I Came For Bears, Stayed For Mud Holes, Scope Bite, And Border Patrol

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The Maine woods don’t hand out easy wins. We set out with a mixed pack of blue dogs, redbones, plots, and a cur, and found ourselves in a living map of paper mill roads, dry scent, long runs, and split-second decisions. Along the way we lay out a clear case for hound hunting as ethical, selective, and effective bear management—especially when populations push hard on deer and moose—and we push back on the myths that paint trained hounds and disciplined handlers as anything but skilled.

Our crew teamed up across three guide services, balanced young dogs with seasoned steadiness, and worked within Maine’s six-dog rule while swapping fresh noses at road crossings. GPS collars, strike dogs, and teamwork turned two days into a masterclass: a long, dusty run ending with a fast road shot and a border patrol cameo, then a textbook tree where patience, leash-back protocols, and a calm trigger led to a clean, one-shot bear. A young family from Ohio tagged out with heart and grit—proof that hounds can teach new hunters timing, restraint, and respect for the animal.

Between chases we talk law, ethics, certification, and what happens when petitions target hounds as “low-hanging fruit.” Lose one lawful method and the pressure shifts to the next—calls, decoys, stands—while wildlife and rural communities pay the price. We ground it all in real care: vet checks after a swipe, porcupine quill triage done right, and the 365-day commitment it takes to keep a pack healthy and honest. If you care about conservation, clean kills, and keeping tradition alive, this story will change how you see hounds and the people who run them.

Enjoyed the hunt and the hard truths? Follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who loves dogs, wild places, and a good chase.

Check us out on Facebook Hunts On Outfitting, or myself Ken Marr. Reach out and Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:11):
This is Hunt and Outfitting Podcast.
I'm your host and rookie guide,Ken Maher.
I love everything hunting, theoutdoors, and all things
associated with it.
From stories to have tos, you'llfind it here.
Welcome to the podcast.
Hey, it's another week that Ihope is going well for you.

(00:33):
And I got another podcast storyfor you guys from my time in
Maine earlier this fall.
We're going to be talking abouthunting big black bruins with
man's best friend, skilled andwell-trained hounds.
I find any hunting you cancombine dogs working with and
for you just makes anything evenmore enjoyable.

(00:54):
Whether it be pointers onpheasants, retrievers, getting
your down ducks, and for today'sfocus, hounds trailing their
game.
Anytime I get to see a breed ofdog doing what they were made
and bred for, and absolutelyloving it, to me, it's all about
watching them work.
And it brings another level ofawesomeness to the whole

(01:16):
experience.
With raccoon season and rabbitseason well underway here where
I'm at, my hands have been goingfull tilt.
And luckily, with Nookshook DogFood, they are able to keep
going like that, no problem.
Having natural, locally sourcedingredient ingredients such as
chicken, herring meal, ground,whole grain, and lots more

(01:38):
offering superior digestibility,palatability, plus vitamins.
It keeps my dogs healthy andalso gives them nice, smooth,
shiny coat.
If you want to reach out to me,maybe be a guest in the podcast
or suggest somebody or just havea chat, which some more of you
have been doing lately, and Ireally appreciate it.
I love talking to all of youguys.

(02:00):
Um, you can you can email me,huntsonoutfitting at gmail.com,
or find us on Facebook, hunts onoutfitting, or me on there, Ken
Mayer.
Alright, so I got my friendsCaleb Jones and Ryan Wisalius on
this podcast.
Uh they're gonna be discussingwith me my trip to Maine a few

(02:22):
weeks ago, so let's get to it.
So Caleb, Ryan, thanks forcoming out and uh having a chat
with me on the uh my bear huntin Maine.
Uh, you know, I uh I've beengoing to Maine now for the past
three or four years, threeyears, going down every fall to
tag along uh bear hunting.
It's a pile of fun.
It's always a great time,actually, but this year was

(02:43):
really the cherry on top, andwe're gonna get right into that
in a minute.
I want to recap this morning,boys.
Uh, we had a good goose hunt.
We were fresh off the fields.
I'm glad that you guys changedand didn't come here full of mud
beforehand.

SPEAKER_03 (02:55):
And blood.

SPEAKER_01 (02:56):
And mud and blood.
Yeah.
Uh we got a uh six-man limit ofthirty thirty candy geese.
Kind of gotta look around theroom, make sure we're all like
in agreement with the number.
Yeah.
No, we did.
We could have got a lot more,but we didn't.
There was uh there's a crazyamount of geese.

SPEAKER_02 (03:13):
Wild.

SPEAKER_01 (03:13):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (03:14):
Yeah, we didn't shoot at uh very many of the
flocks, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 (03:17):
No, and we had a hard time bringing them in too
because we're on bare ground,pun intended, because we're
talking about bear today.
No.
Um and uh we were on bareground, the dirt and all that,
and then we have like, you know,our ground blind set up there
covered in corn and stuff.
They stuck out a little bit.
I mean, they're well concealed,but there's no other corn in the
field.

SPEAKER_00 (03:35):
It was a tough hide today.

SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
It was, yeah.
It was a really tough hide.
Um, another bear pun hide.
Uh tough hide.
But uh, anyways, yeah, no, it'sa lot of fun.
Uh we didn't get any duckstoday.
We had some kind of come in,flare off a bit, they just
wouldn't come in.
I think there's so many geeseout there, they're kind of like
bullying them.
You think?

SPEAKER_00 (03:54):
The geese were just steady all morning.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (03:57):
Yeah, it's kind of weird.
We didn't have any ducks earlierbefore the geese come in.

SPEAKER_00 (04:01):
No, not really.
It was also really foggy thismorning, too.
It was a lot of the birds flewlate.

SPEAKER_02 (04:07):
Yeah, it was one of those hunts that really seemed
to drag out later in theafternoon or morning, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 (04:12):
But yeah, late morning.
No, it was good.
It's a lot of fun.
Got a little muddy.
It rained, missed it, I guessyou could say.

SPEAKER_02 (04:19):
Heavy missed all morning.

SPEAKER_01 (04:20):
The whole time.
So and then uh that's why it'snice doing a podcast during the
day because it's rainingoutside.
So, I mean, what else are yougonna do?
Get wet?
We'll be out later getting wet,but yeah.
Um before I tell you guys aboutmy fun time in Maine on a bear
hunt, I want to talk about theimportance of bear management
and the use of hounds for it.

(04:42):
Because bears, although they canlook cute and cuddly, are still
predators which need to bemanaged.
And it has been proven thatnothing is better or more
effective in predator managementuh than the use of hounds.
Maine is rich in tradition usinghounds for hunting bear and
bobcat, coon, snowshoe hare,etcetera.

(05:02):
Um now in 2014 there was apetition that turned into a vote
that was very narrowly won bythe hound hunters to keep being
able to hunt bears with houndsin Maine.
They almost lost that.
Yeah, it was I don't know whatit was, like I thought it was
like 48 to 52 or whatever,something like that.

(05:23):
It was close.
So uh yeah, so it's sad thatthey actually came that close to
them losing a tradition and away of life and a very valuable
hunting method that helps withbettering the populations of
deer and moose.
Uh while it's under attack againby animal rights and
conservation groups.
The very unfortunate thing isthat there will probably be some

(05:44):
hunters that have the poorthinking of who cares I hunt
just deer or turkey or elk.
This doesn't affect me.
Well, it absolutely does andcan.
Um and does.
Houndsmen for uh the animalrights and PETA groups are
always the low-hanging fruit.
Uh it's an easy target to startwith to the uneducated in it.

