Monday arrived with me putting out a few baits and heading back to the lodge for lunch with the guys.  We headed out that afternoon to put everyone out for a great day of hunting in the Maine woods.  No bears were taken this day, but Reggie saw a bear on his bait, Paul watched 2 cubs on his bait and Peter had watched 2 bears near his bait.  When we finally arrived to pick Tom up, he was hiding in the bushes, because he came within a few feet of a rutting bull moose that thought he might be competing for some of the hot cow moose in the area.  What the moose did not know was Tom is a happily married man.

     Today we had lunch and headed out for another fine day of bear hunting.  Today Tom took his truck, as he planned on jumping in it if Mr. Moose came out again.  Today I sat on a bait for a bit as well.  I watched a nice bear come into the bait.  I had my .41 Magnum Taurus Tracker with me.  I decided after watching the bear that I should take it.  I silently cocked the hammer and began to bring the gun to bear on the large bear before me.  Then it noticed my movement and locked its eyes on me.  It slowly turned and was off like a shot into the dark forest.  I waited a while and the bear did not return, so I climbed out of my stand and got in the truck to go check on Peter as he did not have a cell phone.  He was not out so I waited to see If I could hear him shoot.  He came out of the woods, and let me know that he had again seen a bear, but had not shot.  We picked up his dad and met Tom and Reggie.  No one else had any activity this day.

     Reggie was planning on leaving today to meet his wife in Boston, so this morning he went out at first light to sit on a bait.  I picked him up at lunch time to learn he had seen a large bear, but it had not stepped out of the woods.  he could see it pass back and forth a short distance from him, but in the relative safety of the under brush.  We ate lunch and my brother left for Boston.  Paul, Peter and I went out for another afternoon of hunting.  Tom's back was aching so he opted to hang low this day to give it a chance to relax.  I picked up some tree stands for a couple of hours, then went into the stand where I had seen a bear the day before.  Today it was quiet everywhere this afternoon, as none of us saw any bears.

     Today Peter wanted to sit in the morning.  I put him out where my brother had seen a bear, but when I picked him up he had not seen any activity.  We ate lunch and then headed out to hunt once again.  Today Tom drove himself out to his stand.  After I picked up some more tree stands, I went out to the stand I had been occupying this past week.  Right around  5:30pm a sow with two cubs came into the bait and spent the better part of 30 minutes there until I coughed and they ran off into the woods.  I took that opportunity get out of the stand and head out to check on Peter.  He was not out to the pick up point, so I continued on to wait for his dad, Paul.  When Paul got in he shared he had not seen any bears this day.  We picked up Paul to learn he had not seen any as well. When we got to the lodge I learned that around 3 pm, Tom had heard 2 bulls talking to one another in moose talk.  He got nervous since he seemed to be between them and headed for his truck, and then back to the lodge.  I told him to be respectful of moose but not to fear them.  

     Today was the last day of the bear season for this group of hunters.  Peter again sat out in the morning and did not see a bear.  We had lunch and before heading for the woods, I again told Tom to not worry too much about the moose.  I put Peter and Paul out in the bait sites, then went to bait Tom's site.  When I walked in to the bait I saw the object of the Bull moose's desires standing there.  A large cow moose was very near Tom's blind.  I left the bait and walked out with her still standing there like a statue.  I went to pick up a few tree stands and then went to try my luck one last time.  Around 5:30 pm I saw a bear about 50 yards in the woods slowly circling the bait area.  After a while she came to the bait, but only stayed a short time before wandering off silently.  A few minutes later the sow with two cubs came into the bait, and spent a short amount of time before wandering off.  The bear I had seen earlier then came back to the bait.  She had a beautiful thick coat, so I decided to take her. I raised my rifle and settled the cross hairs on her.  She looked up as I fired.  After a run of 15-20 yards the bear was dead.  I took my gear to the truck and came back to dress her off.  I then loaded her on the truck.  I then learned by cell phone that Tom had not seen anything.  I headed off to pick Peter and Paul up.  Peter had seen a large bear that he was going to shoot.  When he clicked off his safety, it made too much noise and the bear walked off.  Paul apparently heard a bear run off on his bait as well.  He did not see it, but heard running sounds off to his right.  Well although the pictures do not prove it, the fourth week of the season was a great week.  We killed 1 bear and saw 16 bears.  The temperature was cool, the leaves were changing color and the moose were definitely in the rut.  Combine all the animal activity with great food, good people and some great fellowship, we had a great fourth week of Maine black bear hunting.