Monday, January 19, 2009

THE BEARHUNT

To begin, I'd like to say that this bear hunt was exhilerating to the max. Being somewhat up in age, in the "Big Country" alone,without dogs, in the middle of bear season. The hunt began previously during bow season. I went bowhunting in this area and had sat in a tree stand for five days. The only bear I saw was the second biggest I had ever seen in my life. It was surely over five hundred pounds, and appeared equal in size to my mule, Farley Gus. About the time my mind affixed the goal of putting an arrow into this monstrous specimen of an Eastern Black Bear, my heart was pounding so loud I'd bet that fella heard it. He turned uphill at 120 yards. I took note of the route by which he took.
Now came gun season; for seven years I had taken one day a year to hunt bear during gun season. So, this was my seventh day of hunting. I had already prayed for God to help my shot be true if I should be blessed with the sight of the same, or different bear. As I was entering the woods an hour before daylight with my caplight on, I saw what I thought was a sappling someone had cut, but I happened to notice it was skinnier at the bottem- Wow, what a great walking staff someone had given me. I used it to journey to my tree stand area.
I use a Summit Cobra climber, but I was not using it this day. I was on the ground and climbed to the area where I had spotted "Ole Greenbriar". Once to that point, in the darkness, I visualized his previous meanderings. Quiet and focused, I worked my way up the mountain to the thick patches of laural about 200 yards from the top of the ridge. I stopped at a point where I suspected "Ole Greenbriar" had come down toward my tree stand. I envisioned three "shooting lanes" as I looked toward lower elevation. One was to my left that opened at 45 to 50 degrees across the expansive hollow, one was straight down and to the left 10 degrees, running about 150 yards, and one down and to the right with a nole about 100 yards from me.
I took a drink of water and put in a chew of copenhagen, and waited as motionless and quiet as I could for about twenty minutes. As daylight came I discovered that my envisioned shooting lanes were much how I imagined. I could see nothing behind me however, but thick laural.
I remained motionless and in a heightened state of awareness for about an hour. Dad always told me that daylight was the best time of day to see big game. During this time I regretted not choosing a seat or tree to lean on, and noticed "greener grass" in the form of a root engulfed boulder with a tree growing out of the top- I wanted to be sitting on that rock, leaning against that tree. It was 40 yards to my left and nearly the same elevation. I moved to the rock very quietly. It was about five feet high. I managed to get on top easily and got comfortable.
About an hour passed and I pulled out a piece of jerky, washed out my mouth and took a bite. I then stood up and remained motionless for 15 minutes.
Have patience I emplore, as it may seem I am veering off, but it will all come together in the end.
All the time I was sitting on that rock I could hear a dog off in the distance. I had once killed a big six point buck not too far from where that dog was. It was far away and of no consequence, I thought, to my current efforts. I remained attentive however, and after several minutes, the once stationary location of that dog's desire seemed to be moving out the ridge just on the other side and toward the highway. Still, too far for concern.
After a short while, I heard another dog bark at the point of the ridge near the highway. I immediately thought to myself, "so that's how they do it." For "ole Greenbriar" or any mature bear in this neck of the woods knows that if he can just get across the highway and the river, the relentless hounding will soon dissipate and he may live, rather than be shot while having no course but down into ravenous teeth. Let's see- GPS tracking, radios, dogs in reserve on the highway.... these guys may soon be using helicopters mounted with 50 cals. I thought, "I am bear hunting, they however, are dog monitoring while sitting in their nice warm trucks. But, to each his own.
Just then I heard a familiar sound above me. I turned around. About 100 yards up and to the left laural was snapping. My heart began to pound. There was only a very small possibility that whatever was making this noise was anything but a bear. Then I saw a piece of black, then another- still heading closer and to my left. I cocked my Marlin lever action 35 rem. cal. rifle and there he was 40 yards straight to my left. He stopped. I could see all of his head and four or five patches of black about the size of my hat just behind a laural bush. "Take one more step big boy", I said to myself. then, I realized I have never seen a bear stop and not change direction, and that this senerio is why I had 200 grains of 35 cal. ready to launch. I aimed through the bush at where I suspected his vitals were and without hesitation pulled the trigger, and reloaded with the flick of my wrist.
Immediately, he was accelerating straight toward me,very powerfully. I could not get a bead on him. In two seconds I was in serious danger,and I could not get a bead on him! My 35 cal. went off an instant before my leg may have. The round hit him smack in the top of the head , which was now resting one foot from the rock I was standing on. There was no death moan, no life in his eyes. I immediately gave praise to the Lord. The first shot was mine, the second shot was His.
I will never know if "Ole Charger" was intent on my demise, or his fleeing path a coincidence. But, that's a good thing I suppose. He was not as big as "Ole Greenbriar", but big never the less. My family and friends had their fill of bear roasts, bear stew, and bear burgers. As for myself, a hunt of a life time, and a beautiful bear rug on the wall behind the chair I am now sitting in.

5 comments:

muralsigns said...

We appreciate you reading the Eye-on-Washington.blogspot.com article on President Obama Inherits Chaos Theory and making a comment. You said it all. Greed is the motivation by the Ponzi Schemers embedded in the government and in the corporate plutocracy, which has been unfolding for 30 years. We are headed for a deep and brutal crisis, and many will suffer. You have changed your life and will do just fine. Best wishes, jerry

muralsigns said...

By the way, Thanks for listing Eye-on-Washington on your link list!!! That was very kind of you. I see that your Bear Hunt piece is your first one. I am your first commentor. Very cool! Have you read Jim Harrison? I believe you would like his writing and stories.

Here is a blogspot from a fellow hunter and outdoorsperson:

http://justin-n-illinois.blogspot.com/

take care, jerry

solbama said...

Jerry, thanks for that- found a link called the international forecaster-good stuff and on the money-see you on the show.

keep it happening, solbama

muralsigns said...

Hi Solbama, thanks for your response on my blog. I will be putting up the piece you spoke of tomorrow. I need to go through it again.

I do believe that some of the stimulus may actually produce more than it is delivering. Let us hope so, but the rest of it, such as trade deficit, imbalance in the tax code favoring the top tier income earners, and wasteful corporatist-welfare spending will fail.

thanks, jerry

muralsigns said...

Hi there,

To answer your troubling question of how to get America to act? I wish I knew! I guess it begins with one or so people, and then expand it outward, yet that action is idealistic. What would be the catalyst? It is already here, but many are really not thinking along a line of action. Many just stay frozen. Although, people mobilized in huge numbers to get out and vote, yet they had Obama to catalyze them.

jerry