If hunting trophy Maine black bear is what you have in mind, then hunting with Black Eagle Outfitters has the hunt for you. Our black bear hunts take place in the Majestic White Mountains of Western Maine. Western Maine is known for its healthy black bear populations that hold trophy bruins throughout the region. The bait sites have been well established for several years which allow the bears a chance to be comfortable and revisit the sites year after year. Many of our sites are near mature beech forests which are a mainstay for bears before winter. The black bears will not go far from this food source frequent the bait sites regularly. Most of the hunters hunt from a tree stand, but a few choose to hunt from a ground blind. There are not many things more exciting than having a bear within twenty yards of your stand or ground blind just before that moment of truth. All of our hunters are required to show proficiency with their weapon of choice, to ensure a quick clean harvest. Most of the hunters choose to hunt in the evening as the bears are more active during this time. The lodging accommodations provided by Black Eagle Outfitters are new for 2008 and they are exceptional. This cozy log cabin retreat will suit all your needs.

Let me describe a typical hunt as I have experienced myself and heard from many successful hunters. The first order of business in the morning the guides go out and freshen the bait sites with sweets and other treats that really brings the bears in. Towards noon time, We start to finish the rounds and determine where the most active sites are. We encourage the hunters to eat a good lunch and start to prepare for their hunt around 1:00 p.m. This includes perhaps a few shots from the bow or gun to make sure everything is in proper working order. Next may be to get showered up to eliminate as much odor as possible and make sure the hunting clothes are the same. Black Eagle Outfitters provides targets so the hunter can maintain proficiency during their stay. As it nears 2 p.m. the hunters start to leave camp and travel to their stand sites. After the guide shows the hunter their bait site, they can chose to drive themselves and take the stand with no assistance if they are comfortable. This can be good as it does not allow for as much scent dispersal and less noise.

Once at the bait site, the hunter should dress in layers to add as the mountains cool down quickly as the sun starts to go down. Bears are able to detect movement and human scent as well as a big whitetail buck. With that in mind, it is important to move as little as possible while waiting for your trophy to appear. If you are bear hunting with a bow or a gun it is important to be able to draw and shoot from a seated position. Too much movement around will send the bear back into the darkness from which he appeared.

Bears can appear at any time, but the waning hours of daylight tend to be the most productive. Bears tend to be more nocturnal than crepuscular like whitetails. Which means that last hour of visible light can make the bear feel the most comfortable. One should be ready for that moment of truth at any time, as bears tend to appear like ghost without warning. Seldom will you hear the bear before you see the bear. Their large padded feet allow them to move across the most dense forest floor virtually undetected. The hunter should also be prepared to shoot, but also be patient and wait for that broadside shot. If hunting with a bow it is very important to wait for that large boned shoulder to get out of the way. A complete pass through is optimal as it can help in following a blood trail at night.

I can tell you from experience that it’s a good sound to hear the arrow hitting the bait barrel after passing through the bear. It’s nice to find the arrow after a good hit to see what kind of coverage the arrow has. We have the hunters wait for the guides to arrive before going out on a blood trail. If a hunter shoots a bear they return to the Lodge and wait for the guide. Once all the hunters are accounted for at the lodge, we decide which bear to go after first. Sometimes the guides split up and sometimes we go together. 

Going out on a blood trail can be a long test of tracking skills, but we have tracked blood trails for hours, only finding one spot of blood every ten yards before finding the bear piled up in a heap a hundred and fifty yards later. There can be a lot of crawling on the hands and knees and back tracking to locate your black bear. We assist the hunters in getting the bear out of the woods which can be a difficult task. After some photos and field dressing, the bear is taken to the tagging station, that Black Eagle Outfitters has arrangements with at all hours to register bears. Once registered at the tagging station, we take the bear to a walk-in cooler for skinning and processing. There is nothing betting the garlic bear sausage or bear jerky. A quality taxidermist is available if needed.

We find the best sites for bait by using computers, past experience and knowledge of the land. Weeks prior to the season we haul several hundred pounds of bait in the woods to the bait sites. Our bear baits are well established over the years and are baited 4 weeks before the season.