Important 2026 Season Update

Recently, owner and operator of Tucker Ridge Outdoors, John Floyd experienced a series of serious and life-threatening medical events. He is currently receiving treatment and ongoing testing. His prognosis is positive but will take time.

At this time all future operations, to include DIY activities and lodging, are suspended until John completes recovery and receives medical clearance to guide clients on the water and in the woods. We do not know how long this may be. As a result, TRO will not be booking clients for the 2026 fishing and hunting seasons.

As our clients know, we had hoped to be able to commit to hunting seasons by early January. However, the unknown is just that and the need for additional tests and medical specialist appointments continued to push out that target date and the results dictated the need to suspend this year’s coming seasons. Unfortunately, we also cannot say with any certainty what future seasons hold until our path is clearer.

It appears that John’s recovery and continued monitoring will last at least several months and we believe the timelines to make the 2026 season happen are too fluid – for TRO and our clients.

We want all clients to know how much we appreciate them and that we want the best opportunity available for them, even if it is not here at TRO this season.

Lastly, we ask clients and friends of TRO to refrain from bombarding John with calls or private messages of well wishes. While we do appreciate the support we know our clients will want to express, the volume of contact may be too overwhelming to be helpful.

John has guided several hundred clients from over 36 states and 5 foreign countries over the years; there are many of you out there and most are still in contact. The best way our friends and clients can help is to let John focus on his health. Thank you for understanding.

Please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook and we’ll keep you updated as developments arise.

Hunt Predators, Save Deer

It’s no secret that the deer population in Maine has been on a downward trend for several years. While pockets of the state hold decent whitetail numbers, many rural and remote regions continue to see a decline in mature deer. Mild winters and abundant food sources haven’t changed that as far as I can see. One thing that has changed though is the ratio of predators to deer I see and hear on Tucker Ridge year after year. It’s time for us to get serious about predators.

Coyotes get a lot of the blame

According to the Eastern Coyote species assessment released by MDIFW in 1999, the coyote is the top predator in the food chain here in Maine. The report notes that coyotes are opportunistic killers of prey species, meaning they take healthy animals along with the weak. It also means they may kill more than they can eat. Also, the average size of a male Maine coyote is 35 lbs. versus a typical 24 lbs. for Western Coyote, enabling them to bring down adult deer.

In a 1981 study conducted in Alberta, deer remains were found in less than 10% of coyote stomachs collected during the winter. In contrast, a 1995 winter study of Maine coyote scats found that 60% contained deer material.

Curiously, the assessment comes to the conclusion that starvation and wintering affect deer mortality more than coyote predation does. I’m not a biologist, nor do I discount the findings of the smart folks down in Augusta, but I know what I see and hear.

Opening day of deer season I was perched in my tree stand long before first light, over watching a game trail that snaked along a ridge line. I had noticed plenty of game sign in the area including deer tracks, bear scat and a fisher that came to steal an apple from a tree 25 yards away as I was making final adjustments in my stand.

I started making some doe bleats to entice a buck, but to my surprise, the biggest coyote I’ve put glass on came in looking to kill that doe just 15 minutes later.

I shouldn’t have been surprised though. We hear several distinct packs of coyotes all along the ridge. At night we can hear the celebration of a kill. It can send chills down your spine when they are close and catch you off guard in the silence of the big woods. There seem to be more and more coyote every year and less deer.

Ask any deer hunter and they will tell you a coyote story.

Bobcats are deer killers too

Like coyotes, bobcats are also opportunistic killers. Averaging 3 feet in length and weighing in at around 30 lbs., male bobcats are big and strong enough to take down both fawns and adult deer. While snowshoe hare are the main staple of the bobcat’s diet, a 1984 study cited in the MDIFW’s 1986 Bobcat Assessment revealed that 40% of adult male bobcats had deer in their stomachs.

Bobcats are reclusive animals that thrive in habitats that sport rocky ledges, dense underbrush and woodland blow downs. That pretty much describes Tucker Ridge. Much of the preferred terrain bobcats’ use is also choice bedding area for Maine whitetails.

