Butch and I have hunted and fished together for years and always have a great time. It's like going to summer camp for old guys but we act like teenagers up there, telling old stories and jokes. My plan was to just take pictures unless a really large bear came in. Well, one did. It had been spotted once before but came no closer than 65 yards in the thick woods according to the other hunter. He was shooting a muzzle loader and said he was afraid to shoot at that distance. I'm not sure if he was afraid he'd miss, afraid he'd wound, or afraid he would just piss the bear off! Judging bear size, big or small is not easy and despite seeing quite a few myself up there, dead and alive, I still can't do it very well.

Xavier and Peter, our guides, decided to save this stand for me as they know I like it. They normally have up to 2 dozen baits out at a time and naturally hunt the most active. All stands are elevated and camouflaged. Most are sturdy permanent wood stands. They are generally quite close to the bait, 30 yards or so. They have some special archery stands at a closer distance and a very few further away. They have confidence that I'll drop the bear at the bait, because I had done it 3 times before. Unfortunately, they get some wounded and unrecovered bears every year and they sometimes have to track a wounded bear. Not usually dangerous but not much fun. When guiding, they can not be armed and handguns are not allowed for hunting and permits are hard to get and very restrictive in Canada.

They hoped the "big guy" would come in and it did. On Monday I saw absolutely nothing but red squirrels and chip monks. On Tuesday evening, at 7:10, something made me look to my right and there he was, looking straight ahead (North), the same way the stand faces. This is unusually early for a big bear to come in. They prefer dark, after the hunter has left. We go on stand at about 4:30 and can shoot until about 9:50. This bruin took about 6 steps and stopped again, still looking straight ahead. The bait was 10 o'clock to him. He didn't look at it. Maybe he was smelling it. Then he walked silently forward and made a left behind some real thick brush. When he did that, I moved into shooting position. I've had other bears on this stand in previous years come in to the bait the same way, from the thick brush. He came in and sniffed at the stick marker tape. They put a piece of surveyor tape on a stick to give you some idea of height/size. A mature bear is about 36" at the shoulder. They pour some molasses on the tape stick to get him interested. I decided he was bigger than average. He took another step forward, towards the barrel facing at my 9 o'clock. He then looked towards me as I watched him through the scope. I did not want to shoot through his near shoulder. They have massive bones and I doubted the bullet would make it to the lungs. A wounded bear can disappear in a flash and they don't bleed much at the wound because of the fat layer. He then took a step away from me and was quartering away with his left side towards me. Perfect, I thought. I lined up at where I thought the last rib would be hoping the bullet would go through towards the front right shoulder. At the shot, he just collapsed. I quickly reloaded and watched through the scope. I saw his muzzle rise slightly very slowly once. That was it. I got down and checked him out. Pretty large I thought but I didn't realize how large. When they fall, they look much smaller than when upright.

Xavier, my guide that night, was jubilant when he saw the bear. It was laying right up against the far side of the barrel. "Is that close enough to the barrel for you?" I asked. From the trail, only the bears butt and rear legs were visible behind the barrel. It got bigger and bigger to him as he walked around the barrel. He was impressed with the head as he measured it with his hands. Xavier is very good at estimating weight and thought this bear would make 350 lb. After repositioning the bear before it stiffened, we went to get more help. Everyone was ecstatic as it took 5 of us to shift his mass onto the roller stretcher to wheel him out. We had two fallen trees to get over. Thankfully, it's not far to the logging road, 50 yards or so. The owner of Miramichi Inn is Andre Godin and when we got back, he was very happy. A bear this size is good for their reputation. They know there are huge bears around but it is tough to lure them in before dark and then the hunter has to do everything just right.

Yes, New Brunswick does have some huge bears. Xavier says "They can hear a candy wrapper crinkle." and "To get bear, hunter must do everything right and bear must make mistake." I would add that luck and skill come into play and the long baiting process is an art in itself. Baiting makes a benefit to the bear population because in early spring, there is very little for them to eat. By mid summer to fall there is plenty of food. The bait they consume no doubt helps some bears survive until natural foods are available. They take around 20 bears a year and the next year there are always more. This area is just simply prime black bear habitat. I don't know why, but there are tremendous numbers of bears here. Stands can be 10 miles or more from the lodge.

