Melissa's first bear hunt

Well, now it's Melissa's turn to try to get a bear.
Saturday morning found us once again climbing skyline trail to the place where I shot my bear two weeks ago. This time we were at the top of the mountain by daylight and glassing for bears as soon as it was light enough to see. I have noticed that Melissa has an incredible ability to spot bears from great distances. We were hidden up and to the left of where this picture was taken when Melissa spotted a large black bear feeding above timber line in the far right side of the picture (about a half mile away). She spotted him with the naked eye but it still took me awhile to see him even with binoculars. He was eating blueberries and moving the other direction so we had to stalk very quickly to catch up to him. This included climbing about 500 feet up and traversing the mountain side using whatever cover was available. This is exhausting, we were moving very quickly trying to stay low the the ground while navigating alder patches and rock slides without making any noise. Anyone who has stalked big game animals knows how tiring that crouch can be!! At three hundred yards we looked at him through the scope but decided to try to get closer. At 200 yards there wasn't anything to steady the rifle on for an accurate shot so we moved closer still. When we were inside 100 yards the bear was moving behind rocks and terrain and wouldn't offer a good angle for a shot long enough for Melissa to steady herself (remember, the bear was moving away from us so we were trying to keep up). We moved closer three times to get into position. Only a hunter can understand how exhilerating it is to sneak up on a large animal, it's like the adrynaline rush you got from playing hide and seek times 100! It was sooooo cool to be doing this with my wife!! This is the stuff hunters dream about when they should be working, paying attention in church/school/while driving. I just knew we had this one in the bag, which wall will we hang him on? (he was HUGE) Will the news paper want to do a story? what is the AK record size? The third time we got set up for a shot there just wasn't anything to rest the rifle on and Melissa said the cross-hairs just wouldn't stay on that sweet spot. So, like only the most seasoned mature hunters can do, she waited until everything was just right to take her shot. She knows how important it is to kill this bear quickly, he would be VERY dangerous to go into cover to find if he was wounded. The bear took a few more steps and again was out of sight, so we elected to move once more to find a good angle on him. As we rounded the mountain we expected to see his shiny black coat glistening in the morning light, but with each passing step it became more and more painfully obvious that the bear had sensed our presence and vanished like only a predator so adapted to his environment can do.

Melissa was devastated, she came so close to the trophy of a lifetime only to have him give her the slip. I was and am extremely proud of the way she handles herself in the field. I know that if she lets the hammer fall with that rifle there will be little if any tracking, and that makes me feel very comfortable hunting with her. The season is not quite over yet so there may still be an entry with another bear in it soon.

Melissa was so hung on getting a bear that we decided to hunt again the next day. To make a very long, painful story short and painful, we packed 18 miles in the wind and rain and Melissa saw only one bear at least a mile away. I'm sure the missed opportunity from the previous day served as more salt in the wound with every passing mile. 9 miles in, Melissa developed a case of planters facsiitis in the feet and was in agony the whole way out. At the end of the day we were wet, blistered and cold and very glad to take a steamy shower!!