“Maine is near the northern edge of the bobcats’ range. When the temperature drops below 46′ F, a bobcat has to increase its metabolic rate (and therefore the amount of food it eats) just to keep warm (Gustafsen 1984)” notes Karen Morris, author of the MDIFW’s assessment.

To me that read, “We have some hungry bobcats in Maine.”

MDIFW’s “Living with wildlife” bobcat page notes that these animals are “rarely observed in the wild”. I have no doubt that may be true in the more populated areas of the state, but here on Tucker Ridge we have a healthy population of them.

On Monday of the third week of deer season I was in a different stand about 300 yards away. I followed a similar routine as first light washed over the ridge and started calling for deer with a doe bleat.

Much the same as opening day, I was surprised by what came slinking in not 50 yards from my stand. A big bobcat moving left to right up the ridge, looking for a meal. These cats aren’t just in the deep woods though.

A neighbor at the northern edge of the ridge sees bobcats moving through her property regularly. Just recently she captured a photo of an adult female with two young a couple hundred yards from the house. That’s two more bobcat than bucks she saw.

Hunting them

Night hunting is the most popular method for successful coyote hunters, while hounding for bobcats is the most preferred choice. While these methods are proven, my recent experiences tell me they aren’t the only way.

Coyotes use their sense of smell as the primary tool when hunting. Their vision and hearing are also remarkably developed. Bobcats are more sight and sound hunters. What these predators both have in common though are their choice of prey.

I keep a red squirrel bag in the game freezer that I add to all year long. When the snowshoe hare and ruffed grouse seasons open in October, I kept the carcasses after I process them as well. Any and all deer leftovers from processing complete the menu. A bucket with a plastic handle gets filled with bait and gets carried in to my hunt site, about 100 yards from my setup. I fix the handle in the up position and hang a squirrel tail or partridge wing from it so that during a gentle breeze, it provides a visual attraction on top of the smell.

Calling gets their attention; the smell and visual seals the deal.

Best Boots for Winter Warmth

Along with your hands, your feet are usually the most susceptible to cold weather. If your feet aren’t warm, you will never be comfortable; no matter how many layers of the best hunting clothing you can buy are worn. And if you have had a cold weather injury such as frostbite in the past like me, you know you can hardly ever keep your feet warm from deer season through coyote season – otherwise known as November through March.

I recently asked some clients from across the country how they keep their feet warm and to name their favorite winter boot. These are hunters, ice fisherman and trappers for the most part, and if anyone knows about cold feet it is this crowd. While there were varied opinions on brand, most agreed on certain features.

The boots

The most recommended brands, in no particular order, were Muck, LaCrosse, Baffin and my favorite – the U.S. military surplus extreme cold temperature boots; also known as the Mickey Mouse and Bunny boots.

According to my respondents, each brand and design has its own drawbacks. The Muck Artic Pro has a loyal following, but detractors complain of durability – especially with neoprene tearing and sole separation issues. LaCrosse is another big favorite but rubber cracking and declining quality came up several times in the debate. Baffin Trapper boots were well recommended for severe sub-zero temps, but again, some folks were critical of them for being too bulky and don’t recommend them if you walk long distances. The extreme cold temperature military surplus boots have a staid following and a proven track record, however they require the right socks to prevent feet from sweating and a proliferation of imitation knock offs can make it a challenge to ensure you are getting authentic boots.

One size doesn’t fit all

What seems to be the most difficult aspect in deciding on a pair of boots is the walking versus sitting conundrum. Still hunting or walking in to a tree stand that is located deep in the woods calls for a boot that can breathe so your feet don’t sweat. Same goes for a stroll through the woods looking for antler sheds. When you stay moving, your feet stay warmer. Conversely, sitting in a blind or standing on ice all day while ice fishing requires a boot that keeps the cold out and the heat in. Lack of motion in these instances causes circulation to slow and feet to cool.

The consensus is that the type of activity you are engaging in will dictate the type of footgear you’ll need. Terrain, mobility and weather all affect the type of boot you’ll need. You may find you’ll end up with several pairs of boots suited to specific tasks. I’ve yet to find a single perfect solution for all activities I’m engaged in over the colder months: stand hunting, still hunting, ice fishing, predator hunting, snowshoeing and the list goes on.

