My First Black Bear Hunt

Senior year of high school my father invited me to travel to northern Maine with him to go black bear hunting. With little hesitation, I accepted the offer and within the next two weeks I was on my way to a state that I have never seen before. We arrived in Maine after a 7 hour drive. I was able to meet my dad’s long time friend and the owner of the guide service, Russ. He was very welcoming. We followed him to the long cabin where we were going to be staying. I was amazed by the beautiful structure of the cabin and after many pictures, I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning and we shoot our guns to make sure that the scopes did not get damaged during the travel. That afternoon, Russ showed us some of the sites that we had to choose from. They all looked very promising but, I knew that I had to make a decision. The next day, Russ drove my dad to his site and me to my site. I sat anxiously awaiting a creature that I have never seen in its natural habitat. I became very excited when I heard a twig break. However, it was a group of raccoons. It was amazing to watch the raccoons interact with each other and their environment. Most individuals see them as pests but, seeing them in their natural environment gave me a different perspective on them. Darkness covered the sky and I knew that it was time to go back to the cabin. When I arrived at the cabin, I was surprised to discover that my dad had shot a 160 pound boar (male bear). We took lots of pictures and I knew that I had to be successful the following day.
The following day, I went to a different site. Within a few hours, two black bear came out of the woods simultaneously. I became very nervous. I watched them for a minute trying to decide which black bear I wanted to harvest. Just as I was about to shoot, a larger black bear arrived on the scene. I put up my gun and took the bear down with a shot to neck. I was shaking from head to toe for the next few hours. I discovered that I shot a sow (female bear) and she was 265 pounds. I drove back to Pennsylvania the next day very happy with a sense of accomplishment.