It is with great sadness that we hear of the sudden passing of deer hunting great R.G. Bernier of Standish, Maine. Dick was a master tracker, hunter, writer, photographer and devout Christian. He was 62.
I first met Dick about 20 years ago when I took over the helm here at Deer & Deer Hunting. He was a good friend of Charlie Alsheimer, and we instantly hit it off as proverbial bloodbrothers. His contributions to the magazine in those days led to him becoming Northeast Field Editor, a new title I made specifically for him, because his insights into New England whitetails was something we had not had within the pages of our magazine for quite some time. His ability to connect hard-working deer hunters with practical tips and advice was special. Later, in 2009, I had the honor of sharing a seminar stage with Dick, the Benoits, Hal Blood, Gene and Barry Wensel, Craig Dougherty and Alan Probst at the monster Whitetail Summit event held by Outdoors Magazine in the Adriondack Sports Complex in Queensbury, N.Y.
Bernier was bigger than life. His trademark hat and flannel attire immediately told those who didn’t know him that he was not only a deer hunter, he was a Northeast deer hunter. The toughest of the tough. No-nonsense guys who said “no, thank you” to the luxuries of tree stands, trail cameras and any other modern-day technology. Give him a pair of rubber boots, a compass, swath of rope and a rifle, and he’d come back with the biggest buck in the woods. Dick Bernier just flat-out knew how to hunt. Over the course of 17 deer seasons starting in 1983, he shot 17 bucks during Maine’s annual gun-hunting season. Fifteen of those bucks weighed more than 200 pounds field-dressed, and seven topped 230 pounds. The largest was a 250-pound (dressed) buck that he shot in 1993. That same year, his dad, R.A. Bernier, shot a buck that weighed 232 pounds.
And that he did. Many times over. I fondly recall conversations with Dick when he would recount the numerous 200-plus-pound bucks that he and his dad dragged out of the Maine wilderness. They were public-land hunters cut from the same cloth that we were while growing up and hunting big bucks in Wisconsin’s north woods. The only difference: The Berniers were a heck of a lot better deer hunters than we were.
I hadn’t spoken to Dick in quite some time, and that is a regret I’ll always live with. He was a wealth of deer hunting information, for sure, but more so, he was a Christian man who was always there with kind words of inspiration during dark days.
We will miss you, sir, but we know Heaven is rejoicing in your presence right now. Hug Charlie for me, and watch over all of us as we navigate each and every day in the swamps, fields and woods.
Editor’s note: To express condolences or to participate in Richard’s online tribute please visit www.DolbyBlaisSegee.com
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Church 21, Inc.
Attn: Bernier
77 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084
How to Track Big Bucks With R.G. Bernier