While I don’t know if we will ever see the perfect universal winter boot for the outdoorsman, there are some things that just about everyone agreed on.

Wool, Felt, and Warmers

One recurring theme, and one I very much agree with, is what goes on your feet before the boots do. Wearing proper socks goes a long way in keeping your feet warm and dry. Wool is the best choice by far; you’ll need to experiment though to find the right weight so you don’t cause overheating and thereby, sweating.

Felt liners provide an additional barrier to keep the warmth in and the cold out. Look for a pair of boots with removable felt liners. You should remove them daily to dry out any moisture accumulated during wear.

Individually packaged foot and hand warmers have become very popular. One placed under the arch of the foot and one placed at the toes will provide comfort on the coldest days. This works especially well when you are stationary.

A word about Thinsulate

Thinsulate is the brand name of a synthetic insulating material developed by 3M. Its primary use is in clothing and is rated by grams; the higher the gram weight the higher the insulating factor.

Most folks, when discussing their boot choices, almost always noted the Thinsulate rating of their boots. The ratings ranged from 600gr to 2000gr, highlighting the differences between rubber and leather boots. On average, those who chose rubber boots had lower Thinsulate weights and the leather boot crowd had the highest counts. This is likely due to the breathability differences in rubber and leather.

After tallying responses, the cumulative advice is this: Fit the boot to the task. Wear wool socks. Use felt soles and liners where you can and remember to air them out daily. If you move a lot over dry terrain to a fixed location, a pair of leather boots with between 1000 – 2000 grams of Thinsulate may be your best choice. If your operational area is wet or you stand on ice a lot, rubber style boots may be the way to go.

Last but not least, you can never go wrong with having a few foot warmer packs on hand – just in case.

The Long Haul

I dropped the truck into gear and looked at the time on the dashboard. It read 10:06 p.m. We had about an hour’s ride back to camp from deep within the North Maine Woods. 656 feet of rope was heaped in a jumbled pile along with the rest of the retrieval equipment in the bed of the truck – winch, ramps, snatch blocks, chainsaw; I’d sort it out later or more likely tomorrow back at the lodge. What was most important was nestled in the center; a big bull moose I first laid eyes on exactly four hours earlier.

The hunt

I met my clients Jake & Gary Holmes before the arrival supper on Sunday at Fish River Lodge in Eagle Lake, Maine. Bennett’s Guide Service was the host and operator for our October bull moose hunt and Wayne needed a hand with a full client roster. I was happy to help and work with an old friend.

Gary was the sub-permittee and had been moose hunting before, taking a nice bull years ago. His son Jake had been on a moose hunt before but never had a chance to connect – he was my permit holder and both Gary and I were determined to see Jake get his shot.

We rolled out of camp Monday morning heading to a few locations I had success in the past and had recently scouted during the September bull hunt. Jake, Gary and I quickly developed a comfortable rapport.

We covered a lot of ground, set up on lots of good sign but the bulls were not responsive. Tuesday morning we headed to a new location with much of the same. For the afternoon hunt, I decided to head to a big valley with a brook running through the bottom that is a very moosey spot – it may not be in the dictionary but I can assure you it is a word in guide vernacular.

I set up at the northwest corner of the valley where the wind was in our favor. I could feel a front slowly moving in, the wind blowing steady from the southeast and the far ridgeline darkening. I called my guts out to no avail. But I knew there was a bull hanging up down on the floor of the valley around that brook, I saw the fresh raking of sapling trees all the way in. I decided to move to the other side of the nearly mile-wide and two mile long ravine and try again.

We traveled roughly 625 yards when Gary told me to back up; he thought he spotted something down ridge. The road followed the drop off tight to the edge affording a decent view between patches of heavy cover. “It’s a cow” he said. Jake had a different angle and said he thought it as a bull. He said “I need you to put horns on it.”

I grabbed my binoculars, bailed out of the truck and skirted around to the valley side and scanned the floor. “It’s both. Bull to the right, a cow to the left 25 yards ahead of him headed east.”

