far from home either. About the farthest was Pinedale, Wyoming a few years back for elk. It was roughly 900 - 1000 miles from home. That time I had the meat processed there, wrapped, frozen and put in big cardboard boxes with dry ice on top. The meat was frozen solid when I got home a day and a half later.

Have also flown home from Alaska with frozen salmon fillets. Mmmmmm.

Dunno what to do about the bear meat yet - any suggestions? Will be flying from Washington to Maine and back.

Guy

 

[JD338]

It was roughly 900 - 1000 miles from home. That time I had the meat processed there, wrapped, frozen and put in big cardboard boxes with dry ice on top. The meat was frozen solid when I got home a day and a half later.

Have also flown home from Alaska with frozen salmon fillets. Mmmmmm.

Dunno what to do about the bear meat yet - any suggestions? Will be flying from Washington to Maine and back.

Guy

Guy,

Bear meat is worthless, send it to me and I will take care of it you you. :lol:

All kidding aside, a "berry bear" is some of the best meat you will find!
Dark grainy texture, cook it well (but not over done) like pork.
Chops or steaks with salt, pepper, and garlic on the grill is one of my all time favorites. :grin:

The airlines will charge you for extra baggage.
Check with your guide for his suggestions but if you could get it cut and vac sealed, frozen you may be able to ship it home in a large 120 qt cooler and some duct tape. :idea:

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

One suggestion I got was to ship my spare clothes & hunting gear back home, and bring the frozen meat back in suitcases.

 

[JD338]

One suggestion I got was to ship my spare clothes & hunting gear back home, and bring the frozen meat back in suitcases.

Now thats thinking outside the box! Great idea Guy.
I would get the meat vac pac and frozen before you put in in the suit case.
Maybe use some cardboard to act as insulation.

JD338

 

[JD338]

Guy,

There is an excellent book on the subject of Bear hunting over bait.

do-it-yourself Black Bear Baiting & Hunting by Dr. Ken Nordberg

I realize that your hunt is guided but if you want to get up to speed quickly and know what to expect, this is a really good read.

This is what I use and follow for bear hunting.

JD338

 

[HuntMontana]

I do some guiding, and as a guide the best advice I could give to make it more pleasant for everyone is to take your guides advice. Just because you read it in a book does not mean that is the way it is everywhere you hunt. The hardest hunter to guide is the one that thinks they know everything, be open minded.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[jtoews80]

SHould be a great time with the family, great job to bring everybody! I hope it is a great time for everybody. The 45-70 is a fearsome shortrange weapon. On a ballistics chart there only a few are bigger and better, but I know personally I CAN NOT run 2100 FPS and it brings a couple tons of energy to bear(no pun) instantly, should do the trick nicely in the 75-150 yd range on bear. Sure wouldn't want to have somebody shooting that at me. Have a blast and best of luck during the hunt.

CC

 

[6ppcar]

Hello Guy, i read where you got the hunt with 1maineguide. I may contact him about a bear hunt for 2009. What about the 425 Pile Drivers in your 45-70 for bear? It should Pile one up in a hurry.