September Bear Hunt
Deep in The Maine Woods
Some hunting experiences are hard to put into words. The annual E3RF bear hunt in Maine is one of them.
At the end of September, a group of four alumni veterans made their way to the forests of northeastern Maine for one of the most unique hunting experiences E3RF has offered to date. Thick timber, winding logging roads, crisp fall mornings, and trees on fire with color. It was the kind of setting that makes you forget, at least for a little while, that the rest of the world exists.
A Different Kind of Hunt
This wasn’t your typical hunt. No tree stands, no blind setups, no sitting still and waiting. From the moment boots hit the ground, this was a full-day pursuit, and the dogs were leading the charge.
Working with Ted and Taylor at Wilderness Lodge in Maine, an outfitting team that has spent decades running bear dogs across the forests of Maine, the group spent their days covering miles of timber company land, tracking bears entirely by scent. Each morning started the same way: checking game cameras across dozens of bait sites scattered throughout the region, identifying which bears were worth pursuing, and then turning the dogs loose to do what they do best.
The way Ted explained it said it all: “You can have all the technology in the world on these dogs and it’ll help you a ton, but if you just sit back and listen to them, they’re telling you a story the whole time.”
Watching the dogs work on a Garmin tracker, monitoring their speed and direction, whether they were holding a scent or losing it, was a hunt within a hunt. The group leapfrogged across logging roads in separate trucks, cutting off trails, introducing fresh dogs to the chase, and reacting in real time to wherever the bear was pushing. Controlled chaos, from sunup to sundown.
Running Dogs
A coastal storm rolled in and took two full hunting days off the table. Bear dogs hunt by scent, and rain washes it clean. The group made the most of it, spending those days at the lodge catching up over card games and pool, but losing two days in a short hunt window is no small thing.
When the weather cleared, the group was back out before sunrise. The dogs ran hard, covering miles of thick Maine wilderness over the course of a single day. On the second day of hunting, one of the alumni got his first bear after a six to eight hour track job that covered somewhere around 14 to 15 miles of rugged terrain. One bear between four veterans isn’t a perfect scorecard, but that’s hunting. This group wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.
The Kind of People Who Make This Possible
What made this trip stand out wasn’t just the hunt. It was the people behind it.
Ted and Taylor run their operation with a rare kind of generosity. At a previous bear hunt, one veteran had to leave early to handle a family situation. Without being asked, Ted and Taylor reached out to him directly, told him they had a few days open, and invited him back at no cost. He returned, got his bear, and FaceTimed the group in disbelief. That kind of thing simply doesn’t happen in the outfitting world, and it says everything about the character of the people E3RF gets to work with.
Seven Years Later
One of the veterans on this hunt hadn’t been out with E3RF in nearly seven years. His first trip came early in the foundation’s history, back when things looked very different. Spending days riding the logging roads of Maine together gave the team hours to catch up with him and fill him in on just how much the foundation had grown since he’d last been out. His reaction said it all.
What came out of those conversations was something unexpected. He left Maine with a renewed sense of purpose about his own property and what he wants to do with it, specifically taking Gold Star kids hunting. He spent hours asking questions and left fired up about doing meaningful work in his own backyard. That ripple effect, a veteran coming back after seven years and leaving inspired to serve others, is exactly what E3RF exists for.
Every Mile Matters
The bear hunt in Maine is unlike anything else on E3RF’s calendar. It’s remote, it’s demanding, and it asks something of everyone who goes. For veterans who have spent their careers operating in difficult environments, it fits.
None of it happens without the people who make it possible. Every gift to E3 Ranch Foundation helps us open the door for the next veteran who needs it.