I made sure Jake was in position and had the moose in his sights as I continued to glass the bull. Some quick back and forth ensued. Can we get him out of that valley? We don’t want to take a chance and lose him down there. Can you make a clean shot through the cover? Jake was confident in making the shot at over 200 yards so I simply said “He’s a great bull. If you can take him clean, it’ll be a long haul and a tough retrieve but we will do whatever it takes to get him out.”

His Remington Woodsmaster .30-06 boomed across the valley and I watched the moose go down.

The retrieval

It was a long slog uphill. Jake rigged a 3:1 mechanical advantage as I worked the capstan winch to help ease the moose up the nearly 130 feet elevation change to the truck. Every stump and blow down for over 200 yards challenged us. Then it started raining as dusk fell. We kept at it – cutting blow downs by headlamp light and slipping on everything that can get wet. Gary worked the radio, withstanding the cold rain and acted as my go between to Jake. Four hours of back-breaking, bone-wearying work later, Jake and his bull crested the hill and were at the truck.

I’ve never had a tougher retrieval, but it was worth every hard-earned inch and every drop of sweat left on that valley floor and hillside.

The Redemption Bull

You may have heard the adage ‘Third time’s the charm.’ There are many foundational stories of how this saying came to be. In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s letters to R. H. Horne circa 1839, she mentions “The luck of the third adventure” is proverbial; meaning a well-used term for the age. In 1862, Alexander Hislop’s ‘The Proverbs of Scotland’ mentions another early variation of the term – “Third time’s lucky.”

Another possible inspiration is an old English law that permitted a prisoner sentenced to hanging to be set free after three unsuccessful hanging attempts. A convicted murderer sentenced at Exeter prison, John “Babbacombe” Lee, was set free under this very law.

Let us fast forward to northern Maine, circa 2023. While I was guiding the September bull moose hunt in Wildlife Management District 2 with clients Ron and Blaine, I added another source to this famous English idiom. Here is how it went down.

After little success on the Monday opener with bulls hanging up and not responsive to calling, I decided to move our hunt area about 50 miles south and west. This was an area I had much success in during past hunts and was confident of our chances at pulling in a nice bull.

My target was a pinch point of standing spruce and fir between two big cuts. I knew moose frequently bed in this spot and had caught them moving through the area between the cuts many times. As I turned off the main branch road to a feeder tote road, about 70 yards from where I expected to set up and call, a 40 inch-class bull popped out of the tree line.

“Bull, bull, bull! Bail, bail, bail! Take him, take him!” I urged my hunters. It was lightning fast and my shooters were just not prepared to get a shot off quickly before the bull moved off to the north across a small cut. I parked Blaine at the cut to cover the escape route if the bull turned back south and grabbed Ron. We headed up to the intersection where I could observe the route I was sure the big moose would use to exit the cut and head down ridge to heavy cover. We were too late; fresh wet tracks across the road 100 yards down told the story. The bull was gone like the wind.

After a quick review of actions on contact, we piled back into the truck and headed to another of my favorite moose holding locations – 30 miles south and west.

I had taken a cow and a bull moose in this spot over the years and understood the travel patterns, bedding, and food and water sources. Like a sports telecast replay, as I planned to set up further down the road, a monster bull broke from a skidder trail into the road to our right. It was a 50 inch-class moose with antlers like goal posts. My clients were more prepared this time and I gave them the ‘go, go, go!’ The big bull was standing straight on, 150 yards away. I held my breath as the hunters got into their shooting positions. And as before, we could not seal the deal.

I was crestfallen; we had two nice bulls in front of us so far and nothing to show for it. After a brief pity-party, I buckled down. I had to remind myself that this is my job and my clients are depending on me, no matter the difficulties we face. ‘Focus, hunt the sign’ I told myself.

Thursday afternoon I parked down a remote, gated road. We spent a good amount of time listening for bulls and cows. We were rewarded with a cow in estrous calling due north about 400 yards away – on the right side of the gate. We moved north in anticipation of a bull seeking the calling cow. Roughly 300 yards north and around the bend, Blaine called out ‘Moose!’

