Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011 - 9

cut in mind. Thanks to an abundance of acorns, the bears found the area to their liking. Warm weather kept the bruins active and, even as we lined up for the drive, both watchers and drivers reported bear sign. With the drive underway, comments about bear sign were numerous, as the drivers fought their way through the brush. We all anticipated that some shooting would soon break out. The drive was probably a little more than halfway over when a couple of shots rang out along the watch line. We waited to hear what happened, but never had the chance to get word as more shots started farther up the line. The drivers kept on going, hoping that if any of the bruins cut back into the heavy brush they could once again be pushed out to the watchers. Finally, one lone shot rang out just as the drivers were about 50 yards short of clearing the thicket. At the end of the drive, two more bruins were on the ground, with Bill taking his first and Carl tagging his second ever bear. This was another first for our gang — a hunter taking his second bear. All of the previous kills to that point had been the hunter’s first bear kill. Together there may have been as many as nine bears in that drive. In all the confusion, it was hard to tell. The excitement of the moment was again dampened by the possibility of a wounded bear. A search of the shot area did not reveal positive proof of a hit, but the hunter knew the bear went down after he fired his first round. With time for just one more drive, we chose to hit a clearcut in the direction the bruin had gone. It didn’t take long to line

up for this drive and we were hopeful that the bruin, if wounded, had taken refuge in this thick cover. Not far into the drive shots rang out near the middle of the drive line. By the sounds of the guns, we knew which way the bear was fleeing. Soon everything went silent and nobody seemed to know what had happened. The drive stopped for several minutes before we finally found out that another bear had been taken. When the drive resumed, it wasn’t long before a slight blood trail was discovered coming from the direction where the bear of the previous drive had fled. The bear was hit on the front of one of its back legs. The bear simply dashed into this nearby clearcut and took cover. Thanks to our knowledge gained from previous bear hunts, my oldest son, Brandon, has his first bear. We called it the prize of the day because it had twin ear tags and a lip tattoo. Later, research on this bruin revealed that it liked to visit birdfeeders in a nearby township and had been trapped and transferred in 2009. At the end of the day, we tallied the results. Five drives made, at least 16 bruins seen, 54 shots fired and six hunters had taken bears. It was a day that will remain sketched in the memories of everyone involved for a long time. The group has already made plans for the next opening day. Who knows, maybe the gang can set another record. 

Cover Photo by Lori NeeLy
The eyes say iT all. Devotion to a master and a drive to serve. No wonder dogs are considered man’s best friend. a dog adds so much to a hunt that going without one can at times seem pointless. Cocker spaniels have been such popular house pets and show dogs for so long that many people are surprised to learn that they’re hunting dogs, bred to hunt woodcock, hence the name “cocker.” While the english is more popular, the look in Nutmeg’s eyes show an american will give you its all. and what more could any hunter want? August 2011 9

Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2011