As the 2024 hunting season kicks off, I can not believe that it has been a decade of hunting bears in Maine! I remember planning the initial meeting at Cabela’s and inviting every hunter I knew in the greater Portland area.  I wanted to prove that there were plenty of people who were passionate about bear hunting in Southern Maine. If I remember correctly, the room was close to packed when James Cote started talking about the bear referendum and what the plan was to win at the ballot box.  I look back now and cannot believe it was 10 years ago!

I had never hunted a bear.  I knew how to talk about the various methods but I had not experienced a hunt.  When that meeting ended, a bear hunter named Steve offered to teach me how to bear hunt. I eagerly took him up on the offer.

Baiting

All summer, I unwrapped sweets, loaded them into barrels and lugged 5 gallon buckets into the sites.  We changed our clothes to minimize our scent.  We wore rubber gloves.  I got my first experience (and smell) of rotting beaver and old lobster bodies, as they hung out in the July sun.  I saw how much time and money went into managing the bait sites to ensure bears were coming in on a regular basis.  I did this for two years with Steve and although I had a close encounter, I never shot a bear over bait.

Dogs

In early October, I saw a Facebook post by Tim Cote advertising a one day bear hunt with hounds.  I knew if I wanted to write about bear hunting, I should try as many methods as possible so I contacted him and told him I would love to go. I will never forget the sound of the hounds when they caught that bear’s scent or Tim’s words as we looked at the dogs on the GPS, “They got you a bear.”

Erin’s successful black bear hunt in 2014.

In the Media

Downeast Magazine dedicated their whole fall 2014 issue to ‘Why We Hunt.’ Given their audience, it was a gutsy move.  Thanks in large part to the incredible George Smith, I wrote an article for the issue and some fellow outdoor women and I were the ‘centerfolds’ decked out in our camo under the Casco Bay Bridge.  Again, proving that hunters live all over this state.

As we got closer to that November vote, I attended a live televised debate and heard the most insane things being said about hunters, bear hunting and conservation in general.  Things were tense and nerve racking.

I would have never guessed the role that bear hunting would play in my life.  I have shot 3 bears in Maine since then.  A couple of those bears have gone with me into classrooms to give first graders the chance to feel a bear rug and see what their skulls looks like.  I show them what a bear trap looks like and share photos of going with biologists to trap and collar bears in the spring and cuddle cubs in the winter.  I give that teachers huge kudos for adding hunting to her curriculum as she teaches about bears each winter.

Continuing education

Almost every civic group that I am a part of has, at one time or another, eaten bear chili or queso dip.  They get excited about it.  At a recent event, a former fellow Rotarians mentioned remembering me bringing bear chili to one of our meetings.  It is my way of helping people who do not hunt get a better understanding of why I do.

The next time we have to fight for our hunting rights, I hope that the same people who enjoyed my wild game meals will think about which box they check when they are filling out their ballots.  I hope they realize how beneficial – and tasty – hunting is and they will support us.  I like to think that with every dish I serve, I am helping us gain a few more votes.

It has been 10 years of talking to people about bear hunting and the importance of it. Ten years of feeding people bear meat to prove that it’s not a wasteful hunt. And ten years of supporting guides and outfitters and they do the hard work to help hunters be as successful as possible. I am grateful for all of it.