The Bear Hunting Obsession of a Driven Man by Bill Wiesner

               Bill Wiesner’s book, The Bear Hunting Obsession of a Driven Man, can be simply described as everything you need to know about bear hunting. But it’s a lot more than that.

From his bear hunting stories to his bear meat recipes, comprehensive descriptions of guns, bows, and other gear, to care of the meat and hide, Bill’s book leaves nothing out. He’ll tell you how to stalk a bear and what to wear when you do. Want to know what bear bait is best? Bill tells you.

I particularly enjoyed his stories of hunting in our country and Canada – and yes, he tells you how and where to do that.

I picked up the book in the booth of Northwoods Bear Products at the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta. Northwoods is an interesting company which you can check out at www.northwoodsbearproducts.net.

Bill and his family have taken more than 100 bears including some brutes, more than 30 of which qualified for the Pope & Young Club record book and seven of which qualified for the Boone & Crockett Club record book. They’ve hunted using every kind of equipment and all possible tactics.

In the introduction, Bill wrote, “I have been blessed with the urge, almost the need, to learn all I could about this magnificent animal, the black bear. Now, after more than four decades of writing about, filming, studying and pursuing bears, it is time to share in print what I’ve learned about black bears, enjoyed about black bears, plus my observations and conclusions regarding this wonderful game animal.

“I hope the information given opens doors for you to increased bear hunting enjoyment and success. So pour a cup of joe and enjoy. You just might come to agree with my description of a perfect day: to encounter more bears than people.”

Many of us might agree with that! Even if you have no interest in hunting bears, you will enjoy Bill’s books. And for bear hunters, this book is certain to become a critically important tool for the future.

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.