BITTER-SWEET BEARS

Tipi just below the area.

Morning came, still cloudy, but the rain stopped. We laid around camp musing over the day before. It was colder and the smell of snow was in the air. Around 3:00 in the afternoon, Ted said, "Come on Cindy, let's hike up the canyon and see if the elk are back. This canyon led out of camp, one of three that came together at our camp, and a favorite to walk out. Earlier in the week the elk had been in the canyon, but had moved out. The wet ground made perfect stalking, and with the wind in our faces, hunting conditions couldn't be better.

Corning within 70 yards or so of where an elk had been dressed out earlier that week, Ted stopped suddenly. Turning slowly to me without taking his eyes off the remains, he whispered, "Bear." I looked, and behind a log above the remains lay a bear, with his head resting on the log and looking straight at us. We moved in a few more yards. Then he lifted his head and stared straight at us. He couldn't smell us and probably didn't really know what we were, only that something was out there threatening his find. As we edged our way in closer, I could see that his

muzz1e was almost completely gray, running up both sides and round his eyes. His intense stare was without movement, and yet one could feel that every muscle in his body was ready to explode. Those eyes seemed to pierce our very beings, unblinking, sending cold chills up and down my spine. A few yards closer Ted stopped again. The bear raised up and put his front paws on the log. He began to sway back and forth and the jaws started to snap open and shut, creating foam that soon encased his jaws and dripped to the ground.

"Cindy," Ted whispered sternly. "See that tree there? You climb that tree if he charges."

"Oh God, please!" was my reply.

Ted began inching his way forward and away from me. I stood frozen with thoughts of horror running through my head. The bear stood up, climbing on top of the log. His swaying intensified, swinging his head back and forth, jaws opening and shutting, working up more foam that ran down his chest and shoulders with each swing of his head.

Thoughts raced through my head, "What do I do? Should I climb the tree or shoot? What if I miss? What if I hit Ted?" I stood motionless watching the scene develop before me. Ted slowly moved forward, farther away from me. I couldn't breathe, and my heart pounded in my ears as I watched my man inch his way forward, getting farther and farther away from me, with the bear now fully concentrating on him. With muscles tense, ready to explode, both watched each other’s movements with intensity that was electrifying.

In an instant the scene exploded as the bear flew into the air in full charge towards Ted. That same instant Ted had an arrow in the air, missing by fractions as it flew through its hair, smacking a tree behind the bear. At the sound of the whack, the bear seemed to turn in mid-air towards the sound. The second arrow flew into his front shoulder, broadside, sending him down the hill into the canyon below. A third arrow followed him out.

It all happened in seconds and I was still rooted to my spot, only now the ground seemed to shake and my knees had turned to jelly. Ted turned and walked over to where I stood, put his arm around me and we just looked at one another.

When my voice came back, I said with a weak smile, "Cutting it a little close, weren't you?" With that silly little grin that creeps across his face, which tells all, he answered, "Yep, it sure was." A cold shiver ran up and down my spine.

Walking over to where the bear had been, we found where the elk remains was partially buried and the bed the bear had lain in to protect it from all intruders.

We found the second arrow in three pieces as we followed the blood trail down the hillside. It was total and complete penetration going through both sides of the bear, a good blood trail. Looking across the canyon, we spotted the bear again, climbing up into the timber.

Taking my hand, Ted led me over to a log and we sat down. He sort of grinned and said, "Let's wait awhile before we start tracking. Rather he be dead than alive when we find him." We sat silently, waiting for those slow minutes to pass.

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