11 year Old daughters first Bear

[skagitsteel]

My oldest has been hunting with me since she was 6 years old. She passed hunters safety at 8, took her first deer at 9 and repeated at 10, hopefully repeats again this year.  This year she told me the beginning of the year that getting a bear was the most important.  I primarily hunt the back country and see lots of bears every year (34 this year), most of them a long ways from the truck, these days I just let them walk for the most part.  I even passed a bear I was after really hard a few years ago named 'Hank the Tank' (1st pic) This year as usual as we got into late summer and berries got ripe I started seeing bears out scouting and during the few days I got out for high buck. 

[skagitsteel]

The first day we got out was in mid September, she made it about 9 miles round trip, the berries were just getting ripe and bears hadn't moved into this particular basin yet. The weather was also pretty rainy with limited visibility, I have never done well with high country bears in those conditions.

[skagitsteel]

The very last two days of September I planned a couple days off to help a friend get a first bear and help my daughter.  It was prime time now with colder weather and the only berries ripe at high elevation.  The first day was a school day for her so it was just my friend and I.  It was a good hike and a pretty quick hunt, seeing 4 bears and having one down by about 9 AM

[ShaneTyTrey]

Very cool!

[skagitsteel]

The day of the hunt we got up early and left the truck around 4AM.  She made the long trek up the mountain and about 4 hours later were just getting to where I had seen all the bears the day before.  The weather again wasn't playing games and it was snowing pretty good with a fresh dusting over everything.  Ava got a bit cold and was about totally worn out from the hike.  A quick 'you want to go back?' from me was replied with 'no! I want a bear!'.  We got up to the first likely spot for a bear and I glassed the hill not seeing anything I turned to walk toward our next vantage point. I got about tow steps when I hear my daughter behind me 'Dad, bear!, Bear! right there! sure enough I turned around and a bear had just stepped out from behind a tree on the hillside. We got set up on the bear and another slightly smaller one steps out about 150 yards up the ridge.  As we got set up the lower bear we wanted to shoot disappeared.  The plan was for her to shoot and I would be ready for a quick back up shot with my rifle(I have a bear tag too!) if it was needed. I moved down the draw to see if I could spot the bear from a different vantage and left her set up where she was. I looked back up and she was motioning that she saw it again.  I crawled my way back to her (no cover).  I was almost to her and I hear the safety click off, I was expecting to have to calm her nerves and walk her through the shot like I had on previous deer.  Not this time!  Just as I reached my rifle she let it rip, bear dropped instantly and rolled back down the mountain towards us.  225 yard shot, quartering toward us, she went in the neck, got the spine and out the opposite lung behind the shoulder, perfect shooting!  It was a long heavy pack out for me with the boned out meat, the hide, her rifle by the time we got back to the truck!

[Kit Carson]

Awesome! Nice write up and pics.
Congratulations. 

[dan11011]

Awesome Story! Congrats to her! 

[kodiak 907]

Awesome!

[redi]

Great job.

[Elkcollector82]

Great job

This write up and the pictures to go with it makes me feel like I was on the adventure. Great memories for you and your daughter. 

[Stalkin Prey]

Absolutely fantastic. Great job and congrats to both of you. Gotta be proud. 


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[skagitsteel]

Absolutely fantastic. Great job and congrats to both of you. Gotta be proud. 


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Very proud Dad moment for sure, I actually teared up a bit after watching her spot it, set up the shot, decide where to put the bullet and get it done with no help from me.  They grow up so fast!

[branches]

That is a nice bear. Congratulations to you and your daughter!!! I bet you and your family are very proud of her success!! Great pictures of your hunt.

[saylean]

That's awesome SkagitSteel! Tell her congrats for me! Good work!

[huntnfmly]

Very cool congrats.
Great pics and story thanks for sharing