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"Handgun Hunting Heaven . . .
Handgun bear hunting in Maine places you in one of the heaviest black bear
concentrations per acre of habitat anywhere in North America. Hunter success from our blinds and tree stands over bait
has been outstanding with record book kills year in and year out.
Question:
Doug Koenig clearly strives to be the best, so where does Doug Koenig go when he wants to hunt bear?
Doug Koenig (L), world shooting champion, with shooting and hunting
authority Dick Metcalf (R). |
Answer:
Doug calls his friend Wayne Bosowicz of Foggy Mountain Guide
Service. Here's Doug with his Maine Highlands trophy. |
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Know your hunting tools
Handgun hunters must know their gun and what it will do under our kind of hunting conditions. Handgunners will take aim at about 25 to 40 yards on average. You are provided pre-built, permanent stands, portables and ground blinds with all obstructing branches and brush cleared from your line of fire. The best cartridges are large calibers with deep-penetrating heavy bullets - either cast lead or jacketed soft noses.
For treestand and ground blind
hunting, optical sights are recommended. However, on a scope,
nothing should be over three-power. Remember the woods are very
dark, and the sky could reflect back from the eye-piece lens when
you're aiming downward. Check out your equipment. Open sights work
well with highly visible contrasting colors - a yellow front blade
with a white outlined rear notch is very good.
Also, handgun hunters should sight-in their guns downward for shooting from a tree stand. The difference in bullet point of impact when shooting across flat ground or down out of a tree can be as much as four inches with some cartridge loads even at close range - enough to make the difference between a dead bear or a twenty mile search for a wounded animal. Also shoot your gun in a level position as you may hunt from a ground blind too.
Unsurpassed opportunity to hunt a Trophy Bear
We strive to give our hunters the shooting opportunities expected of a truly world-class hunting outfitter. This requires knowledge, skill, effort, advance preparation, and experience. Bear hunting is our life, so no matter how you cut it, a part time guide can not give a full time commitment.
Our highly processed baits have incredible drawing
power. They are continually adjusted as bear feeding preferences change. Your bait site, stand and blind are precisely
positioned and meticulously maintained only after our careful study of prevailing
winds, terrain, and game patterns.
A black bear can appear at your stand and then disappear in a blink. Powerful and crafty, the bear's trademarks are strength and endurance. His nose is as sensitive as the most sophisticated radar system. The bear’s feed and travel patterns through our thick fir and dense bogs make him a challenging animal to hunt. Scent and noise control are critical to your success.
Black Bear Hunting Professionals
Wayne Bosowicz is regarded as the dean of bear hunting guides. He and his close knit staff of fully licensed master guides set the world standard that others can only dream of achieving. And no expense is spared to continually raise that standard.
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Wayne's tip on choosing "For decades, my favorite caliber has been a 41 Magnum, and it still is. I've killed a pile of bear with the 41 Magnum, but I just think the world of my Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum Mountain Gun. And that's what I've been carrying for several years now," says Wayne Bosowicz, Maine Master Guide. Wayne also owns a 454, but doesn't have enough bear kills with it, or with the 500 and hot 460, to let him give an expert's opinion. |
Wayne (L) with his good friend, and
famed handgunner, J. D. Jones (R) at the NRA National Convention. |
Prime Black Bear Habitat with Controlled Access
You will hunt deep in the most productive black bear habitat in North America, on nearly one million acres of private and state lands. Our prime hunting areas have controlled access - an unparalleled benefit for Foggy Mountain's guests. We have hunted these lands since 1964. We know the habitat, and we know the black bears’ habits and patterns within it.
Roy Jinks (L) of Smith & Wesson and Wayne
Betz (R). Roy is an outstanding person and long time friend of Foggy
Mountain. Besides being a good hunter as shown here, Roy is one of
the nation's premier authorities on handgun history. |
The black bear in your territory are under-hunted, resulting in a growing bear population, with many stands having multiple bears visiting them.
Bear Hunts in Two Vast Maine Regions
We hunt two regions of private lands. Each area has access controlled by gates, as are 95% of our total hunting territories.
1. Highlands, Katahdin and Moosehead Region
2007 Season: Open August 27th (Arrive on the 26th) thru September 21st - 4 Weeks.
Maine's vast Highland, Katahdin and Moosehead Region lies between our Sebec base camp, and Mount Katahdin and Moosehead Lake to the north. A six day stay and a five day hunt.
Housekeeping Accommodations - We offer excellent housekeeping accommodations in comfortable cottages or camps. We match your lodging to the size of your party and the area you are hunting. We provide bedding and household equipment. You'll have everything you need to prepare your own food inexpensively. There are also several places to eat within easy driving distance.
2. West Branch Region
2007 Season: Open September 10th (Arrive on the 9th) thru September 21st.
Hunt Maine's famous West Branch Region between Moosehead Lake and the Canadian border. A six day stay and a five day hunt tailored the same as our regular base camp housekeeping hunts.
American Plan - Stay in the comfort of a fully restored Maine Lumberjack Lodge. This lodge has been designated as an official National and Maine Historic Site, and features original turn-of-century decor. What's more, you'll enjoy home-cooked, all-you-can-eat, lumberjack-style meals, reputed to be the biggest and the best in Maine. The coffee pot always on.
Tom Fegely (L), outdoor writer from
Pennsylvania, looking at the bear taken by hunter Chris Dolnack (R)
of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. |
• All hunts are six days lodging and five days hunting.
• The best time to arrive is Sunday afternoon.
• A 50% deposit is required on all hunts. No deposits refunded.
PERSONAL CHECKS ACCEPTED FOR RESERVATION DEPOSITS ONLY.
Click Here for Maine Black Bear Hunting Rates.
Hunting License
In order to purchase a Maine hunting license you will be required to show a previous license from your home state or province. A hunter safety certificate is also sufficient.
Questions?
When you book a hunt with us, you will receive a complete confirmation kit including detailed information on equipment and clothing, plus graphic illustrations of optimum shooting angles.
Please feel free to call us at any time.
Click here for answers to some of your Hunting Questions.
Visit our Handgun Bear Hunting Trophy Room.
Read about Doug Koenig's Bear Hunt
by Dick Metcalf in Handgunning Magazine.
Read
Handgunning for Bears
by Dick Metcalf in Peterson's
Hunting Magazine, November 2006.
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