(06:07):
If they can make it, they canmake the PETA and stuff can make
houndsmen and hunters look likethey're using just a bunch of
vicious, untrained hounds goingagainst poor, defenseless bears,
right?
And that's what they do andthat's what they use.
Um, those people won't just stopif they get hound hunting
banned, then it could be, youknow, it's unfair to use decoys

(06:27):
for waterfowl, or calls for elkor turkey, or tree stands for
deer.
You know, as hunters, we need tostick together and make sure we
don't give them an inch or theywill take a mile.
Do you guys agree?

SPEAKER_02 (06:38):
Yeah.
So do these dogs have to be likecertified to hunt the bears?

SPEAKER_01 (06:41):
Um in Maine, I can't see exactly how it works there.
Here to hunt coon and all that,they need to be.
But I mean, these dogs aren'tlike they're not they can't be
like running deer or anythinglike that, right?
Like they're just running bear.
They've got to be hounds.
Um yeah, but and all, like Isaid, the animal rights groups
make it look like they're just abunch of crazy, vicious,
untrained hands.
These bears are just like, youknow, so defenseless and this

(07:02):
and that.
I mean, it's not it's not trueat all.
But like I said, if if you're ahunter thinking like, well, I
don't hunt that, I don't care.
But I mean, PETA and stuff,they're they're gonna keep
going.
Yeah, okay, well, we got thisband.
Let's come after, you know, likeI said, no decoys for waterfowl
hunting or stuff like that.
Stuff no scopes on rifles.
It sounds ridiculous, butthey'll they're gonna they'll

(07:23):
keep going if they can.

SPEAKER_02 (07:24):
They'll pick pick one at a time.

SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 (07:26):
Just like all the gun laws here in Canada now.

SPEAKER_01 (07:28):
Yeah.
Just little by little.
Yeah, because before they'relike, oh, well, just now in
Canada you can't buy or sellhandguns.
People like thought they'd justleave it at that, and they are
going for everything they can.

SPEAKER_03 (07:40):
Yeah.
Right?

SPEAKER_01 (07:40):
So like I said, if you give them an inch, they're
gonna take a mile.
So uh just to be aware forhunters, but yeah, they are
starting that a petition uh inMaine right now.
When I was down there a fewweeks ago, that was starting to
make its rounds.
Some animal rights group orwhatever on uh it they went on a
site change.org.
Apparently, you can go on thereand just randomly do petitions.

(08:00):
It's kind of cool.
Bring back sloppy joes atlunchtime or something, right?
But you can't you can make upanything, I guess.
Um so, anyways, yeah, justsomething to uh to keep in mind.
So um, yeah, so this past year Iwent down to Maine.
This is my I think it's my thirdtime, my third fall in a row,
and uh it's a pile of fun.

(08:21):
I met Mike's been on the podcastbefore, he was on last year, uh
around this time, talking abouthow he got into uh the bear
hound hunting and all that, howwe got into hounds in
particular, and then to the bearhounds and everything, and uh
really passionate about it.

SPEAKER_02 (08:35):
How did how did he get into hunting with hounds?

SPEAKER_01 (08:38):
So, this guy that's in here with Hollerback Guide
Service, Bill Doretsky, he uh hetook him out one time, they're
hunting with beagles forrabbits, and Mike never grew up
with dogs or anything like that.
He was younger, I think he'slike 14 or something, and then
Bill's like, he's like, that wasa lot of fun.
And Bill's like, Well, there's aguy up the road from you that's
got beagles for sale.
And uh he bought one, it justkind of snowballed from there.

(09:01):
So we still have some beagles,and then he's got the big
hounds, and yeah, he uh heguides uh good old boys guide
service.
So um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (09:11):
So so when you're out there in the woods, how many
dogs do you normally havetracking the bears?

SPEAKER_01 (09:15):
Yeah, so in Maine, you can only have six dogs on
the ground at any given time.
Now you can bring out, you know,twenty some dogs if you want,
right?
But you've you so you switchthem out.
So the sometimes the bear, Imean, bears are marathon
runners, right?
So they can go quite a ways.
So when dogs are crossing theroad or something, if you know
they're coming up, you're gonnaswitch them out.
You're gonna grab a few dogs,some in on the ground.

(09:36):
Yeah, sub in.
But there can only be six bearson six dogs.
There could be a whole pile ofbears.
There can only be, yeah, sixdogs on one bear at any given
time.

SPEAKER_02 (09:46):
So is that to like every man in the woods with his
dogs, or how do they come upwith a number?

SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
Why do they have that number?

SPEAKER_02 (09:54):
Yeah, like so if you're hunting if you're if
you're tracking two differentbears, could you have twelve
dogs, or is it based off ofevery man with his dogs in
there?

SPEAKER_01 (10:02):
Is it just off of uh every group of hunters?
If you have a bear over in onesection here and you've got
another bear way over in anotherspot, it means two different
bears.
Right.
Right?
So you can have you know splitup.
But if you guys are on the samebear and there's ten different
guys, it's still only six dogs.
Right.
Okay.
And they do that, I guess,because before Maine, years and
years ago, from what Iunderstand, they didn't have a

(10:22):
rule on that.
So guys would just come fromdifferent states and this and
that, and they just have a bunchof dogs going, and if they, you
know, couldn't find them,whatever, this and that, I guess
there's just a bunch of dogsrunning around at least like a
long time ago, right?
So that's why they put that rulein place so people would kind of
keep better track of their dogs,I guess, from my right
understanding of it.

SPEAKER_02 (10:41):
So so in Maine, is that something you do over the
counter?

SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
Like a non-resident can come in and just Yeah, so
you've got to go with a guide ifyou're going to do it.
Okay.
Yeah, but you can still likepeople from other states bring
their dogs down and run themthere.
I think you have to get a permitfor it.
But um, yeah, you can bring yourdogs down and run them.

SPEAKER_02 (10:57):
You just have to be accompanied with a guide.

SPEAKER_01 (10:58):
You have to be accompanied by a guide and you
have to have a a hound permit.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So and guys do, because I'vebeen down before with Mike, and
guys brought their dogs downfrom uh West Virginia, stuff
like that.
Just run them.

SPEAKER_02 (11:10):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (11:10):
Everything.
Guys come down from NorthCarolina and stuff.
Yeah, because it's it's prettygood uh it's pretty good running
in Maine.

SPEAKER_00 (11:16):
What is the seasons that they run there?

SPEAKER_01 (11:17):
Uh so it's only fall, they don't have spring
season at all, eat with with orwithout hounds, baits just fall
season.
Um is it?
I think it starts earlySeptember and it goes to like
late October, I think.
Don't quote me on that.

SPEAKER_02 (11:31):
Do you know what you have to do to get your dog
certified or or there?

SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
No, I don't know the ins and outs of it completely
there.
Okay.
But it varies place by place.
I know here in New Brunswick, uhthey've got to be hounds and
then somebody that's certifthat's certified to certify them
for coon hunting.
Um, because we can't run bearswith hounds here in New
Brunswick, uh, they have to goout and see that they actually
do run a raccoon.

