The Bear Hunt Information

Welcome to Maine Black Bear Hunting

We are proud and excited that you have selected us to provide you with a quality Maine Bear Hunt. Over a million acres of paper company timberland lays just outside our door; many of our sites have between three and seven bear working them. Our hunting is done over lure/bait. Sites are designed for bow or firearm, youth or adult. We offer special combo hunts for parent and children, under Maine law children must be ten years of age to hunt.

Maine Black Bear are an extremely smart, adaptable and crafty animal. The average weight ranges from one hundred to over four hundred pounds. Do not under estimate the bear or their senses.

We offer hunting over bait during bait season and stand/stalk hunts until the end of October.

Brochure: I would be more than happy to send you a brochure, drop us an email. Don't worry about trying to figure lists and everything out from the web page. We will send you a complete package of information.

If this is your first time bear hunting - you will find this one of the most exciting sports available. If you’re looking for a new place to hunt and a new base camp - we are glad to welcome you to Central Maine, you don't need to head north another five or six hours.

Black bear hunting is intoxicating and will quickly become an addiction. If
this is your first time out you will soon know what I talking about. Seasoned hunters already know the feeling. The slight snap of a twig behind you, your heart starts to race and your breathing gets difficult. When you finally get a glimpse of the furry black mass, you begin to shake and are sure the bear is going to hear your heart pounding, as it gets closer. Now you try to figure out how to get control of your senses and raise your weapon for a shot. Just then the bear looks in your direction and you freeze for what seems like forever as you think your heart is going to pop out of your chest with all this excitement. Come join us for the true Maine experience.

The average weight ranges from one hundred twenty-five pounds to over four hundred. The state record stands at 680 pounds. As a sportsperson, do not underestimate the bear or their senses. The majority of hunters, who are scent free and remain still will most likely see a bear, your decision will be if it is the right bear.

You will be making shots that range from a few yards (bow hunters) out to 40 yards for guns. We also have a few sites that we canoe or boat to on a calm waterway.

We use several different types of stands from steel ladders to wooden platforms. Most stands or self-climbers are 10-15’ off the ground. If you bring your own stand, please set it up and try it before arriving - it saves a lot of time if you know how to operate and move the stand - the first night is not the time to learn.

Prime hunting is from 4:30 to ½ hour after sunset. We usually leave camp around 1:30pm as a group and place you on stand before 4:30pm. Our guides will get you to your stand, assist you in position, pass you your firearm/bow, aid you in concealment (tuck you in), place lure and return later that evening to retrieve you after dark.

You will arrive on Sunday. Sunday or Monday morning you will check you weapon and be involved with the “bear talk” and visit sites. We will walk you through tips, shot placement, the who, what, when and how.

Yes, you can bring your ATV, boat or canoe. There are plenty of places to ride, in fact access to over 1,000,000 acres of timberlands with over 1,200 miles of dirt roads. Yes, it’s a big area, yet only minutes from Bangor. Don’t worry we have maps - so you won’t be lost for long.

You will eat well my friends - we’ll treat you like family, maybe better! Breakfast is continental style (fruit, donuts); Lunch and Supper are batch family style with all the hunters gathering for the fixings. Meals include chicken, lobster, clams, steaks, homemade spaghetti, ham, chili, hotdog/bean, stew, soups, and Swedish meatball or pepper steaks. Of course there is always pies, ice cream, rolls, bread, salads and pudding.

Your bear will be retrieve whole and weighed for live weight. We do have cold storage (walk-in), we will skin, quarter and freeze your hide/meat. Butchering service is available and costs between $60-100. We do have facilities if you wish to process your own bear. We do not provide taxidermy services. We recommend Roger Adams of Hermon. Care of your meat and hide is critical to insuring a great memory of your hunt, it is also our reputation and we owe it to the animal that we don’t waste anything harvested. No bear will be wasted in our camps!

Camp - Acommodations - you will be standing among friends and fellow hunters. Our bear camp contains bedrooms with simple bunks beds, water, and refrigeration. The big camp has a 24x24 community room where meals are severed, complete with showers, library and TV. We are designed to accommodate up to fourteen guests, however, to provide a quality experience, we limit the number of hunters to no more than ten per week.

In general you need to bring regular relaxation clothing and your hunting clothes.
Some bring a set of camo for each hunting day - this is ok, but not needed. We
will provide separate storage of your camo with cedar bows for scent removal.
You may also wish to bring odor/scent eliminator spays and body soaps - these are a must and do provide scent block. Temperatures range from 60-75 during the day to 40’s at night. You might consider a bug net - bug spray is a no-no. Folks have been using Thermocel's for a few years now and its operation seems to have no affect on the bear.

Don’t bring special lures or treats for the bear - we put a lot of time into using
our lures - strange odors drive the bear away. We maintain 1.5 baits per booked hunter which allows us to switch you between baits if needed.

If you harvest a bear the first night - great! You are now a “junior guide”, maybe hunt coyotes, visit Bar Harbor or the local establishments in Bangor/Brewer such as
LL Bean, Old Town Canoe, Cadillac Mountain Sports, Wal-Mart, Dicks Sporting Store and Johnson Outdoors. There are also several sporting goods/firearm stores in Bangor/Brewer.

