Big Bear Gets Free Pass

On the last day of the Georgia early archery season, I drove down to Altoona WMA in Bartow County. I parked my truck on a ridge top and slowly walked down to the bottom of the hill. It was a beautiful morning with clear skies, a light east wind, and a crisp 40 degrees. The cold air biting at the bare skin of my face and hands as I climbed into my tree stand and got ready for a big buck to walk in on my setup.

As the woods became clear with the dawning day and the birds began moving about in the trees, I caught movement across the creek. A shadow seemed out of place? Holy moly, it was a black bear feeding on acorns in the wide open! I knew he was forty-nine yards away because I used a range finder the day before to measure how far a log was, and the bear was standing on it.

It was a large boar with jet-black fur, thick and shiny. He fed back and forth for two hours along the creek bottom. He gave me multiple opportunities for a shot, but never came closer than 45 yards. That’s a makeable shot if you practice at that distance; unfortunately, I didn’t practice beyond 30 yards. I enjoyed watching this giant feed without him ever knowing I was there.

I stayed for another hour after he walked up the creek and out of sight. No deer today, but the chipmunks and birds all seemed to be having a great day. Tomorrow morning is the opening day of rifle hunting, and for all of us archers, it is a sad time because archery is more intimate with nature, and we will miss the solitude.

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