(11:55):
Right.
And that they're not gonna betaken off after every scent that
they get in the woods.
Right.
Kind of things.
I'm guessing it's similar tothat in Maine, but I cannot say
for sure.
So um yeah, then going across soit is Maine, New Brunswick.
I got across the border.
So this year, when I went down,it went pretty smoothly.
Uh the first year I went down, Itook my wife's car, and um I get

(12:15):
to the border, and they'verandomly searched me because a
young guy with a bunch oftattoos and all that's coming
through at like four o'clock inthe morning saying I'm going
hunting without a gun oranything.
And they always think they haveme.
They're like, Do you have anyweapons in the vehicle?
I'm like, nope.
And they're like, Well, how areyou going hunting then?
I was like, Well, I'm I'm justtagging along.
They're like, Okay.
Uh so they searched me the firsttime when I had my wife's car.

(12:35):
And uh like, is there anythingin there, any weapons?
I'm like, no, no.
And then they're like, anythingin there sharp that could poke
me or anything like that.
I was like, uh, I don't thinkso, unless my wife has a drug
problem I don't know about.
Um so they searched it, anyways,and this border patrol lady
comes back in looking pissed,and she's like, I thought there
wasn't anything that could pokeme in there.

(12:56):
I'm like, sweating, I'm like,Well, what'd you find?
She's like, There's needles.
I'm like, what?
She's like, You don't knowthere's needles in there?
I'm like, I didn't think there'sneedles in there.
Anyways, my wife's a pharmacytech, and they gave out free
Narcan kits at work.
So there's a narciss in therewith needles.
Yes, there's needles in there,in a you know, compartment in a

(13:19):
bag, in a plastic case.

SPEAKER_00 (13:22):
So yes, it could have been a little bit of a if
she opened up all those things.

SPEAKER_01 (13:26):
Yeah, if she went through the steps of opening
absolutely everything and jammedit into herself, she a hundred
percent could have gotten aneedle in her.
So, anyways, they let me go onthat one, but I was like, holy,
because I was I didn't know whatto expect.
She's needles thrown about inthere, like, no, no, they're all
cased up and everything.
So this time, um, yeah.
The past few times it's gone alot smoother because I take my

(13:46):
truck and I vacuum it all outand clean everything, and I find
all the stuff in my truck that Ididn't realize.
Like, oh, I found another box ofammo.
Here's another knife.
I think there's a gun under theseat, you know, but clean all
that out first.

SPEAKER_00 (13:57):
Find all your nickels.

SPEAKER_01 (13:57):
Yes, yeah.
Um, yeah.
So uh so anyway, so that wentwell, and then uh so I get to my
buddy Mike's house, and thisyear it kind of freaked me out
because Maine, uh, I believeit's it's an open carry, you can
carry, you know, handguns thereon you and everything, right?

SPEAKER_02 (14:11):
America.

SPEAKER_01 (14:12):
Yeah.
And um so I pull into uh hishouse at like five o'clock in
the morning, and uh there's anhour time difference between
here and there, so I was like,shit, am I early?
Am I late?
Because I don't see anyvehicles.
So I just like pull into thishouse that I was thinking was
his at that time, and I don'tsee any vehicles.
I'm like, uh.
I'm like, they left without me.
Someone's probably gonna comeout shooting or something, not
knowing who the hell I am.
Anyway, so I called him, like,uh, did you guys leave yet?

(14:34):
He's like, Yeah, no, we're onI'm on the other side of the
house.
So I'm like, oh, okay.
So I go over there.
Um, and uh yeah, thank Godthey're still there.
Kind of freaked me out for asecond.
And then uh so then after that,we get in.
Uh Mike's girlfriend Molly camealong.
She uh she didn't grow up aroundhounds or anything, she grew up
around uh duck dogs and stuff,but she took to it really well.

(14:58):
Uh she was a big help with thehounds and just kind of immersed
herself into that world and uhyou know, she's done really
great at it.
So then uh me, Mike, and Mollyget in the truck, load up the
hounds that were taking for thatday.
So the hounds we're using onthis are uh Mike's got a bit of
a mixture.
He's got um blue gascon, whichare kind of like uh blue tick,

(15:19):
and then he does have I guessblue tick cross, he's got like a
red bone, uh he's got someplots, and he's got a cur dog.
Okay.
Two and everything.
So a bit of a mixed bag, but allhounds and all uh good dogs, and
all of them young except for oneof them, but all the rest of
them are quite young.

SPEAKER_02 (15:34):
Like how young?

SPEAKER_01 (15:35):
Like uh year or so.
Really?
Yeah, really.

SPEAKER_02 (15:39):
Jeez.

SPEAKER_01 (15:40):
Uh I think well, yeah, they're boat right about a
year.

SPEAKER_02 (15:42):
That is that is really young.

SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
Yeah, how come there's no older dogs?
Uh he had some, but he only runsan older pack.
We still had some older dogs inthere, like some of the plots
and stuff a bit older.
Um, and then the Bill, he runsuh Redbone.
Oh, okay.
Redbone Hounds and stuff.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (15:59):
So these dogs, what's their attitude towards
bears?
Like I know when I go out coonhunting with you, your dogs hate
coons.

SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Yeah, these um I find the dogs are more I don't
find they despise them quite asbadly.
Some of them do, but they'remore just they're more there to
hunt them and run them.
Some of the dogs, how they'llbe, some dogs will get like
this.
Once the bear they get reallyclose to the bear, they'll run
it and track it, but once theyget real close, they kind of
like they'll back off a bit.
Some dogs will just kind ofleave.

SPEAKER_00 (16:25):
Is that when you switch your dogs out?

SPEAKER_01 (16:27):
Uh sometimes.
It it depends, but you have somefeistyer dogs that will kind of
like work at the bear and allthat and get it up a tree.
Oh, and then uh Danielle, whocomes in the picture just a
little bit, she has a oldEnglish tune hand.
Yeah.
Um really good dogs.
But yeah, some of the dogs, theyum see what you want, you want
your dogs to have some grit.
You want them not to be scaredof the bear.
You want them if they can kindof nip at it a little this and

(16:49):
that, just kind of get them togo up a tree if they can, right?
But you don't want your dog withtoo much grit getting right in
there and getting smackedaround.

SPEAKER_02 (16:56):
Yeah, you gotta find a happy medium.

SPEAKER_01 (16:58):
Yeah, yeah, because some bears are fine, some bears
not so much.
Right?
So but uh yeah, these bears arefar from defenseless.
If people are wondering that,they've got teeth, they've got
claws, they know how to usethem.
Uh but the the dogs love it,right?
They absolutely live for it.
Uh so then so then we go out andwe meet up with the Bills.
We got uh Bill Golepsby with uhGrandfalls Outfitters.

(17:21):
He mainly specializes in uh hedoes a lot of f uh guiding for
fishing and stuff throughout thesummer, and he does a lot of uh
hunting Bobcat with hands in thewinter, and then he teams up
with Bill Doretzky uh to huntBear, Bill Doretsky's hauler
back guide service.
And so him and Bill and then mybuddy Mike with good old boys
guide service, they team uptogether and run Bayer for the

(17:44):
summer, and then Danielle comeswith her dogs as well.

SPEAKER_02 (17:47):
So Grand Falls Outfitter, is that a New
Brunswick outfitter or Mainefrom Mayor?

SPEAKER_01 (17:51):
These guys all in Maine.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (17:52):
Because there's a Grand Falls right up there on
the border, too, right?

SPEAKER_01 (17:54):
Yeah, yeah.
No, this is in uh this is inMaine.
Okay.
Uh so we did that, and then itwas really neat this year.
So this year they had when I wasdown this time, they had the uh
Markel family.
So Shane, his wife Megan, andtheir son uh Brantley.
Brentley?
Brantley.
I hope I didn't screw that.