I grabbed the binoculars and thrust the truck into Park, ‘Bull! Bull! Can you make the shot?’ I asked my hunters. It was a long shot and I was concerned. I could tell they were not confident so I moved up another 50 yards or so and watched as the bull took a few steps forward, ready to run.

‘It’s now or never’ I told them and they bailed. Blaine’s .300 Winchester Magnum boomed putting the moose on its knees. Ron followed up and anchored the bull.

Ron and Blaine finally got their shot at redemption and perhaps I did as well. The third time was definitely the charm.

Uncle Tom’s Gun

I had the young man settle into the shooting bench, get comfortable and explained the target ranges to him. He told me he was hunting with his uncle’s Marlin 30-30 rifle and wanted to check the zero before the hunt, having recently acquired the lever gun. At that time, neither he nor I knew how special his hunt would turn out to be.

It was Monday during the second week of the bear over bait hunting season, I was in the Tucker Ridge dining hall kitchen preparing the nights supper for the clients getting ready to come off stand on their first days hunt when my phone grunted with an incoming text at 6:45 p.m.

‘Raccoons beat the bear to my bait’. It was from Danny Plant from Lisbon, New Hampshire, here for a bear hunt for the first time with his father Dan Sr. Another buck grunt from my phone, ‘They knocked the drum over and are feasting on my bait!’ I could tell he was worried that a bear wouldn’t come in, fearing the bandits would clean out the bait barrel leaving nothing to attract a bear.

‘Normal. Stay focused bud. They do it all the time. And bears follow them in’ I replied and sent him a snapshot of the target bear visiting his site to calm his nerves and keep his focus. ‘Look out for this guy’ I told him. He replied ‘OK’. It was 6:57 p.m.

Exactly one minute later, my phone grunted for the last time as the text came in. ‘Bear down.’ Danny made a great shot at 70 yards, bagging a 172 pound boar with a beautiful hide.

A few days later at camp, I was chatting with Danny after breakfast. I wanted to know more about his uncle’s gun and the significance behind his choice to use it on his first ever bear hunt. I have always found the stories behind client’s firearms intriguing and Danny’s was one of the most inspiring I’ve ever been told.

Roughly six months ago, Danny’s Uncle Tom inexplicably collapsed on the factory floor where he, his father and uncle all worked. Suspecting a stroke, Tom was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer that aggressively forms tumors on the brain. Danny’s family never had any indication that Tom was ill. At 67, he was still a very active outdoorsman and showed no signs health problems. It came as a complete shock to everyone.

Despite the best efforts of the premiere medical facility in New Hampshire, the cancer raged and the tumors spread like wildfire. Within a month and a half, Uncle Tom lost his brief but heroic struggle. As Danny told me the story, I could see him fighting back the emotions he was feeling.

Uncle Tom’s gun collection passed down to the family, with Danny receiving the cherished 30-30 Marlin. He made a promise to himself and his Uncle Tom that day.

Danny told me that while he doesn’t pray as much as he should, he bowed his head, clasped his hands and said a prayer on the morning of his first day before going on stand. ‘I asked God to grant me an opportunity to take a bear for my Uncle Tom with his rifle and asked Uncle Tom to help me be successful’.

‘Well Danny’ I replied, ‘if that doesn’t make someone a believer, I don’t know what will.’ We both smiled and as he headed down to the lodge to meet up with his father I know we were both thinking about how special Uncle Tom’s gun really is.

Debunking Bear Hunting Myths

As a professional bear hunting guide, I answer a lot of questions about bear behavior from prospective clients as well as non-hunters who are just simply curious. Quite often, I find myself answering the same questions frequently. Most of these are based on old wives’ tales and hunting fallacies passed down from generation to generation. Here are the top two ‘rural’ legends I am most asked about during bear season.

Multiple Harvests

Myth: Once a bear is killed and retrieved from a bait site, it goes cold due to an abundance of human activity.