If all that is not enough there are several ponds, lakes and rivers within five miles offering Bass, Trout, Salmon fishing and wonderful paddling. You are welcome to borrow our canoes, kayaks or boats.

Care of your bear:
Care of your bear – Bear meat is delicious! Your bear will be retrieved in the round for weighing. We have a walk in cooler for cold storage. We will quarter your bear and freeze it or we can help arrange for professional butchering and packaging. For professional butchering you should plan on $60-100. While we don’t do taxidermy, we have excellent services available I recommend Mr. Roger Adams, mounts that will last a lifetime. Care of your meat and hide are critical to insuring a great hunt, it is also our reputation, and we owe it to the animal we harvest. If by chance neither you or anyone in your party can take the meat, we have arranged with the local shelter to the meat and we will provide the processing for them.

Rates: Critical Information - Research all costs, license's and fee's, to the best of my knowledge there is only two services in Maine that provide your license, permit and all fee's in the package.

Rates: $1,550 per person. Price includes Maine Hunting license, tag/permit, lodging, meals, transportation and guiding for a 6-day hunt. You will arrive on Sunday and leave the following Sunday. You get a SIX-day hunt. 50% deposit is required at time of reservation, balance due on arrival. A survery of outfitters offering Maine bear hunts show a cost ranging between $1,500-$2,295 WITHOUT YOUR LICENSE AND PERMIT, a $200 additional. Please check pricing closely.

What kind of firearm or bow?
Listen we are guides, not politicians…this is a wide-open area and a never ending discussion. Correct shot placement is the key; as for a bow we prefer at least 45 pounds of draw and straight thunderbolt 100-grain tips. For the gunner we like .444, 12 gauge slugs, 30-06, 30-30, or 308. But we also have folks with 7mm, 303, 338 and some big mags; it’s all about feeling comfortable with what you are shooting. You will be sighting or rechecking the gun after you arrive – comfortable shooting and accuracy are critical.

I ask that you not bring special lures– a lot of time goes into locating and luring bears, a strange lure can upset the bears.You should bring bedding (sleeping bag), pillow, bow/firearm, ammo, target, flashlight (those LED’s work great), your own self-climber if you wish, small pack, water bottle, camo clothing, camo hat, camo gloves, bug net, rubber boots, a jacket, regular clothing, odor neutralizer, coolers for your meat, special drinks, camera, and snacks…Don’t worry if you forget something there are several sporting good stores within 25 minutes (Dicks, Van Raymonds, Old Town Trading Post and of course Wal-Mart).

What to Bring
·Bedding/sleeping bag
·Pillow
·Firearm/bow/ammo
·Cameo clothing
·Clothes - jacket
·Toilet gear
·Towel
·Snack foods
·Drinks - spirits
·Rubber boots
·Flashlight, long lasting (we like LEDs)
·Face paint if you wish
·Scent spray
·Water bottle
·Tree stand - if you wish
·Cameo gloves
·Coolers for meat/drink
·Camera

Don’t worry, if you forget it and we don’t have it, then the local Wal-Mart should - if not you don’t need it.

Union River Guide Service is a family owned and operated year round guide service. Our Maine humor and home style cooking are back by over 25 years of wilderness experience. We are located at the end of a road surrounded by a million acres of private lands. Living year round in first a remote cabin, then on a wilderness lake allows us to truly understand and respect natures work. From parents to sister, all have or are involved in lodging or guiding. We enjoy, hunting, fishing, trapping, teaching and a good conservation. Lorin has served on various sportsman boards, game study groups, and wildlife projects. He is a Master Guide who has 25 years experience. We are life members of the Sportsman Alliance of Maine, NRA, Me Trappers and Me Guide Association.

Whether you visit with us or someone else here are some things to check on when planning your bear hunt…………….

-Are you a guide? Will a guide take me each day to my site and pick me up in the evening?
-Do I have to use my own vehicle?
-Can I go baiting with your bait crew or you? Can I see my bait site prior to hunting?
·Is your license and bear permit tags included in price?
·Do I get a five day or six day hunt?
·Are meals/lodging included?
·What is check in/out time?
·Ability to track and retrieve bear?
·Care of bear, cooler, cutting?
·Are there any other fee’s like road access, travel permits, site fees or others?
·Am I hunting a fresh bait? Can I change to a new bait mid week?
·Is there ice available?
·How close are stands, for both left and righties? Can you use bow, firearm or muzzleloader?
·Explain any special requirements?
·Explain an food allergies?
·Ask about other fishing or hunting that can be done while visiting?

ATV’s

There is over a million acres of woods, with 1,200 miles of dirt roads and trails to explore, ATV’s are welcome. You will need to check with Fish and Game on temporary registrations. You are within minutes of the big City of Bangor, but on the edge of a vast area without signs, power or people. Don’t worry we have maps so you won’t be lost or confused for long.

Sincerely Yours in hunting and in life

Lorin F. LeCleire, Your Maine Guide