(18:16):
Anyway, it starts with a B.
He was uh he's pretty good.
So the day before I got there,is it Brantley?
I think it's Brantley.
Anyways, he um he's six yearsold.
He shot a bear the day before.
Oh, yes, yes.
That they that they treated withthe cooperation that they the
hounds is a hound sword, yeah.
Yeah.
That they treated with the houndsword.

SPEAKER_02 (18:32):
Oh, that'd be something different.

SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
Yeah, so he had a uh a 410 single shot with a scope
on it and a slug.

SPEAKER_02 (18:38):
Yes, sir.
Six years old, and he got it.
Yeah, he got it.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (18:41):
Super cool.
Yeah.
So it was cool though, becauseShane was down last year with
his friend Wayne.
So it was cool me coming downagain this year and meeting
somebody again from l last year.
That was, you know.

SPEAKER_03 (18:50):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (18:50):
That was there before that I'd met before, so
it was cool.
So I'd known Shane from before.
Uh he's from Ohio.
So yeah, that was fun.
So the uh yeah, the family.
There's it's gonna be a familyfair.
So that day when I was out, itwas Shane's turn to shoot.
Okay.
So that was the plan.
Um so we get out there, and howyou do it, how they do it is uh

(19:11):
sometimes you can have rig dogs.
You you know, you drive one ofthe dogs and get the scent of
the bear that'll be on top oflike uh the dog box in the back
of the truck, and they'll sniffit and they'll sound off and let
you know, right?
So you let them know it goes.

SPEAKER_00 (19:23):
So they can pick up the scent of a bear that walked
across the road from on top ofthe dog box on a moving truck.

SPEAKER_01 (19:29):
That's impressive.
That is impressive.
Um some of these dogs can dothat, but in Maine you can have
baits.
A lot of some places you can't,but in Maine you can, right?
So then they checked on onbaits, so they know, you know,
you have game cameras on there,you can see, okay, there's a
bear in at three o'clock in themorning or whatever, right?
Yeah.
So we head out right at firstlight, and uh, we get out there,
and then Bill had known thatthere was a bear out there

(19:50):
earlier.
So then you take your dogs inwith your best noses, right?
You strike your good strikedogs.
So you take the dogs in there,good noses, they're like
sniffing around all that, seeingif they can get the scent
working, seeing if they can getit going and all that, right?
And then um they'll strike.
You know, you guys have been outcoon hunting, right?
You know, they'll let off that,okay.
I've got a scent, and then youcan hear them progress and

(20:11):
working the scent, getting itbetter and better.
And then if it sounds likethey're really going to give it
to it, then you let a few moredogs go, they'll pack in and
away you go, right?
Yep.
So then we were all out theretalking and stuff, the dogs were
working the scent, working thescent.
It was really dry this year inMaine, so it's hard.
You want a little bit ofmoisture just to hold a bit of
scent, and uh there wasn't much,so the dogs were having quite a

(20:34):
hard time.
Then finally they seemed toreally get it going.
We were just out there talking,there's some moose on the road,
we were watching that andeverything, and then um so the
dogs get it going.
Then that's when we meet up withDanielle.
Danielle Poole, she she got intohounds, I think she's only been
into like three or four years.
Um, she's uh she's small, she'sshort, she's quite a
firecracker.
I'll tell you that girl can runsome hounds.

(20:55):
And uh she's even half famousbecause her dogs were on the W
calendar, the front of thecalendar for W.
That's where I get my houndhunting supplies and all that.
Her dogs made the picture forthat, so that's kind of cool.
Um anyway, so we meet up withher, she jumps in with us, away
we go.
Uh, she ends up getting her dogin, Bliss, on the chase.

(21:16):
And then uh so we're trying togo through.
So we've got this GPS trackerand everything, right?
On all the dogs wearing GPScollars.

SPEAKER_02 (21:21):
Yeah, so break this down.
They're they're wearing GPScollars, and you're in the truck
driving around trying to followthem to the closest roads.

SPEAKER_01 (21:27):
Drawing to with the with the roads, yeah.
So inside the truck, Mikeactually has like a bigger
screen.
You guys have seen mine for coonhunting, I have that small
handheld one.
They have those two, but whenyou get in the truck, they hook
it to like the big screen.
Okay.
So you can see it like on thedash.
So it's easier.
And then luckily in Maine,there's a lot of paper mill
roads everywhere.
Yep.
And uh, we were able to followthrough, you know, like that.

(21:48):
And I'll tell you that the toughtrucks, no mercy on them.
Yeah.
Just flying little little rabbittrails and stuff like that.
Uh so then we can see the dogsare running this bear and they
seem to be on it pretty good.
And um we get to um we get up tothis like mud hole, we're like
going through, and Mike's like,I don't know if it's that deep.
And we go through, and it it wasa bit deeper.

(22:10):
We thrust those couple back upand go ahead.
And um, anyways, and thenfinally we get we get out of
that mud hole.
We weren't really stuck, but itwas getting there, and then uh
the bear goes running across theroads we we get out to try to
see it, and then the bear justgoes flying across the road.
I'm like, holy shit, he's rightthere.
And then uh we tried to switchout, we grabbed a few dogs to

(22:30):
switch out, right?
We had some tired, and then umwe start going through, and then
Mike's like, here, the bear'sgonna come out the road again up
here.
So he takes off running, andMike's like over six feet, uh,
and he's quite an athlete.
I'm in decent shape.
Uh I wouldn't call myself anathlete.
I'm a lot shorter than Mike.
So I was like, Yeah.
So I'm like running after him.
And uh boy, that slowed downquick for me.

(22:52):
I was like, that's a lot, he's alot quicker than me.
Um so you guys were running tocatch up to see across the road
again?
Yeah, yeah.
We wanted to see, you know, whowas the bear.
We knew the bear was gonna crossagain up this little this little
road, right?
And then sure enough, my uh wegot a video of it.
You can hear us breathe, andwe're like, there, there he is.
The bear just goes flying acrossthe road and the dogs are on it.

SPEAKER_00 (23:12):
So And that would that cross the road like 15, 20
yards in front of you guys, wasit?
Or it was a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 (23:17):
I think it'd be closer than that.

SPEAKER_00 (23:18):
Like it was right in front of you.

SPEAKER_01 (23:20):
Yeah, yeah, 10 yards.
Anyway, so then uh we startedgoing in through the woods after
because we thought it might treein there.
So we're going through, and thenI'm like running, I'm keeping up
with Mike for about uh twoseconds, and then I quickly
realized it wasn't so uh here Iam like going through the main
woods by myself.
I'm not near anything really.
The girls are further back withthe truck.
I kind of have an idea wherethat road was because we ended

(23:40):
up going the woods a littleways.
Mike has his GPS tracker andstuff, he knows where he is.
I can just hear the dogs ahead,so I'm just kind of going
towards that, hoping that Mikedidn't say ah, screw it and like
veer out because I was like, Idon't have a tracker or
anything, I don't know where Iam.
I don't yeah, so I'm just kindof going towards the sound of
the hounds.
And I mean they could have goneon for another 15 miles or
something, I don't know.