While it sounds like common sense, this belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Every season and practically every individual camp, hunters ask to sit a stand that hasn’t been hunted before, believing that prior human activity makes a bear site less desirable. The truth is that during the fall season, bears are entering the hyper-feeding stage in anticipation of the winter slumber. Food is on their mind constantly and little will prevent them from seeking it. In Richard P. Smith’s Hunting Trophy Black Bear, the author notes how a Michigan bow hunter, testing new equipment in Ontario during a no bag limit hunt between 1969 – 1970 successfully dropped four bruins within 42 minutes at the same bait site. Two of the bears went down where they were hit with a third bolting a short distance, piling up within sight. More bear approached the bait site later, pausing to inspect one of the downed bears then continued on to the bait undeterred. The fourth bear the archer arrowed made it to cover before going down.

During the 2020 fall bear hunt here at Tucker Ridge, my client Bill McGuire took his first black bear on the first day of his hunt. The trail camera recorded Bill and I retrieving the bear at 6:51 p.m. The next photo on the camera’s memory card was another bear at the bait at 9:06 p.m. Yet another bear showed up at the same bait the following morning!

Abandoned Baits

Myth: If bears stop tending a bait site, it isn’t worth hunting anymore.

There are many reasons bears will stop visiting a bait site that has been active. Changes in natural food source availability, weather and the want for variety can all cause it. Sometimes, just the smallest change of scent in the air from a hunter being on stand can cause a bruin to hang back from a well-tended site. The key to what may be perceived as an abandoned bait site is patience. Bears know the bait is there. They want to eat that bait. They just need to be comfortable returning to it after whatever triggered them off of it doesn’t bother them anymore or they have had their fill of beechnuts, berries and any other natural foods they have been seeking out.

Josh Peters was hunting one of my most productive stands during the 2019 season. Tucked away inside the wood line looking over a cedar swamp to the north with a corn field to the south, this site had multiple bears visiting nearly daily. As soon as Josh took the stand however, the site shut down. After not seeing bears for three days he was getting anxious. I was too, the trail camera revealed no bear activity. Then I noticed bear sign at the edges of the cornfield and saw patches where bears had been feeding heavily in the rows, trampling flat spots throughout. I convinced Josh to hang tight at that stand for the rest of his hunt and he tagged his first black bear two days later.

Field Dress for Success

Bear meat gets a bad rap. In my experience, this happens because hunters don’t realize how vitally important it is to get a downed bear field dressed, skinned and cooling in a timely fashion. I believe most hunters learn about field care early in their hunting career as deer hunters. And while the basic field care and dressing methods are similar for cervids – bears are a completely different animal when it comes to after-the-shot actions.

Why it is important

Black bear hunting in Maine is the first big game season of the calendar year, typically starting on the last Monday of August. Temperatures can easily reach the high eighties when a bear hunter takes the stand. A bear’s coat is a dense, black fur wrapped around a thick layer of fat. This means every element of why we field dress big game, such as preventing spoilage, ensuring quality of meat and stopping bacterial contamination, is working against you as soon as you take your shot. The ambient temperature during the November firearm deer season is markedly different, giving us a little more leeway as the buck hangs on the game pole.

Heat is the biggest enemy of quality game meat. It causes bacteria to form inside improperly dressed cavities. It promotes spoilage from damaged organs and causes fat to start its inevitable march to turn rancid. Last bear season, I could not believe how many bears I saw at the local tagging station not field dressed. Our station closes at 8p.m. so it sees a lot of activity the first few hours after they open in the morning with hunters and guides pulling in to get their bear registered and tagged. Most bears are taken during the golden hour before sunset. That means the bears I saw had the internals intact and stewing for up to 12 hours!

Later in the season, I was delivering a client’s bear to the local processor and saw a nice bear on the skinning pole, fully intact. I asked him about it. He shook his head and told me that a crew of guides from another outfit in my area just dropped it off. I couldn’t believe my eyes; the temperature was nearing 70 degrees. He looked at the bear in my truck, pointing to the spreading stick keeping the chest cavity open for cooling and air circulation and said I was the only one who did that. “All the old-timers did”, he added and quipped that “no wonder some people have a bad opinion of bear meat.”

