Maine’s Black Bear Season Starts Soon!
When biologists first started counting Maine’s black bears in 1979, they estimated a total population of 9,000. Today, there are at least three times that many in our state’s forests.
Hunting is one way to maintain a stable population, and for guides, sporting camps and equipment retailers, Mane’s bear hunt represents an important economic benefit, especially in the western, northern and northeastern parts of the state.
Preparations for Maine’s season officially get underway on July 27 – the first day that bait can be placed. Youth Bear Day occurs on Saturday, August 24. The “hunting over bait” season runs August 26 through September 21. The bear trapping season starts September 1 and runs through November 1, while hunting with dogs is permitted September 9 through November 1.
In recognition of one of Maine’s largest natural resources (the current state record weighed 699 pounds!), the cover of The Maine Sportsman’s August 2024 issue displays a mammoth black bear pacing toward the viewer. Inside, in a well-thought-out piece, regular columnist Staci Warren poses (and then answers in the affirmative) the question: “Should Maine’s Bear Season be Expanded?” (page 23). And in his Aroostook County column (p. 38), Bill Graves tells readers that The County’s black bear population is “burgeoning,” and he provides detailed instructions on setting up a hunting site with a bait barrel and attractant.
In this issue, we introduce readers to Joseph Coleman, a Maine guide who writes about his recent fly-fishing adventures in the country of Scotland.
We’ll hear from Joseph again in the September 2024 issue of The Sportsman, as he transitions from being a “sport” (customer) in Scotland’s trout rivers, to serving as a guide in those same rivers for some folks he first met at Grant’s Camps in Maine’s Rangeley Region.
We were both concerned and curious when we heard that a cartridge in a Taurus pistol had exploded recently at a range in Wilton, resulting in serious hand injuries to the participant. We were concerned for his well-being, and we wish him a speedy recovery. At the same time, we were curious about the circumstances under which a firearm can malfunction in this manner. The result of our discussions with experts is found in an Almanac piece titled “What Makes a Firearm Cartridge Explode?” (p. 13).
All this, and so much more:
- Moose hunt planning, by John LaMarca (p. 32) and Jim Andrews (p. 47);
- Political news from New Hampshire (p. 68), and Vermont (p. 70), the former focusing on a new NH law that requires posting and labeling of stands and blinds, and the latter about a thinly-veiled anti-hunting bill that almost became law in VT; and
- Fishing, fishing, fishing, including fast action on Sebago Lake (p. 62); trolling deep on Moosehead (p. 56); and a striped bass trophy photo page (p. 31).
And there’s still more, including:
- provocative editorial content
- tales of deer drives in the 1970s
- an introduction to mushroom foraging
- Dave Petzal on the role of luck and good fortune in hunting, and
- the best jokes and cartoons north of South Windham, and east of Westport Island!
Questions? Contact the editor at Will@MaineSportsman.com or the office manager at Carol@MaineSportsman.com. And call (207) 622-4242 to renew your subscription, or give a gift subscription to a deserving relative or friend.
Please enjoy the month of August with family and friends. Best wishes from us all at The Sportsman.
Will Lund, editor