(24:01):
So I'm going through them, J.
I'm trying, I'm walking at acrisp pace.
And um, anyways, and then I uhit gets I it's is I've been
going through for a while andthen I'm like I'm getting out of
breath, and then there's likethis thick, this thicket in
there.
Like the woods is a little open,then it gets really thick, and I
can hear the hands like right inthere.
So I'm like looking up in thetrees, thinking like, all right,

(24:22):
maybe the bear's treed.
Nothing.
And then uh, anyways, and then Icould kind of see the bear like
in the thicket there.
I'm like, oh shit, he's rightthere, and the dogs like kind of
surround him a bit, and then thebear's like just I don't know,
he's catching his breath, Iguess.
I mean, they can go quite a wayseasily.
And uh, so I'm all at breath.
I'm like, I'm like, yeah, hebetter run.
You don't you don't want none ofthat, you don't want none of

(24:45):
this shit.
You know, I was like, I waslike, I don't if the bear comes
at me like I don't want to, butI mean I'll fight him, right?
I yeah, I'll get it, can't do itto go.
I'm like, yeah, you know, I'llgive you all kinds of hurt up in
this.

SPEAKER_02 (24:58):
So you weren't carrying any bear spray or
anything like that, you alreadymentioned.

SPEAKER_01 (25:01):
Uh no, yeah, nope, uh, because I didn't really plan
on getting that position.
And then all of a sudden, younever knew.
I uh no, and then I just hear,can?
I'm like, yes.
And then uh it's he's like it'sMike, yeah.
It's it's it's a bear talking tome.
So he was um it was it was Mike.
I was like, Where where are youat?
He's like, I'm over here.
He's like the bear's right inthere to your left.
I'm like, all right.

(25:21):
Uh so anyway, it's like get overget over to Mike.
I'm like, man, I'm glad I caughtup with you.
And he's like, Yeah, I said itwas gonna dream, but then it
didn't ended up going further.
So then we're like, we'll getback out to the girls.
And then uh we realized theybrought the truck up and then
we're like shit, the mud hole.
So then uh they made it throughthe mud hole too, but like just
barely, because we werethinking, you know, for sure the
girls were gonna get uh getstuck in the mud hole, but they

(25:43):
weren't.
So then we get it, we get backin the truck, and then uh oh
yeah, too.
So I had uh from the sheep hunt,I had the uh the old boot chaps,
the gators.
Yep.
Right.
So I was like, uh I was I wasbragging them up too, right?
Because no one else had them on.
So I had I'm like, all thesegators are awesome.
Like they're they're they're sogreat.
I said, you know, I can gothrough all this wet stuff and
everything, and like no bigdeal, keeps your boots clean,

(26:03):
keeps you dry, and then I wasjust going on about how great
they are.
And then um, anyways, we're likerunning through the woods later,
and like everyone's like hoppingover this log.
I go to hop over it, catch mygator on it, just eat shit.
Fucking gators.
So I was like, never mind.
I mean they're they're good, butyou know, they're not like
amazing.
Um anyway, so then uh we couldtell that they're going out to
like this wider logging roadbecause we were just on like

(26:25):
these little tiny ones before,like, you know, if you have your
window down, you're gettingbranches in the face kind of
road, right?
Or ticks, because there's someof those in Maine.
So, anyways, we get out there,and then um all of a sudden we
see like these kind of likelights coming or whatever,
right?
And uh we could tell that thebear's gonna cross, but we were
just waiting out there a littlebit.
Uh Shane was out there with theother bills and stuff because we
had split up, and uh we see thisview coming up.

(26:48):
I'm like, look, I'm like, who'sthat?
Anyways, border patrol.
Oh, really?
Because I was like, why is heout here?
Mike's like, oh, we're right onthe Canadian border.
Oh, really?
So my first instinct was like,oh shit, run.
Anyways, uh, he caught me and Iwas like, Oh, that's a
misunderstanding.
No, I didn't do that.
I just saw him and um I was Iwas gonna get like a little
cocky with him, right?
I was like, oh, you missed onethis morning.

(27:09):
But um, I left my passport in mypickup truck at Mike's house.
So I was like, I don't want toget too like, you know, jokey
with him in case he's reallyserious and does ask my
passport, and I uh, you know,don't happen to um to have it on
me.
So uh anyway, so I just pulledup my main accent.
I'm like, oh yeah, we're goingbear hunting there.
I was out fishing yesterday withmy father, uh out on the big

(27:30):
boat there up in Bahaba.
So he's like, all right, I getit.
You're from Maine.
And I even had my main t-shirton that says uh Maine on it.
I got it in New Hampshire.
Um the biggest tourist in thewoods.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I I had my baseball hat on thatsaid go main, you know, stuff
like that.
So, anyways, no, Mike's like,oh, it I think it was Mike or

(27:52):
Bill.
He's like, you know, we're gonnawe're gonna shoot like when it
comes down the road, is thatthat okay?
Like, I don't know, right?
Because we're right by theborder.
He's like, Oh yeah, that's fine.
He's like, this is awesome.
He said, I think this thisshit's cool.
We're like, all right, good,because we're gonna do it
anyways.
Um, and then uh what'd Mike sayto me?
He's like, we'll make sure uh hesaid we'll get all the bears
that come from the Canadianside.
And he's like, That's good.
I said, I'll handle the rest.

(28:13):
I've looked around and I'm like,uh-huh.
So, anyways, we didn't have tosee any people that day.
Um, so yeah, so then so we seeso that we can tell that the the
dogs are on the bear, the bear'sgonna come out.
This one's not gonna treatbecause we've been trying.
I think that bear we put on Ithought it was like 15 or 19
miles miles on that bear.

SPEAKER_02 (28:34):
Um what's the duration of time on the scale?

SPEAKER_01 (28:37):
It varies.
No, but what was the duration oftime on that?

SPEAKER_00 (28:40):
How long had you been since the dogs originally
hit?

SPEAKER_01 (28:43):
I can't remember.
I'm gonna guess at least four.
I think we're about four hoursfor take.

SPEAKER_02 (28:47):
So do you know how many times you rotated the dogs
through or uh a couple, not asmany as you think.

SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
I mean, these dogs are in incredible shape.
And you have to try to get ahold catch them on a road.
And you gotta try to catch them,right?
Yeah.
Um so, anyways, so we did havesix dogs on it most all the
time.
Sometimes less, never more, butsometimes less.

SPEAKER_02 (29:07):
So, how often does a dog get left behind?
Do you have to go back and pickup the dog?
No.
No.
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (29:13):
Not these dogs, anyways.
They're all pretty well versedwith how the hunt works.
Like, yeah.
Okay.
They're they stuck together as apack pretty good.
I mean, these dogs workedtogether a lot and all that, so
uh so then Shane, what was heshooting for a gun?
I think it's a 4570.
It's like a kind of a fancierlooking gun.
And it it it it had quite a kickon it.
I think it was a 4570, he said.

(29:35):
Anyway, so we see Shane's downwith both Bills.
Or no, but Shane's down withBill Doretsky down this logging
on this logging road, right?
We're waiting.
We're like, the bear's gonnacross this, you know, this dirt
road here, and then shoots.
And the dog's behind us.
We're like watching, we'rewatching the border patrols
there with us, you know, gettinghis hand on his gun ready.
No, we're like, we we'll do theshooting, bud.
Um, no, he was good.