Do it right

Whether you elect to use a processor for your bear or do it yourself, the keys to field care and processing are the same. Get the bear out of the woods as soon as you can; forget that ‘We’ll get it in the morning’ nonsense. Field dress it quickly and remove the hide as soon as possible. If you don’t have access to a cooler, pack the chest cavity with bags of ice. When processing, remove all fat. A nice marbling on a beef rib eye tastes great; however it will not taste the same with bear meat.

Our process here at Tucker Ridge is to remove the bear from the field immediately and bring it back to camp. It goes on the game pole and I go to work dressing it with help from the hunter. After the initial organ and viscera removal, I trim any excess fat and diaphragm material left over inside the cavity. This is important. Then we rinse the body cavity out with the hose and pat dry the inside of the cavity. Excess water left inside can stimulate bacterial growth. We then pat down the hide of excess blood and insert a spreading stick to keep the chest cavity open to promote cooling. The bear is lowered into the truck and we set off to register it. If it is after hours, my processor is on call to open the freezer to get the bear cooled down until the tagging station opens in the morning.

Our clients request bear dishes every season and we oblige. Bear meat favors a slow cooking style so our most popular dishes are bear chili, bear stew, bear roasts and the overall camp favorite – bear meatloaf.

A Guide’s Truck

Charley scrambled up into the passenger seat of my pickup truck and fastened her seatbelt. We had just finished breakfast and were headed out of the hotel parking lot on our way to the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show at the Augusta Civic Center. Her father Thomas skipped breakfast that morning and was already there, getting our booth ready for the opening of the show. Charley was already preparing to become a Junior Maine Guide and no doubt would be following in father’s footsteps when she reached adulthood. She certainly is on the right path, displaying an amazing amount of knowledge and skill in the outdoors for a youngster; a testament to the time she spends with her dad on the water and in the woods.

‘What happened to your windshield?’ she asked as we pulled into the Civic Center parking lot, pointing out a crack on the passenger side. I explained it took a good whack from a tree branch while creeping down an overgrown winter road up in the north Maine woods during a moose hunt I guided a couple of years ago. Charley looked pensive as she studied the windshield then looked over at me said, ‘I bet this truck has a lot of stories to tell.’ I hadn’t ever really thought of that and Charley was right. This old guide’s truck certainly does.

You have probably heard the adage, ‘Behind every great man is a great woman’. I can attest that behind every Maine hunting and fishing guide stands a great truck. I don’t think make and model factor into the equation – it is the heart and soul of the truck that matters. I know that sounds funny, but after thousands of hours in the driver’s seat and tens of thousands of miles guiding clients, I believe it. 

My old guide’s truck has hauled half a dozen moose and literally tons of bears for clients without complaint. It has summited the highest peaks of the North Maine Woods and launched my Grand Laker canoe all over Eastern Maine on gravel launches that most respectable trucks wouldn’t dare. It has cut down many tires on unforgiving woods roads and been mired in deep wet snow. It has pulled other guide’s trucks out of ditches and received the same favor. It has carried fathers and daughters, mothers and sons on first time fishing vacations. It has ferried many multi-generational families on big game hunting trips. It has proudly hauled tons of firewood to the lodge’s wood stove to keep sports warm.

My guide’s truck bed is stained red from moose, black bear and whitetail retrieval operations. The paint on the body is a few shades lighter than it used to be, decorated with ‘guide’s pin striping’ and chances are that the tail gate takes an extra nudge to lock in securely. It carries a payload of tree stands, bear bait and miscellaneous equipment deep into the woods regularly and has towed boats thousands of miles. It endures numerous surgeries every year. Front end parts are replaced regularly, suspension and steering components on a guide’s truck do not last long. It’s lifeblood of oils and fluids are changed at twice the rate of a civilian truck. It boasts over 257,000 miles on the odometer.

I’ve watched my old guide’s truck age with grace, never letting the many dents, scratches and cracked glass prevent it from performing. A guide’s truck does not know vanity; it simply can’t afford to. I know my truck will let me know when it is ready to retire and I admit I do not look forward to it. My clients’ memories and experiences are embedded in that truck as much as the photos I take for them with their harvests and trophies. But until that day, I know that when I load out the next trips equipment and turn the key, this old guide’s truck will be ready; eager to work and generate a few more stories for clients.