The next morning we weighed my bear in at 394 lb. The length from nose to tail was 76" the girth was 56". My first bear, that I made a rug out of was 60" nose to tail and weighed less than half this much. Remember too that a bear may gain up to another 1/3 of his weight by fall hiberation. That would put him at 500-535 lb. in the fall. I'm not that happy with the pictures. We should have cleaned him up and posed him better. The hanging pictures are deceiving because he's at a pretty good angle. The best picture to get an idea of his size is laying across the concrete pad. I measured that pad and it was exactly 7' wide that way. He hangs off either end. He looks like saskuash lying there. I believe the score for Miramichi this year goes like this: 24 hunters, 20 bear taken, 3 wounded not recovered, 2 hunters declined opportunities to shoot.

Two years ago, after taking a plump sow, I sat on this stand just to photograph and had 4 sightings of what I believe were three different bears. It was fairly dark, but I took pictures of a very large bear that just peered into the barrel without having to dump it over. Could this have been the one I shot this year? Or another? We'll never know.

Another interesting aside is that he was shot once before. In skinning him out, we recovered a mushroomed bullet jacket from his back strap. It had no core left and is 270 caliber. There was a small infection. I guess that was a minor annoyance to him. I am guessing , but I can only think that the bullet passed through something like a branch before striking him. But who knows? Really wish I could know the story.

I used my 30-06 with a 150 grain Nosler Ballistic tip handload, a maximum dose of H4350 which is very accurate out to 200 yards, as far as I can test. I was going to take my Model 7 - 300 Rem. SAUM with 180 grain Norma SPBTs, but they predicted lots of rain so I switched to my '06 stainless 700 at the last minute. I would NOT have picked that bullet for bear. I had loaded them for deer. But this shows that shot placement is all important. We recovered the jacket only, just under the hide in the center of the chest.

Xavier also says "To shoot bear, you must look like bear and smell like bear." I'll admit to first part but I do shower regularly! These guides are extremely knowledgeable but fun to be with too. Every room there has it's own bathroom so if you're not clean and odor free, it's your own fault.

I am hoping that the head will make it into Boone and Crockett. It must measure 20" total by adding length of skull with lower jaw and skull width. My taxidermist thinks he'll make it. Wish me luck.

If you are interested in hunting or fishing up there, feel free to contact me for more information. 845-361-3779
Miramichi Inn also offers superb grouse hunting over their dogs or yours, trophy salmon and trout fishing, and more. This is a place you could take the wife to too. I can't recommend it highly enough.

John

2010 Report- We hunted Miramichi again. I saw several nice bears including a sow that became a little too interested in the ladder stand I was in. I was able to resist the temptation to shoot any of them for which my wife is very grateful. I did get some nice pictures and movies though. On Thursday evening Butch took a nice boar. A bow hunter from NY took an over 300 pounder on the last night. He said there were two bears fighting over the bait and he could only get a shot at the SMALLER one. So everybody was happy.

John's Tips

FUEL
We get gas at Kittery, Bangor, and Houlton, Maine. Gas is very expensive in Canada so you want to avoid gassing up there if you can. In my full size pickup, I can get from Houlton to the lodge and back again without gassing up in Canada. Of course if you drive around while up there, you'll need to get fuel in Canada.

MONEY
You don't really need to change money into Canadian dollars. Make your purchases with your credit card and the card company will calculate the exchange difference. Some gas stations, like Irving, will accept US money and give you a fair exchange. Others will simply accept the US money at face value. At times that's OK if the exchange rate is small but I've seen the rate go to around a 35% difference. If that's the case, you getting robbed by the store. Miramichi quotes prices in US dollars so it's not an issue there.

BORDER CROSSING INTO CANADA
Both countries limit the amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring in. If you use them, check the latest regulations. The limits are very modest. You don't need to stop leaving the US unless you have valuables to declare so you aren't taxed on them coming back. You'll have papers on your guns from Canada so they won't be an issue. Trust me, it's usually easier getting into Canada then getting back into the US. You'll need a passport or enhanced driver's license to get back in. We just automatically show our passports when entering Canada so I'm not sure what they require. Miramichi will send you info on bringing your guns to Canada. What you want to do is visit the Canadian Government Firearms Center Site which includes regulations for nonresidents importing firearms and ammunition. See "Information for Visitors / Nonresidents". U.S. visitors need form CAFC 909 in triplicate. It is very simple to fill out. DO NOT SIGN IT until you're in front of the border agent. Having the paperwork done ahead of time makes life easy. There is a fee to pay and the permit is good for a time period. I'm not quoting the fee or time because they have changed it in the past. They have never even looked at our guns. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT BRINGING A HANDGUN INTO CANADA! It's their country so they get to make the rules. Also, if anyone, especially the car owner, had any serious convictions, like DWI, you may be barred entry or forced to pay a hefty fine to get in. Address this before you go to see how to proceed. They can access US records and they will know. It's nothing but trouble. Remember to set your watch ahead an hour at the border.

