Foggy Mountain

As I inhaled a deep breath of the fresh fall Maine woods air, all I could hear was the babbling creek below my bear hunting stand with Foggy Mountain Guide Service.  Earlier in the day my Guide, Fred, showed me the bear bait which was cleaned out.  He gave an affirmative nod and smiled as we kept our noise to a minimum. I sat in my stand thinking about Fred’s smile and the excitement he showed, knowing it takes something really special for someone with his guiding experience to show such emotions. 

I thought about my belly and how I should have stopped eating the homemade pie back at The Pittston Farm restaurant.  All the cooking was homemade and there was something about these pies that reminded me of my Mothers cooking on the farm I grew up on in Central Minnesota.  I thought about Wayne of Foggy Mountain Guide Service. I chuckled to myself about the stories he was telling us over lunch. I think Wayne has pretty much seen it all up there in the woods of Maine. My mind wandered over to thinking about all the other guys and ladies in camp, other North American Hunting Club Life Members.  Getting to know everybody in camp felt like such a privilege; we shared many of the same interests, much like meeting an old friend that one hasn’t seen for years. 

Two evenings went by quickly in the stand with no prospects for black bear. When not hunting I spent a portion of the mornings driving the logging roads looking for moose and deer, which proved to be time well spent with sightings of a cow and calf and one nice bull moose. I even drove the many miles towards town just to get cell phone reception so I could reassure my family that I was indeed still alive!  I took several short scenic walks and noticed the lack of a power grid system at the Pittston Farm. Their electricity is a combination of diesel generators and windmills. That should give any person a feeling that they truly are away for the hustle and bustle of the normal daily activities.

 On the third evening I think it’s natural for any hunter to start feeling like they just may go home with an unfilled bear tag.  I climbed into my stand hidden in the fall foliage and buckled my safety harness; “Safety First” for hunters is something Wayne feels really strongly about.  Again my mind wandered, this time into my past experiences of hunting. I have a life goal of hunting all fifty states in the U.S.  Maine was my 17^th state I have hunted in but only the first state I have hunted in for Black Bear besides my home state of Minnesota.  I thought about other hunts I have been on from Polynesian Hogs in Hawaii, Mountain Lion in Idaho and Turkeys in Texas and realized that Foggy Mountain Guide Service really has a good thing going for them in comparison to any outfitter across the globe.

As the pine boughs started to block the evening sun from my eyes; movement caught my attention. Back behind the bear bait about 40 yards was a Maine Black Bear!  I took another deep breath of that fall air and slowly moved my body into a better shooting position.  It felt like an eternity before the bear was positioned at a preferred angle and my breathing was under control simultaneously.  I took careful aim with my Remington Model 700 .280 caliber and let my shot go.  An hour later Fred and I were pulling the bear from the woods!  I felt fortunate to be the lucky hunter back at camp that evening; it was a late night of conversation.  The next day I started my long drive home for Minnesota with a smile on my face and a cooler full of bear meat and hide.

This time as my mind wandered, I thought about the memories of my Maine Black Bear hunt. I thought about my three young children at home and them wishing me luck and telling me “You don’t have to get a bear Dad, just have fun.”  This bear was definitely that extra gift to add to the great experience of the Life Member hunt at Foggy Mountain Guide Service.