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On Friday, September 24, 1999, my good friend, Walt Earl, an outfitter in Montana, called me with a hunting challenge. He told me of a very large black bear that was terrorizing the ranching
community near his home in the Snowy Mountains. The bear was killing livestock in the corrals and barns of the ranches, and had the area in fear. Many precautions were taken to protect the livestock but
the bear was a big one and could easily kill the ranch animals. He was bold and cunning,
never seen in the daytime; he was a night killer. His giant tracks on the corral floors and voracious appetite
left little doubt as to his size. The ranch families wouldn't allow their children outside for fear of the bear. The apple trees around the homes were stripped of their fruit to give the bear less reason
to visit. This was a big bear with an attitude. The State of Montana sent in their professional hunters with traps, dogs, and baits to hunt down the rogue bear, but with no luck.
They found other bear...but not the big rogue. When the state hunters pulled out, defeated by this bear, Walt called me and said, "let's go hunt this big rogue bear". He knew I had a fall bear tag and wanted a big bear. Last time I hunted bear with Walt I used a .223; he said go get a "real gun" for this bear because of it's size and cunning.
Well...I didn't have a "real gun" so on Saturday I headed for Curry Thomas Hardware where my
friend, Steve Thomas, selected me a .308 and fitted it with a good scope... now I was ready to hunt the big bear.
I arrived in Billings on Monday and was picked up by Walt and we headed to his home in the Snowy
Mountains. The next morning we were up and tracking the bear. We hunted this bear for five days in snow and cold weather, sitting on mountain ridges in high winds, watching as the sun came up, looking
for the bear. Over the first four days of the hunt Walt had developed a plan. The bear changed his path from his kills and the different berry patches where he fed on a daily basis but Walt knows bears
and on Sunday, in the early morning, we saw the bear, He came out of the very berry patch that Walt had predicted and headed for the high country. He stopped for a second as he caught our scent...It was
a long shot but it was now or never. As I squeezed the trigger, I thought "please bullet, go to the crosshairs". When I regained my focus and saw the bear motionless on the ground...one shot
through the heart...I experienced the most hunting joy ever. It was a long hard hunt...but I got the rogue bear that couldn't be gotten.
As we worked to get the bear back to the cabin, ranch families brought their children over to see and be
photographed with the bear that had terrorized their community for so long. It was a great day in Judith Gap
and we were the heroes...I liked that.
The next morning I quickly packed and was on the plane at noon heading back to Florida with a cooler full of bear meat and a wild turkey. I had so much I had to pay extra, but that was ok, I was a happy hunter.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A PICTURE!
Outfiiter Info:
Walt and Una Earl
Golden Bear Enterprises
HC 60 Box 348
Judith Gap, Montana 59453
(406) 473-2312
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