(29:56):
He thought it was neat.
I said, You weren't expectingthis this morning, were you?
He's like, No.
No.
Um, so anyways, and then wecould tell and then r we
realized that the bear was gonnarun down the woods more.
So there's a little bit of aroad going in.
So Bill Glutzby went in thereand starts honking his horn and
all that to try to get the makesure that the bear didn't turn
and that he keeps going straightand does cross the dirt road,

(30:17):
right?
For the boys to have a shot.
Yep.
And it wasn't so then Mike'slike, I'm gonna go in.
And I was like, I'm I'm going intoo.
Of course it couldn't keep upwith Mike again.
So he goes in and we're we'rewe're walk, he's walking through
the woods just up for me.
I'm just down, and we're walkingthrough to make sure that the
bear can at least smell us, hearus, everything, so that it
doesn't turn and go left.
We want it to go straight.

SPEAKER_00 (30:37):
So were you just like humming to yourself or
yeah?

SPEAKER_01 (30:39):
So I'm going through the woods, so I can hear the
dogs barking getting closer, andI'm walking through and it's so
thick in there, I'm thinkinglike, there's a bear in here
somewhere.
It's barreling down on you.
Yeah, barreling down somewherein here.
So I was like, all right.
So I'm just going through andI'm like, I'm not hearing
anything.
I was just bang.
And I dropped because no, he washe was far enough away from me.

(31:02):
Anyways, I just so I'm goingthrough, I'm like, it's so thick
in there, I'm just making surehe doesn't turn, and then it's
just bang.
And then uh and then I hearanother shot, and so then I'm
like trying to get out of thewoods there and stuff, and then
yeah, it turns out.
So what Mike and I us going in,it did keep the bear from not
crossing the road.
He did cross the road because wewent in.
Okay.

(31:22):
And uh when he came out on theroad, yeah, Shane made a great
shot.
She was ready for him.
Yep, yeah, he got it.

SPEAKER_02 (31:27):
Yeah, you wouldn't have much time when they're
crossing the road like that.
No, no, he's got it.

SPEAKER_01 (31:33):
Oh, yeah.
He got it just before I cameout.
Like there was like uh there's abit of like a open spot, like a
bigger ditch or whatever beforethe road.
And uh he shot it right therebefore that swing.
As we come out there and Shane'slike got blood all over his
hands, right?
And I was like, oh good job.
I was gonna shake his hand, hehad blood on just fist pump.
And I thought that it was fromthe uh from the bear.
He scoped himself.

(31:53):
Oh no.
Yeah, he scoped himself.
And uh apparently he'd scopedhimself the day before, too,
when he took a follow-up shotwith his son.
Oh maybe the thing.

SPEAKER_02 (32:04):
It's like man, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (32:05):
Well, he said they said, I think it's a little too
far back.
I'm like, shit.
And like he looked worse thanthe bear.

SPEAKER_02 (32:10):
No, but uh muzzle odor scope, they've got a bigger
eye relief on them.

SPEAKER_01 (32:14):
Yeah, well, I don't think he wanted a bigger one.
He wanted it so it was furtherahead.
If it was bigger, wouldn't ithit him worse?

SPEAKER_02 (32:22):
No, if it no, the eye relief is how how far away
away from your eye is when youget the full picture of the
scope.

SPEAKER_01 (32:28):
Yeah, so I think he was gonna move it.
Okay.
Yeah, I think he's definitelygonna move it.
I mean two days in a row.
You think that hurt?
You just walk into a door orsomething, well he'd be put your
nose around.

SPEAKER_00 (32:36):
It'd be especially easy to bleed the second day
because you're already a littlebit cut open.

SPEAKER_01 (32:40):
It'd be twice as sensitive, too.
Um so, anyways, yeah, so we gotthat, and uh no, it was pretty
cool.
Uh, you know, high fives allaround and stuff, and uh, we got
a great picture that you guysare looking at, printed up here
on the wall.
It was uh awesome group effort,and uh yeah, the uh the border
patrol guy comes down, he's likechecking a bit.
Did you take your next picture?
He didn't, no, no, in thatpicture.

(33:01):
The only one that's missing isBill Glutzby.
Uh he took it for us there.
But uh no, it was it was prettycool.
Yeah, he didn't offer to take apicture of the Border Patrol
guy.
What a dick.
No, he was good.
Um so, anyways, yeah, no, that'sit.

SPEAKER_00 (33:14):
He was checking the bear's passport, that's what he
was looking for.

SPEAKER_01 (33:16):
Yeah, yeah.
Uh so no, it was a lot of fun.
And uh so after that, we wentout and we went to uh in Maine
there.
Uh we were in like Baileyvillewoodland area.
Uh we got the bear, you know,tagged and everything.
We got it cleaned out in thewoods there, and then we got it
tagged and stuff, took it to thebutcher, and then it's kind of
like a tradition there after thehunt, we went to this restaurant
called Old School Restaurant inthere, sweet old gal working,

(33:40):
and uh she already knew the crewwas coming in.
She had her places there andeverything, coffee and stuff
ready to go.
And uh yeah, we had a meal andBill Bill paid for it, you know?
And uh Bill Dretsky, and then umyeah, and we had a great meal
and stuff.
So then after that, we keptback, got the dogs all fed and
watered.
One of the dogs took a bit of ahit.

(34:00):
Uh one of Bill's dogs, his uhred bone, she uh the bear, I
think, just turned around andjust smacked her.

SPEAKER_00 (34:06):
Probably when they were in that thicket.

SPEAKER_01 (34:07):
Yeah, I think so.
In that thicket, the bear turnedaround and smacked her.
And anyways, it cut her a bit,so he was gonna take her to the
vet and get her gone over andstuff.
I mean, that happens, some,right?
The dogs love it, they live forit, but it's like So how many
bears can they take?

SPEAKER_02 (34:19):
Dangerous job.

SPEAKER_01 (34:20):
How many bears can they take in Maine?

SPEAKER_02 (34:22):
Yeah, like a year.

SPEAKER_01 (34:23):
A year per person?

SPEAKER_02 (34:24):
Yeah, well, I how how does that work?
Does it is it based off theperson that pulls the trigger
that tags it?
I'd assume, right?

SPEAKER_01 (34:30):
Yeah, yeah, like here, like anywhere.

SPEAKER_02 (34:32):
So can they get like one or two tags then per person
per year?

SPEAKER_01 (34:34):
I think it's only one per year.
You mean like how many can oneperson take, right?

SPEAKER_02 (34:39):
Yeah, well, I'm just wondering how many times they
can go out and run their dogs onbears and oh they can run them
during the season because thatthat's their guide service,
correct?

SPEAKER_01 (34:46):
That's a guide.
Okay, yeah.
So like Shane shot it, so he'stagged out, right?
But then, you know, his wife hada tag and stuff like that.
And then you can still havetraining seasons that you can
run and stuff, but um yeah, no,the they the guys can run them
every day.
Right.
They kind of shoot them.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (35:01):
Right.

SPEAKER_01 (35:01):
Um, just whoever has a tag.

SPEAKER_02 (35:03):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (35:04):
Yeah, but the dogs can run them and stuff.
So um, no, that was great.
And then uh yeah, went back, gotthe dog.
Uh Bill took us to the vet, gotit all looked after, she was
fine, and um, yeah, got the dogsfed and watered and resting up
for the next day.
And we went back and uh watchedbear hunting on YouTube that
night.
We were watching Zach Hart andKirk Price, which are two guys I

(35:25):
really like watching on YouTubefor their bear hunts.
They're in West Virginia.
Okay.
In West Virginia, I think it isyou can run bear there like
almost every single day of theyear.
Oh really?
You can't hunt them every day,but you can yeah, train on the
phone.

