Seeing dozens of YouTube videos’ on hunting bear over bait is an excellent way to see  bears cautiously approach a bait site. My Maine fall bear destination below. 

https://www.foggymountain.com/

Bow and crossbow hunters are set up around 20 yards or less to a bait site. Rifle hunter are set up further away.

Your guides are real experts, listen up.

You will notice quickly that younger bears and cubs have large “Mickey Mouse” like ears, whereas adult bears have smaller ears when compared to the head. Your guide will also have marks on barrels indicating height of an approaching adult bears. A belly dragging the ground is a sure bet for a whopper. Or a bear that meets height markings on a barrel or is larger than the bait barrel. Holy Mackerel!!

If cubs or smaller bears arrive and then a larger bear is seen accompanying the cubs, then it is most probably a mother sow.

Take lots of pictures and video but hope that this  family of bears move on as the mother sow with cubs is not on a hunters menu.

Lone adult bears are what you are after.

Experts agree, the average size of harvested adult bears in Maine are around 150 pounds and can vary upwards to many hundreds of pounds like pictured above, though rare to see in daylight. Bear’s in the 250-300 pound or more range are real trophies.

The name of the game is being still, patience, scent control and timing/angle of your shot.

More so for archer’s. A fixed blade broadhead hit just forward of the bear’s midline and behind the shoulder will drop a bear in just 11 seconds.

A high broadhead hit to the shoulder scapula, is likely a lost bear due to lack of penetration. The scapula wounded bear will very likely heal but you, the hunter, may have some sleepless nights.

A rifle or pistol hunter has more shot options than the archer but the bullet must be placed in the heart lung area or head shot. Most opt for heart/lung.

It is best to shoot a bear with ample bullet penetration to get an exit wound and a bullet that opens up or mushrooms leaving an ample blood trail. 

Fast recovery of your bear is essential for quality meat.

Recently, I was given bear meat that was well cared for and vacuum sealed. It was absolutely tender and delish in my fall/winter stew. And don’t forget rendering the bear fat! It has many uses for making pastry, water-proofing shoes, lubrication and on and on. Mounting your bear? Call a taxidermist before you hunt.

Good Hunting!

Alarm bells ring loudly in my mind. I hope yours as well! Imagine whales and fisherman navigating this?

In addition to Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts poised for building coastal wind farms in the absence of  permission of “We The People”, the the Virginia Offshore Wind Project is due to begin construction in May.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whale-lawsuit-threatens-swallow-up-biden-green-energy-agenda

A federal government organization called BOEM, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the Virginia Dominion Wind Project and the New England Wind Project. 

Biden’s government BOEM and Dominion construction concluded they have considers potential impacts to marine wildlife including safety of the right whale.

Do you believe the Biden run Government? 

Or are we in for the largest coastal disaster to marine life and the destruction of millions of fishery livelihoods ever seen since we landed on Plymouth Rock.

Politics are at play, and that 55 whales have washed ashore in other wind farm construction sites along the coast.

I suggest If you want a coastline devoid of skyscraper size windmills is to get involved right now. Today!

Contact legislators and join organizations to fight this leftist destruction of marine life and millions of livelihoods dependent on our east coast fishery. 

I am a member of NEFSA, New England Fisherman Stewardship Association to fight this socialist takeover of our coastline. Please join and sign the Petition. 

https://www.nefishermen.org/petition

If you think this is beautiful I have a bridge to sell you! Future Biden Hampton Beach?

While all of us are sleeping, the federal government (Biden) at the end of the planning phase of a gigantic wind farm just off the New England coast in prime fishing waters. 

I have fished for cod and haddock out of Newburyport. Ma and Hampton, NH for 60 years. Cod grounds are under great population restriction and yet our far-left government chose wind power over protection of prime cod fish and haddock habitat. Below is a draft of likely areas to place wind farm.

See the pdf report below

Click to access c2fa45_db7a181604024936b677f74a86f437d1.pdf

There is no science here just government fiat.

This is the government forcing itself on “We The People.” 

Please join the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association and sign the Petition.

https://www.nefishermen.org/petition

Spread the Word! Sign the Petition!

On the East Coast there are Coyotes and Bobcats. Both have attacked deer, pets and children.

Out west, cougars/lions attack unarmed cyclists. 

They say it is rare, but with growing unregulated populations, is it rare?

If your attacked, it’s not rare is it!

See the lion attack below. 

https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/general/new-details-emerge-in-gruesome-lion-attack-on-cyclists

If you walk in today’s New Hampshire woods with family and kids, I’d carry a sidearm! Bobcats attack the face and neck in less than a second biting the windpipe.

However, biologists want folks to take note that these attacks are rare.

Again, if your attacked, it’s not rare, is it.

I believe Turkey hunters calling are at risk, thinking they are turkeys. Two years ago my turkey hunting friend was attacked in Fremont, NH. May is turkey season.

