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Mitch Cummings likes to take a rifle into the Maine woods near his Bethel home, climb onto a platform secured to a tree and spend hours watching a plastic barrel stuffed with stale pastries.

He's hunting black bears, using high-calorie snacks purchased in bulk and a spray that smells like jelly doughnuts to lure the animals into a narrow clearing. When he sees one he likes, he'll shoot to kill.

"I just stay as still as possible," said Cummings, 37, after showing off the fresh paw prints and bear droppings that surround a blue barrel licked clean by one that got away. "Bears are very smart."