When Jake Smith headed out last week for his straight year of bear hunting, he figured the chances were good he’d end up seeing a few animals.

He figured he might get a shot at one.

What the 11-year-old sixth-grader may not have realized was this: A successful hunt might cause a few interior decorating problems.

“I don’t know where we’re gonna put it,” Smith said Tuesday, gesturing around the Brewer home he shares with mom Darlene Freeman, stepfather Larry Freeman … and plenty of handsome animal mounts that serve as constant reminders of the family’s passion for the outdoors.

Darlene Freeman said Jake could put his first bear in his bedroom, where there’s plenty of available wall space.

But Larry Freeman – whose bear mount already fills one wall in the living room – has a pretty good feel for Jake’s mindset.

“He’d like to put it out where more people could see it,” Larry Freeman said with a chuckle.

That’s understandable.

Jake bagged his bruin Friday evening, during the first week of the bait season. He was accompanied on his hunt by his father, Barry Smith of Corinth, and his grandfather, George Smith of Orono.

Jake has spent a lot of time around wild animals in his 11 years, as his grandfather George is a veteran wildlife rehabilitator who often has a variety of animals around his Orono home. Moose, bears, skunks and deer are but a few of the animals he has cared for before they’re fit to be released into the wild.

After spending quite a bit of time in the woods scouting, Jake Smith felt confident a bear would come to their Orono bait site.

“Without a gun, I [scouted],” Jake Smith said. “There were a bunch [of bears coming in to the bait]. All different ones. I didn’t care which one I got.”

Jake went hunting on opening day – Monday – but didn’t see any bears.

On Friday, while sharing a stand with his father, that all changed.

“He came in at 7:05 [p.m.],” Jake Smith said. “We had been sitting there for about two hours. It was starting to get dark, and we didn’t think we would see one.”

Then everything changed. Even though Jake had seen plenty of bears approach the bait, he was shocked at the stealth of the bear he saw Friday night.

“All of a sudden, it just appeared, out of nowhere,” he said. “Right in front of us. All of a sudden.”

Jake said he didn’t have a whole lot of time to ponder the bear’s stealthy approach, however. He ascertained that the bear wasn’t a sow with cubs … then he pulled up his .243 youth model rifle and fired.

“It all happened so fast,” he said. “All I had time to think was, ‘Shoot this bear.'”

Smith ended up with a 90-pounder – “an average bear,” he says – for his efforts. He also ended up with a couple of enviable problems.

Where to put the bear when it’s mounted … and what to do for the rest of bear season.

While the first answer isn’t yet settled, the second may be.

Deer season is still quite a ways off, and while football practice at Brewer Middle School started on Tuesday and will likely keep him busy, he also plans on heading into the woods when he gets the chance.

“My grampy’s hunting, still, so I might go out with him and sit,” Jake Smith said.

Now all he needs is a little bit more wall space for his mount.

Sportsmen and women Down East will have the chance to bend the ears of decision-makers on Friday, as a Sportsman’s Forum will be held at the Calais Rod and Gun Club.

The forum begins at 6:30 p.m., and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Danny Martin and Deputy Commissioner Paul Jacques will each be in attendance.

Also present will be DIFW Advisory Council member Lance Wheaton and a number of other DIFW staffers.

If you’ve never attended one of these forums – which are held across the state each year – you may want to stop by.

If you’ve got a gripe, air it. If you’ve got a question, ask it. If you’ve got a compliment … the panelists may be surprised, but they’ll appreciate it. And if you just want to sit back and listen, you’re welcome to do that, too.

General questions or specific queries are welcome at the free-form event, and it promises to be an enlightening evening.

Heck, if past forums are any indication, Wheaton may even tell a joke or two … and if you’ve met the fun-loving guide from Forest City, you realize that he’s got a creel-full of them.

While we’re on the topic of Sportsman’s Forums, you may want to plan ahead for one that’s being held in Hancock County.

David “Cappy” Wardwell – also a member of the DIFW Advisory Council – reports that the annual Bucksport forum will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Bucks Mills Rod and Gun Club. Supper will be served at 6 p.m. and the forum begins at 7.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.