If you are attacked, don’t run…defend yourself. Predator’s like to attack from behind.

Hunt and Hike Smart.

Be Prepared!

New Hampshire Fish and Game has banned Bobcats hunting/trapping for many years. 

In May 2024 bobcat numbers are expected to explode.

NHFG says current Bobcat numbers in NH are around 1400 and may be upwards of 2000 in New Hampshire.

I believe Rockingham county is seeing a surge and these bobcats are regularly seen on-the-prowl in daylight.

And Rockingham is where we humans raise our kids and have our pets.

These supposedly cute bobcats kill young adult deer and fawns and turkeys in May and June. And compete with human’s hunting turkey and deer. 

But, just like coyotes have done in New Hampshire and all along the east coast, the bobcat and its young become entrenched, and surplus prey species such as deer, rabbits and squirrels subside, accordingly the bobcats will turn to pets and children just like coyotes have done.

I support a controlled hunting and trapping season for bobcats! Just like Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine have done.

Be aware when turkey hunting in May that bobcats will come to your turkey call and may likely attack thinking you are a turkey.

If attacked, hunters should defend themselves.

New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine predicts pet and human attacks will surface as bobcat numbers remain protected.

 Be Predator Aware! And tell Fish and Game to stop protecting bobcats.

UPDATE

My old Red Dot  Adjustments no longer work. Replaced with a Feyachi Reflex $42 dollars. 

Below is the original article

I took my AR-15 out to the range and swapped out my leupold rifle scope for my red dot scope for hunting coyotes near dusk. I always had to tuck my head and cheek low to see the red dot.

It’s an older model red dot, but it works fine. I found a picatinny riser rail that raises the scope ideally.  Below is my $12 dollar, Feyachi Picatinny Riser Mount, 0.75″/0.83″/0.95″ High, 5 Slots Riser Mount for Red Dot Sight.

I am not into paying big bucks for a new scope right now. Cost of the riser was $12 on line. My kind of fix! Yes, you can spend hundreds.on a new optic. 

Good Hunting!

I learned years ago, to fix problems I encountered with my hunting rifles for my African Safari. 

My first fix was to get rid of the hard recoil pads. Enough of beating up my shoulder. Two of the best state-of-the-art pads to reduce felt recoil are SIms SVL® Recoil pads below

and Pachmayr Decelerator® Pads.

You can also purchase these pads as temporary slip-on’s Below.

Both reduce felt recoil up to 50% by absorbing the instant hard kick and giving you a softened kick over milliseconds of time in soft calibrated rubber.  In addition, these pads often add recoil structure to the rubber to reduce barrel rise. Smart hunter’s get it! And there are more brands you can check out online. 

Triggers

If you are experiencing trigger creep or a heavy trigger, your accuracy will suffer. There are often better triggers you can purchase.

I am a Timney Trigger fan.

And many triggers are drop-in types that take little effort to install. Timneys are adjustable and crisp. Below is a Timney for a Remington 700.

https://timneytriggers.com/hunting-triggers/

Fixing recoil and triggers will increase your accuracy so much that you will essentially have a customized and super accurate rifle. Really!

Good Hunting!

Update: My 220g bear loads kick hard. And are hanging up. Many suggest a 24lb recoil spring or trigger spring.  May stay with 180g – 200g hard cast for bear backup. Stay tuned. Gen 4 and Gen 5 recoil springs hard to get. Gun no longer shoots 180g after 1st shot. Bought at KTP who will look at it and send back to Glock if needed. Yes, I’m disappointed. 

I just shot these 10 yard 180g Blaser groups below,  at my local range, for the first time with my new 10mm Glock for bear hunt backup. They will penetrate deeper than my 45ACP. Check your states laws on hunting with a hand gun vs carrying for protection. If hunting for deer in New Hampshire, with a handgun, current rules say no more than 6 shots in your pistol. 

Middle and Low right groups are 10mm 180g Blazers. Low left are 200g bear loads. Upper right is a single 180g shot. The trigger takes getting used to. You have to squeeze the trigger more to make it break. Not as hard though as a double action. It is a smooth firm pull. There is no quote “safety”, just the firm pull of the trigger.  I added new tritium sights for shooting in darkness on my bear hunt.

Recoil was perhaps a tad heavier than my 45ACP. Getting used to the trigger was perhaps the most difference.

I purchased more 200g Blazers and 220g hard cast lead bear loads to practice with this spring and summer. But I will likely need a stronger recoil spring with 220g… they kick and with a standard recoil spring they hung up. 

Getting more than one accurate shot off is key in choosing the 10mm if ever charged by a bear or a big game animal intent on attacking you. In fact, with practice you can perhaps get 3 to 4 accurate head shots in a charge. Then follow up with 11 or 12 more shots at 1200fps with each delivering 700 ft-lbs of penetrating energy to the heavily boned bear skull below. 

Hunt Safe! Be Prepared!