Guided Bear Hunts

Rustic Retreat Lodge’s Bear hunting packages give you an excellent opportunity to harvest a big game trophy animal in the Northern Maine Woods.

Black Bear Hunting in Maine

Maine has a very healthy, stable black bear population, and it’s estimated at 35,000 according to the state’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.  Statewide we average 9 bears per 100 square miles. In our zone seem to have a higher percentage. Our region is Northern Maine, a consistent producer of adult bears each season.

As a bear hunting outfitter, we limit each week to 8 to 10 participants, to make sure they get a personalized hunt. We have hunted this area for the last four years and know how to get the bears to come in. We manage our bear sites for a sustainable harvest.

Rustic Retreat Lodge’s aims to provide the hunter an opportunity to harvest a mature Maine Black Bear, dressing out at over 200 pounds. Maine black bears reach full maturity (adult size) at about 5 years old. Boars will average 250 – 600 pounds. Sow (female bear) are smaller weighing in from 100-400 pounds. We have close to 100% sightings for each bear sight that we have.

The four-week bait season for black bear varies some each year but is typically the last week of August thought he third week of September, ending just before the first bull moose week.

For your best chance at getting that mature Maine Black bear is to book with a reputable Maine Registered Guide and outfitter. We hope that you consider Rustic Retreat Lodge LLC for your Maine Black Bear Hunt.

Choosing your Bear Hunting Guide/Outfitter

There are many Registered Maine Hunting Guides and Outfitters to choose from. Make the choice carefully. Everyone here at the lodge are avid hunters, and we work extremely hard to provide you with the type of hunt that we would want for when we are booking a guided hunt. Here are some things that set us apart from other Outfitters: 

• We have a range for sighting in your gun or bow upon arrival and we have an orientation meeting the first night before dinner. After dinner we go over what site you will be at, share pictures of the bears hitting our sites, shot placement, how to judge the size of the bear, as well as other tips and tricks.
• The tree stands we use are certified by the Tree stand Manufacture’s Association, safe and comfortable. Most do have a seating pad but feel free to bring one from home. Anyone in a tree stand is required to always have a harness on, while in the stand. (Welcome to bring your own or borrow one).
• The bear bait sights we have been pre-baited starting in July (when the law states we can), we place cameras on the sites to pattern the bears’ activity for up to 30 days prior to your hunt.
• Stands and ground blinds are set up to provide gun hunters an approximate 35 or less yard shot and for bow hunters no more than a 20-yard shot.
• Stands are set for left or right-handed shooters and have shooting rails or bow hangers, as needed by the hunter. (Hunter will notify us what they will be using as a weapon on the hunt)
• We have a rotation of sites, so that the bears do not get over pressured. Ensuring that our hunters have fresh areas to hunt.
• Our hunters will be placed on active sights, monitored with game cameras and we have several sites available for each hunter.
• Our Guides will take you directly to your tree stand or ground blind, make sure bait is fresh and your situated in your stand or ground blind.
• We will field dress your bear and will recommend butchers in our area and taxidermists in our area.
• All Hunters will be given a radio to use to contact your guide in the field.
• We recommend scent-free clothing, also that you bring scent-free soap to shower with. If you need to wash anything we can provide scent-free soap.

How we run our Bear Hunts in Northern Maine at Rustic Retreat Lodge LLC:

Our bear hunting packages give hunters a great opportunity to harvest a big game trophy that eludes many hunters who have spent a lifetime in the woods. The absolute thrill of seeing a mature boar or sow silently appear at the edge of your vision is enough to get anyone’s heart racing!

We have put in a lot of thought of how to set up our bear sites weather it be fore a tree stand or a ground blind. We can accommodate bow hunters, rifle hunters, muzzleloaders, and pistol hunters. We are able to make both left- and right-handed hunters comfortable and provide a confident shooting distance. Our guide will drive you within walking distance of your bear hunt site and get you settled into your stand or ground blind. Youth hunters can get a hunting license and do a bear hunt, accompanied by an adult. At 16 years old they can hunt on their own. We can set a pair of stands or ground blinds together for a parent and youth hunter sharing a hunt of a lifetime!

We will provide 2-way radios for access to your guide when you need him. We will come and get you at the end of legal shooting time and bring you back to the lodge for a nice home cooked meal.

Rustic Retreat Lodge has absolutely wonderful accommodations and each bedroom has access to their own bathroom. We have shared rooms with no more than 3 max in each room, unless a group has reserved a room. We do have two rooms that can accommodate a group of five and one room that can accommodate 2 hunters. The lodge also has great menu of home cooked food. While at the lodge in your down time, it is always a great time to tell hunting stories with your fellow hunters/guests. We only allow up to 10 hunters per week, this will give everyone a chance to make new friends or catch up with old ones. The camaraderie between bear hunter is a very special one! We have hunters that come stay with us year after year, no matter what hunting season it is. You may come into our lodge as a hunter looking to enjoy your time in the woods, but you will leave as part of the Rustic Retreat Lodge Family. Our staff will do everything possible to make sure that you have a great time on your Northern Maine Black Bear Hunt!

What to Expect on a typical day of your Bear Hunt:

Your hunt starts with us on Sunday with you arriving in the afternoon arrival. We will start your stay off with a little time at the range to make sure your rifle, bow, handgun etc. is sighted in. Then we will move into dinner with appetizers at the Lodge. After dinner we will a gathering to get to know each other, get to know the guide(s) & staff, also give everyone a run down on what to expect for the week. As well as answer any questions you may have. This meeting is pretty informative, and you should find it helpful for your week ahead.

Breakfast at the Lodge starts about 730am and while you’re enjoying a nice hot breakfast our guide(s) and guide helper are out making sure each bear site is freshened up. They will also review the camaras at each site for sign of bear from the previous baiting. You can spend your morning relaxing, trying you hand at calling in Coyotes or rent an ATV from one of the local areas powersports.

Lunch is our big dinner of the day and is served about 1130am/Noon. After eating, you will get ready to go out for the afternoon hunt. Transportation to and from your bait site is included. We will leave the lodge about 130pm and begin to deliver hunters to the sites. You will be walked into your site and the guide will wait while you get into the tree stand with all gear or your ground blind. He/she will than make sure your comfortable and ready for action! Each hunter will be given a radio, for safety and for when you shoot your bear. So that we can respond quickly to recover the bear. Occasionally we do have a big bear feeding on baits in the mornings. When this happens, we will sometimes put a hunter out on that site in the morning.

Hunting hours end a half hour after sunset, every day. If you have not had an opportunity for a shot and are still in your tree stand/ground blind, the guide will pick up each hunter at the end of legal shooting time. The guide will walk into the bait site via flashlight, in order to help you exit the site for the night. He/she will also shoo away any bears nearby so that they do not peg a hunter coming out of a tree stand or ground blind. Once all of the hunters are picked up, you will come back to the lodge to a good old fashioned home cooked meal and tall tales of bear sighting and of bears shot.

Book Your Hunt

Rustic Retreat Lodge LLC has openings for this season! Please give us a call at 207-930-5935 for more information on the hunt, rates and to book! Our many bear sites will help us keep sites fresh for each week’s hunters. So, it will not matter what week you come you will be confident of bear sighting and shot opportunities.

Licenses are available online or locally. Please check with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for current rules, regulations, license and permit fees.