The Redemption Bear

There is nothing more disheartening than when a client misses a bear. The time invested in setup, the anticipation and expectations on a bear stand with good bears coming in suddenly crashes in flames with the missed opportunity. It happens. On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, there isn’t a much more exhilarating moment than when the client makes contact with the ‘bear down’ call. When both happen to the same client on back to back hunts it is quite a tale. Here is the story of the redemption bear.

Bear Fever

During the first week of the 2020 fall bear over bait season, Chad Spiekerman and his girlfriend Tami Jo joined us for our inaugural VIP bear and bass combo hunt. The package consisted of guided fishing in the mornings and bear hunting in the afternoons. Hosted by Wild Fox Cabins on Junior Lake in Lakeville, each hunter enjoyed their own private lakeside cabin and dedicated virgin bear baits. We offered only two packages that included one hunter and a guest to provide a quality, personal trip. Chad was an experienced bear hunter, taking a Maine black bear with his bow previously with another outfitter and was seeking a more unique experience. He travelled from Michigan to Tucker Ridge to get it.

Chad’s primary site was hot. Nice bears were tending the bait regularly, with a 250 to 300 pound-class bear among them. After a few days on stand, his .35 Remington lever gun barked. A big bear had stuck his head in the barrel and presented a perfect broadside shot. Tami and I heard the boom back at camp and as I readied my gear for the retrieval, Chad called and said the bear took off and ran…into the bog behind the bait. My immediate thought was ‘Oh no.’ After a grid search stretching out to 300 yards with no blood or hair, I called it. It was a miss. Later on, after running the experience through his mind several times, Chad admitted that he probably broke ‘cheek weld’, lifting his eyes from the sights in anticipation, ahead of the shot. It is a classic mistake. He put a lot of pressure on himself, desperately wanting to take a bear with his recently departed father’s rifle and rushed the shot. While he was upbeat the next few days, noting that ‘you did your job, I didn’t do mine’ he never got another shot. We had a great time, ate well and caught some fish, but I sure was disappointed Chad and Tami left without a bear.

Redemption

Autumn of 2022 saw Chad and Tami’s return for our follow up VIP bear hunt. I could tell Chad was much more focused and the emotional aspect that undoubtedly had an impact on his last hunt was in check. After two years of replaying the events of his miss through his mind, he was ready for redemption. After three days on his original stand in hot and humid weather with lackluster bear sightings, we decided to move him to his back up site. This spot was a ground blind perched on a hill overlooking a valley with dense, mature canopy overhead. The bait was 80 yards down ridge in a stand of cedar with the set up being much cooler and conducive to daylight bear activity. Chad’s Browning .280 Rem would easily handle the range. After hours of rain and nearing last shooting light, Chad saw movement at the bait site. It was too dark however to identify the target and he pulled his rifle down.

It was now Friday morning and the last day of the hunt. Chad, Tami and I were on my fishing pontoon boat north of Bottle Island on Junior Lake throwing lures to smallmouth bass and talking about the final hunt plan. Should Chad head back to his original stand or sit the blind again? If the bears were only coming to the ground blind site at or near dark, Chad wouldn’t get a shot. As we discussed the pros and cons of each site, Tami chimed in – ‘Sit the blind, I have a feeling.’ It was the right call. With less than an hour of daylight left in Chad’s hunt, a big boar popped out of the cedar thicket and approached the bait. With a steady hand and a focused mind, Chad touched off the Browning and saw the bear stumble out of sight behind a big cedar.

I arrived at Chad’s site with my helper Jeremy and had Chad replay the shot to me. He was confident we had a bear but he was also understandably nervous – we couldn’t see the bear up on the ridge in the dark. I had Chad sit tight with Jeremy and our retrieval equipment as I made my way down the steep incline, my Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum nestled in my chest holster. Five minutes later I hollered up ridge – ‘dead bear!’ We hauled the big bear out of the valley and returned to camp where Chad received congratulations all around. Chad finally had his redemption, in the nick of time with only minutes to spare.