SPEAKER_00 (35:36):
All the training season goes around.

SPEAKER_01 (35:37):
Yeah.
I mean the bear populations arethey're just so high.
I mean, it doesn't matter tohunting them.
I mean, here we we're huntingover bait because we can't run
hams here.
Um you know, people are goingfor size and all that.
But I mean, just to get the bearpopulation's high, I think,
everywhere in North America.
I mean, they need, like I saidearlier, they need to be
managed, right?
Big or small.

(35:58):
They're gonna be going afteryour deer and moose populations
and stuff.
So it's good any size.
Um, so yeah, bear hunted thatday, watch bear hunting that
night.
The next morning, gearing up,ready to go.
So Danielle met us uh at Mike'sin the morning.
We get everyone loaded up, anduh same thing again.
We meet at the shell in themorning that's near there, meet

(36:18):
up with the bills, work out theplan for the day.
And that day it was uh Megan'sbear that we were going after,
Shane's wife.
So um I think this is I don'tknow if it's her first it was
her first bear for sure.
I don't know if it was her firstbig game animal or not.
But she was good, and then I'llgive him give him that, their
son Brantley.

unknown (36:36):
Bentley or Brantley?

SPEAKER_01 (36:37):
And I think it's Brantley.
Starts with the B.
He uh for six years old.
I'll tell you that kid was fullof piss and vinegar every single
morning.
Like he was ready to go, liketough little guy.

SPEAKER_00 (36:46):
It was a competition between you two, pretty well.

SPEAKER_01 (36:48):
He was more awake than I was, not coffee.
Like he uh, yeah, no, that kid,he he's a trooper, I'll tell you
that.
Like he he was just fired up andready to go like every morning.
Um, so uh yeah, he was he wasready to rumble.
So we get to the bait and uh itwas dusty and they'd freshly
graded the road out there.
So we're like, ah shit, we'regonna have a little trouble.

(37:09):
So we had a little trouble getgoing, and then um the dogs were
kind of running.

SPEAKER_00 (37:14):
They they had another pitcher the next night
on a different bait.

SPEAKER_01 (37:17):
Oh, yeah, there's so many bears out there.

SPEAKER_00 (37:18):
How many baits are they running?

SPEAKER_01 (37:20):
Uh I don't know how many they're running, but they
it there's just bear.

SPEAKER_00 (37:23):
So then they just they just when they head out in
the morning, they just pickwhatever the freshest bear was
at a bait and they head there.

SPEAKER_01 (37:29):
Normally, yeah.
Yeah, normally.
So anyways, we're out there,we're checking this bait and the
dogs are having some troublewith it because again, it's just
so dry, and them freshly gradingthe road.
So if the bear crossed the road,the dogs were they were having
some trouble.
And then Bill uh has a uh cellcamera, his phone went off and
he looked and he's like, Oh, hesaid, I've got a bear.
We couldn't tell how big becausehe has the camera a bit low, but

(37:49):
a bear just walked by one of hisbaits, uh, I don't know, a few
miles away.
So he's like, Well, we're havingtrouble with this when he asked
Mike, so I was in with Mike andDanielle, and uh they had their
dogs in there.
He's like, Do you guys want togo see if you can get that one
started?
And then Danielle was like alittle hesitant because we had
young dogs, she's like, Oh, Idon't know.
And then he Bill's like, Ohyeah, you guys got the dog

(38:09):
power.
And you see, she had a littleskip in her step after that.
She's like, Okay, I guess we do.
And um, so anyway, so we get outthere and uh they put a couple
of dogs down with their bestnoses, right?
And then sure they they werelike sniffing around, and then
bam, one of the heads, one ofthe dog's heads boat got
whiplashed.
You just like whoops whips herhead around because she got the

(38:30):
scent, and away they go.
So then we're trying to go afterthis, so they go get going down
this uh this road.
They're going through the woods,and we get going down this road
after them, and then Mike justlike stopped because they had
this great big pile of you knowuh dirt and all that.
So we couldn't get over that.
It's like I don't know, amountain of rock and shit.

(38:50):
So, anyways, Mike gets offrunning down there to see if he
could see the bear andeverything.
I get running after him, realizethat's not gonna happen.
So Danielle waited in the truck,and I come back with my head
down, like couldn't keep up withMike.
She immediately she's like, Didhe yell at you?
I was like, No, he kicked me.
Why?
No, it's like, no, I can't keepup.
Anyway, so uh Mike's in prettygood shape and long legs.

(39:11):
So, anyways, um he gets back tothe truck, then we go further up
the road, and uh we jump out ofthe truck, get running down
there.
Sure enough, we do see the bearcross.
I'm like, all right, they are onhim.
And like I said, it's all youngdogs, like a year or so old, not
a shit ton of experience.
Like they're doing really,really well.
Um, and then they had one olderdog in there, Bella.

(39:32):
She was good.
And uh anyway, so we're goingalong, and then uh, anyways,
we're like, we're gonna they'regonna get this bear tree, like
they're right on its ass andeverything.
And then sure enough, we'relooking, and uh at the GPS and
stuff, we could tell it's treed.
So the the three of us go inthere and the dogs, they have
got it treed, and they're thepups are like so excited and
everything, and they're justscreaming and going, and we're

(39:53):
looking up, and there's thebear.
Um, so then we called the Billsand said we've got it treed.
I don't know how it's going overthere, and they weren't having
too much luck with that bear,right?
So then they ended up uh theyended up coming out there, and
then Megan came in, everyone gotlined up, bang, shoots, great
shot, dropped the bear, and umthe so we let the dogs go in
there, you know, biting at itand stuff, checking it out.

(40:14):
So we've been working on it.

SPEAKER_00 (40:16):
When you guys go to shoot, do you guys then pull the
dogs back off?

SPEAKER_01 (40:19):
Yeah, yeah.
So that's the thing.
So before anyone shoots, thedogs are pulled back and uh
leashed and hooked to a tree.
Like we don't want the bearlanding on something like coon
hunting.
You know, we go coon hunting,the dogs would be thrilled if
the coon landed on them becauselike they're ready to fight,
right?
But with the bear, no.
So the dogs they're leashed awayfrom the tree and tied to
another tree further back, yeah.

(40:40):
Um, and then um he was yes, webring them up and make them made
great shot.
We tagged that bear and themacro family, Markel family was
taked out Markel, I think that'sit.

SPEAKER_02 (40:52):
So when they're shooting a bear in a tree, like
where are they aiming for?

SPEAKER_01 (40:55):
Uh vitals.
Yeah, and that's the nice thingtoo about the tree.
I mean, if you want to getpicky, uh you know, you can look
like I don't want that bear,this bear, and also too, you're
you're not rushing the shoteither, right?
You can take your time becausethe bear's treed.
Where's it gonna go?
Yeah, you know, so it's yeah.
Um at uh yeah, so she made agreat shot, the bear landed, and

(41:16):
uh high fives all around, and umyeah, so they the three of them
were tagged out.
So I mean they had a good time.

SPEAKER_00 (41:22):
Where did you say they were from again?
That family?
Ohio.
Ohio.
So they they were there withthat guiding service.

SPEAKER_01 (41:27):
Yeah, well they came, like I said, Shane had
come the year before uh with hisfriend Wayne, and uh I think
he'd been down before the yearbefore that too.
And yeah, they just always havea really good time and stuff,
and uh yeah, Shane's a busy guy.
He owns uh Bear Claw Masonry.
So if you're in Ohio looking toget some stuff work, some some
work done, um yeah.