BORDER CROSSING BACK INTO THE US
If you have bear meat or the hide, you'll be directed to go inside and fill out some paperwork. Miramichi will give you'll all the Canadian papers you need. This last trip, we had our guns inspected. That's never happened before so who knows why. They just checked to see if they were the same as our Canadian paperwork. Nothing was written down. The border agents were polite and friendly and I can only compliment them.

CLOTHING (Spring)
Depending on when you go, it can be quite cool or extremely hot. I do not bring long underwear. I'm generally comfortable in just regular underwear and my polypropylene camo pants and shirt. Bring GOOD rain gear. I would never hunt in the rain again without Goretex. If it's cool, the rain gear can be another layer. You should have a camo hat, gloves and face mask. Dress like you're spring turkey hunting. If you go later in the season, the bugs can be terrible. There may be mosquitos and black flies. The worst I ever saw them was about one per square inch all over me. Buzzing your ears can make you crazy. The old way to deal with them is a bug suit and/or bug repellent. I hate bug repellent because of the smell and it can burn your eyes. Several years ago, while at the Harrisburg, PA Sportsman's show, I bought a THERMOCELL. This is a handheld bug repelling unit and it's worth it's weight in gold. It does NOT spook bears. I had one going when I shot this year's monster bear. What I do is put a bug head net on to go into the stand. Once there, I start the THERMOCELL. In about 15 minutes, the bugs are kept at bay and you can remove the net. Trying to see and shoot through the net doesn't work real well. I leave the camo face mask on. You can buy a THERMOCELL at most sporting goods stores or mail order one. You will thank me!! You need a head net but not a suit if you have the THERMOCELL.

BOOTS
You generally won't have to walk far but it might be wet/swampy. So any light waterproof boots will work. I use rubber boots that I can tuck my pant leg into to keep the bugs out.

GUN
I prefer a center fire rifle but a slug shotgun or muzzleloader will work. Nothing matters more than shot placement. Shots are generally at close range, around 30 yards. You can check your zero at the lodge. They will "force" you to do this. I would consider the 270 as a minimum but I prefer a 30 caliber. Bears don't bleed that much at the wound because of the thick hide and fir and a fat layer. I have used the 30-06 and 300 Rem. SAUM with great results. You really don't need anything more powerful than an '06. I would go with 180 grain bullets and premium bullets are good insurance but not necessary.

SHOT PLACEMENT
I say go for center of chest but NOT through a shoulder bone. Bears have very heavy bones and can deflect a bullet. No one wants a wounded bear running around or wasted someplace in the woods. If it's still moving, keep shooting. It is not uncommon for a bear to get knocked off his feet only to spring back up and take off. They make a deer seem slow. With that said, I do not think they are especially hard to kill. I have killed four and they were all within spitting distance to the bait. The guides love this. Remember, they can't be armed when guiding so they don't enjoy looking for your wounded bear. Why do I favor center of chest? Simple. It works and it's a big target. Andre likes a neck shot but the neck is a small target. If you don't break the neck, you may loose the bear. My first bear was shot slightly quartering away. The bullet broke the OFF shoulder. That's okay. He spun around a few times chasing the stinging shoulder then dropped on his back. I shot again but I don't think he needed it. After many unsuccessful bear hunts at other places, I was taking no chances on my first bear. My next three bears were all one shot instantaneous kills. One was dead center of the chest coming at me. One was between the shoulder blades facing straight towards me with his head down and the last was quartering away at about a 30% angle. I put the shot where I thought the last rib would be and it angled forward and ended up under the skin in the center of the chest. These three bears dropped at the shot. The first two were dead before they hit the ground. The big guy could only raise his muzzle slightly for a second and that was it. Practice shooting from a sitting position. The stands usually have something to rest your arms on. Squeeze, don't yank the trigger. You must keep your wits about you and not succumb to "bear fever" to get it done.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING!