As I sit here, with coffee in hand, I look back at another great season of guiding bear, moose, and deer hunters. Today's the last day of Muzzleloader season in Maine. That's it folks! Clean the rifle, wipe down the old smoke pole, and start thinking about (gulp!) Christmas. Only a week and a half away and as usual, we're unprepared. Days, evenings, weeks and weekends have been spent guiding folks in the woods, moving tree stands, tracking, scouting, and taking care of equipment. There's a few more dents in the truck, mud and blood on my boots,  a full freezer, and a few scars.

During this season we saw a young boy named Dylan harvest his first black bear, my son Gunner and wife Deirdre both shot their first whitetail, and I had the pleasure of hunting with some amazing people. During deer season I guided  father and son, father being that of 88 years, and his son in his 60's. To have this opportunity is why we do what we do. The bond between father and son, the stories around the campfire, and the cold mornings walking to the stand on what just may be there last hunt together is sacred. He didn't get his deer. It didn't matter. The hours spent side by side, mostly in silence as they watched for that Maine buck to walk on by was the reason they came.

Upon our clients leaving, I had an opportunity to hunt with my sons, my wife, and even my daughters. I too spent many hours in the stand or ground blind with people I love in search of the same thing, time together. Our freezer has never been empty and the spirit of the forest has been good to us, but it is not the blood we seek to shed, but the blood we seek to share. The bond is more than tradition or a rite of passage. It's instinct to hunt, yet also instinct to stay connected.

OK, too deep for a first post! Let's talk about Dylan's bear!

Bear season 2013 began with a high level of enthusiasm, as usual! We added a new member to the family this year, and Aubree Suzanne has been “christened” at Bear Camp!

On Sunday, August 25^th. We hosted Bill McCoy, Don Rice, Doug and Dylan Smith, Sean Dougherty, and Dan Watson. Dinner was a welcoming event, where we met new folks, and saw returning clients, now friends at our table. Dee and I look forward to the beginning of the season, as does the rest of the crew.

This season we anticipated a slow start due to the overwhelming availability of natural food sources such as berries, apples, cherries, and other thing growing, fruiting, and essentially hindering my ability to pattern big bears. The weather also did not cooperate as we saw high humidity and wind, and rain and thunderstorms throughout the first week. The hunters each did their part, and they worked hard at being in position for the “moment.”

Doug and Dylan saw bears almost every evening, yet a small bear was the frequent visitor. Dylan, age 11 watched in excitement each time he came in and he never once blew his cover or got busted. Each time I walked them into their stand they were excited to head back into the woods, and each evening, usually well after dark, I'd return to find both father and son smiling. "We had a great hunt today!" dad would say, or Dylan would start with a run down of all of the wildlife that graced his spot, usually red squirrels. 

Finally, on Friday evening, his bear was harvested after a long patient wait all week, and Dylan couldn’t have been happier! His smile said it all, and we were on the map for 2013. Doug is a good dad. He has amazing patience and is a role model. This hunt meant a lot to both he and his son.

The most amazing part of the entire week happened on the day after Dylan made his shot. We were at the cabin, in between the morning and evening hunts. Our hunters were wrapping up lunch or moose burgers and potato salad, and I looked aver at the game pole where Dylan's bear hung proudly. There, my 10 year old son Orion and his friend (also Dylan) listened intently on young Dylan's recount of the bear hunt and how he made the shot. Both young boys shook his hand and Orion patted him on the back and said "Nice work!" (A quote he hears me say often!) The respect and camaraderie of these young hunters was in the forming stages, and the instilled respect for the sport was beautiful. Dylan took away a cooler full of meat, what we call "Western Maine Protein," a hide for his taxidermist to make a rug for his room, and young memories of the experience. He'll look back on the time he spent with his dad, with other adult hunters, and new friends. We too took something away from this experience, more than most would assume.....