(41:49):
If you're looking to get somework done, bear claw masonry and
construction, he does that coollogo and everything.
And uh yeah, so then got thebear, gutted, dragged it out.
The dogs were so happy, and likeI said, they did great.
And luckily, this bear wasn'tmean or anything.
So I think one of them got itsear bit a little.
It sounds bad, it wasn't bad.
It's fine.
I don't know if the bear bit myear, I'd be making a bigger deal

(42:10):
about it, but yeah, no, uh, itwas fine.
And then uh we went again to theuh old school restaurant and
Shane Paid that day, and the oldgal in there.
Well, she's not old, she's notyoung.
She uh she's still prankedchicken.
I don't think she'll listen tothis.
She was a bit older.
Uh believe it or not, she was uhDanielle's lunch lady in school,
so she knew her.
Yeah, not when the girl was inschool and Danielle was in

(42:31):
school.
Um, anyways, so she uh yeah, shealready had her coffees there
ready to go.
And uh yeah, it's just fun.
Like just I love going down toMaine every year.
Hopefully I can keep going foras long as possible.
And uh hopefully they feel thesame way.
But going down there withhanging out with Mike and and
the Bills and all that's like mymain family almost, and

(42:51):
hopefully they kind of feel thesame way.
If not, this is awkward, andit's gonna be weird when I see
them again.
They listen to this.
No, but uh they're they're a lotof fun and they're really
welcoming.
And I like I love Maine that thefact that um it's almost like
it's stuck in time, but like ina good way, right?
You know, it's not all thiscrazy hustle and bustle and all
this, you know, technology crapand everything.

(43:12):
Like there is some, but it'sjust I don't know, it's just
kind of stuck in time in a goodin a good way.
And it's the main woods isbeautiful.
Yeah.
I mean, you don't see any massclear cuttings there, they're
not spraying, they're notplanting it all back.
Monoculture, so the wildlife isa lot more abundant.
I mean, they have great naturalresources, and I find that they
take them a lot more seriously,I mean, than they do here in New

(43:34):
Brunswick and stuff.
We're here, they just clear it,spray it, plant it back all in
species.
I mean, yeah, the animals aren'tdoing well in that.
So I uh yeah, real life, mate.
I'll be back down this springfor uh turkey hunting.

SPEAKER_03 (43:47):
Nice.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (43:48):
Yeah.
And then again next fall forbear hunting.

SPEAKER_03 (43:51):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (43:52):
Unless they hear this podcast, but for not family
of weirdo.

SPEAKER_03 (43:55):
Steak animals.

SPEAKER_01 (43:56):
Yeah.
No, but it's just so nice andand welcoming.
And uh, like I said, it's it'sjust a lot of fun.
I met Mike on Facebook.
I talked about when I got intohounds, if I could go down, I
went on this, I don't know, BearHound hunting in Maine or
something, some group like that,and asked about coming down,
just tagging along with somebodyto learn some more hound stuff
and everything, and and uh justbeing able to tag along, and

(44:17):
then Mike messaged me, like,yeah, come on down.
And then, you know, we've beenfriends since.
It's been a lot of fun.
And these people, I mean,they're good houndsmen, hounds
women and stuff.
They know they're they know whatthey're doing.
And uh I remember last year whenI was down, I learned one of the
dogs had gotten into aporcupine.
Sometimes that happens, not alot, but once in a while.
So you have this great big, youknow, bear hound that has

(44:38):
quills, face full of quills, anddoes not want to be touched,
right?
I'll tell you the boys or someslick, he just, you know, the
dog didn't made he was he wassour, but I don't blame him.
It hurt.
I remember uh I think it wasMikey just took his hand, put it
up between the dog's back legs,grabbed his front one, right?
Flipped him over, just held himup, kind of hog tied him a bit,
put the axe handle in his mouth,got all the quills out, easy

(44:59):
peasy, away he goes.
The dog was, yeah, good to go.
I mean, you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (45:03):
He's probably done that, he's done that before.

SPEAKER_01 (45:05):
He's done that before.
I'll tell you the boys wereslick at it, real slick because
I mean that can be an issue andyou you don't want to just be
taken.
I remember I know people havetaken their dog to the vet for
that.
They can't, you know, and it'slike it's you're you they put
your dog under something.
You're looking at upwards like athousand bucks.

SPEAKER_00 (45:21):
Yeah.
Well they have they have to puthim under, like they wouldn't be
able to deal with it the way hecould just grab that and so I
mean I learned that.

SPEAKER_01 (45:27):
So I mean I had my dog, we were out coon hunting.
Uh no, it was this spring, justtraining.
And uh there's a porcupine, theyjust like just oh, there's
porcupine, just a quickinstinct.
I've never had an issue becauseyou've been out with me, Ryan.
We've had a porcupine right inthe field coon hunting, and the
dogs just went around it, butthis was the spring, and they
hadn't been on any coons in awhile, and they're just
exercising, they just see it,and it's just like a quick

(45:48):
reflex.
He just like a dog houdini justlike kind of you know, bit at it
quickly, and the be as he wasdoing it, you could tell he
realized like, oh shit, no, justthe predator prey thing quick.
Normally I don't have anytrouble.
And then um we got all thequills out here, and I kind of
did the same trick and itworked, but no, just the hand
skills and and people too.
I mean, some people have theperception that you know the

(46:12):
hunters don't care about theirhands and all that.
I'm telling you, these guys, Imean, this family, right?
They deal with these dogs everyday.
The dogs are so well lookedafter, and everything you ra
Mike's raised nearly all of themfrom pups and stuff.
I mean, these dogs mean theworld to them.
You know, so it's uh I find mosthoundsmen and women are like
that.
There's you know, the PETA mighttry to get you to think

(46:33):
differently, but no, these dogsare they're like family to them
and they they're so valuable.

SPEAKER_02 (46:39):
Takes a lot of tenacity to, you know, have
hounds and train them and workthem like they're supposed to
work and use them, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (46:44):
It's uh it's three sixty five.
You think about some people thathunt deer.
I mean, they can be kind of atit 365 days a year scouting and
all that, but I mean some guysjust hang a tree stand, put some
apples out or whatever, right?
These hounds, it's every day.

SPEAKER_00 (46:56):
They're going yeah, all the time.

SPEAKER_01 (46:57):
Every day, yeah.
You've got to look after themall the time.
And it's just yeah, they theymean a tremendous amount to the
people that that own them andstuff.
So take that, PETA, youbastards.
So um, but uh yeah, so that wasmy recap of my main bear hunt
this year, and uh it waspolyfun.
Can't wait to do it again nextyear.

SPEAKER_00 (47:16):
Pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 (47:17):
So all right, boys.
We uh you guys look tired fromthe uh from the hunt this
morning.
We got up too early, I think.

SPEAKER_00 (47:24):
We definitely had some spare time.

SPEAKER_01 (47:25):
Yeah uh yeah, we had enough spare time that we could
sit in the blinds, talk for awhile and go into the barn and
have coffee.

SPEAKER_02 (47:30):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (47:31):
Yeah.
A lot of decoys out though.

SPEAKER_02 (47:33):
Yeah.
Well, better that than beinglate and having birds fly over
you while you're setting up.

SPEAKER_01 (47:37):
Yeah, we didn't we did not have to worry about that
this morning.
Not at all.
No.
So until next time.