NEAR AMHERST, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- It is starting to feel more like fall every day. One of those late summer, early fall traditions is black bear hunting. The baiting hunting season started on Monday and one guide has a few tips for hunters.

Tim Nickerson is the owner of the Maine Woodsmen Guide Service. He wants to remind people that the black bear baiting season runs until September 22. Nickerson said he has seen an increase in the bear population since he started his guiding business in 2003.

"A couple things I stress is a safety harness when you're going up in your tree stand. That's a must whether you're bear hunting or doing any type of hunting, firearm safety is a must making sure your firearm is unloaded when you're going up in the tree and down out of the tree," Nickerson said.

Nickerson said if someone shoots a bear, they have to take it to a tagging station so officials can record where and when the bear was shot and its gender.

NEWS CENTER