Maine Record Sow Bear

Snared Sow: A New State Record

Editor’s note: This sow bear taken this fall is a new Maine state record tipping the scales at a dressed weight of 358 lbs. The bear was harvested by Howland guide Zach LaFreniere from Wild Fern Guide Service. The big female bruin was estimated to have a live weight of 429 lbs! The previous state record for a sow is 336 lbs. His story follows.

By Zach LaFreniere

I guide fishing all over Penobscot, Piscataquis and Washington county taking folks in the spring, summer and fall in my boat. In the fall I guide some Moose, Deer, and occasionally Bear hunts. When I’m not on the water I’m working in the woods.

I drew a moose permit this year so I decided that I should probably try to get a bear and go for the ultimate token of Maine. The grand slam. Bear, moose, deer, and turkey.  

I had baited a spot on the back side of a hardwood ridge where it meets a bog for couple of weeks during regular season.. with only a sow (female bear) and her cubs showing up. I figured I’d been feeding them long enough. I decided to pull up shop and switch territory.

The Bog Move

I struck it for another bog with the help of buddy of mine. A mile or so on ATV and a good 500 yard walk down into the bog. After setting the site, I didn’t have much luck, which isn’t very uncommon. It hadn’t been baited this year; although it was active in years past. Sometimes these things take time.

I decided to go back in after a few days of nothing showing to freshen up the site. After three days of waiting we hoped that a “shooter” would show up. Mind you at this point I’m just going for any respectable bear so that I can have a chance at my grand slam.

The bear showed up for a half hour looking around and checking everything out. It peeled the logs out of the barrel opening, had a small feast, and then directed its attention to my pipe set up. In Maine, you’re allowed to trap bears by means of snare. The bear flipped the rock over the pipe, reached down in and pulled the key out- Perfect.. but not really.

I wanted to make sure that I didn’t snare a small bear (a required crimp on the cable called a “cub stop” helps mitigates this) but also to ensure that a sow with cubs didn’t show up. With all that being said, I did not have my snare deployed, which is completely fine by me. Everything worked out just fine.

I went back into the site the following day  to find that she had only taken half of the food from the barrel. This is an indication to me that the bear knew it was there.. and would be back. Again, to make sure the bear was alone I waited another few days of the bear showing up alone before setting the snare. I made a perfect rock fort over my pipe and tuned up the barrel for the last time…with only crumbs left in it.

Bear!

The bear came in and inspected the site, but didn’t want anything to do with it after being denied a midnight snack. She quickly peeled the barrel off the tree snapping the cable and dragged it off into the woods. She never returned to the site that night.  

The following day I went in and took away all distractions. I removed all rocks but one and removed the barrel. This is a one time pony trick that could work if all goes right. As nightfall came- same song and dance but it was party time this time. The bear came in and looked around just to disappear and return 20 minutes later and fall for the plan. I had meticulously camouflaged my set. It was just right. Within minutes the bear was on. I called in a rendezvous with a few good buddies to come and help me. We struck it down into the woods guided by the moon.

Timing was critical because the bear had almost worked itself all the way out of the snare and was only held on by the paw, not high up on the arm. We snuck in stealthy so as not to disturb the bear or cause any extra distemper. A well- placed round with a Remington model 7600 pump in .35 Whalen with a 250 grain soft point got the job done.

When we were trying to drag the bear out of the woods, all four of us were struggling. It was just pulling like a wagon tire full of concrete. Pretty soggy. I decided to dress the bear and let the meat cool since we’d be a while, plus it would be easier to drag.  We all knew it was a pretty darn good sized bear, but it can be hard to judge them sometimes.

I got it to the tagging station and called everywhere to find a certified weigh station, which I eventually did at Village Market in Carmel. That’s when we would find out that the bear was a contender for the state record. I began  jumping through hoops to track down a biologist or Game Warden to verify the record.

After business was taken care of the bear was taken  to “The Boys Custom Meat Cutting” in Medford. The butcher, Aiden Zugelder, caped it for taxidermy, processed the meat, and saved the incredible amount of fat for rendering.

I’m humbled and honored and really appreciate all the positive feedback from our great hunting community in Maine. I owe thanks to my family supporting my dedication and time I put into my passion. To my friends for always being there to help in an instant. Finally, to God for guiding me in the light and in the darkness.

Now that I’ve harvested a turkey, moose, bear.. it’s time for a big buck.

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