Sweet Redemption

[pete]

  As luck would have it I had the opportunity to do some bear hunting with the cousins last weekend.  Combined my wife's cousin JW and I have killed over 20 bears in AZ between state land and the rez. Let me just say if it wasn't for the passion in are hearts I would sitting right under my ac unit at the house this time of year. It doesn't much matter where you go for bears in AZ, this time of year chances are it will be over 100 degree's sometime during the day of your bear hunt. And it was all that plus some you know it's hot when you are in the saguaro's and prickly pears for a bear hunt in August. Remember saguaro's do not grow over 3800' elevation. Between JW and I we have 8 kids in which 5 teenager's 2 preteen's and the newest hunter to the family a 1.5 year old. He has 4 and I have 4. As we get older are focus is certainly towards the kids getting out to hunt and us guiding them to success in all aspect in life.  

We started with looking up high 4500' plus and we located one bear opening day but are shooter was in school till 3 and wasn't arriving till that evening. Saturday was hot with no bears located. But we had the oldest teenager down in lower country and he spotted 2 bears. So I decided to move down to help him on Saturday evening. I found a nice black bear right at dark (as usual) with no chance to close the gap before time would run out. So we opted to go home and come back Sunday evening to get it done. So that was 3 we saw in the same area.

We were able to close the gap Sunday evening to be in the heart of them and like clock work one bear showed up for the party. JW and his oldest were able to close the gap and get into shooting position I was watching from 1000 yards away on another ridge. I could see the bear and them in my bino's . Then boom and the bear just stood there then boom, boom, boom. The bear had enough and he booged up and move off to a deep canyon. the kid was heartbroken that he missed. So with about 15 min's of safe light left I started looking around and located what was to me a jumbo chocolate in the pears he was at 1124 yards and there was no way to close the gap in time but he was to be numero uno on the hit list. We called the bear line and unit was to close Weds. Between work for us and school for him we knew we were running out of time. I was able to get out Monday evening by myself and had a beautiful solid black one at 207 yards the only thing this bear was missing was about 150 pounds to match up the  chocolate one I had saw. So I passed on him which is pretty hard to do. In my heart I really wanted the kid to get one first and I didn't want to booger it up in their. 

Finally the last evening of the hunt Weds we all were able to get in position for another  evening And as luck would have it the same bear he missed came back out and the boy took it as a personal mission to seal the deal on that bear. He glassed it up him self then stalked it and was able to harvest that bear that evening at 150 yards with us old guy's watching . It was like passing the torch off or kung fu master when you snatch the pebbles from my hand it will be time for you to leave. Some of you older reader's will get this. 17 years old and pretty much did it on his own . He originally found  the bears ,his dad and I where just their for back up. Now if you have ever taken a bear in the evening with no roads in sight you know how the REST OF THE STORY GO'S needless to say we arrived home around 1:30 am. And again I was happy too be part of it. And for the 350# chocolate I saw well my chocolate addiction will carry on.

Thanks for the read,

Pete

[Big Browns]

Absolutely freaking Awesome!!!!! Great job guys and huge congratulations!!!

[el diablo]

Nice job. Congrats. 

[lonne]

Super cool!  Thanks for the story!!  Nice job

[Dan]

Congrats on your first bear !!

 

 

[Will K]

Good job.

[wildwoody]

Awesome, but 20 bears you look like 15? I take it you group, little guy