I remember it well; my little brother Jim and I met up early that August morning. It was forecasted to be a hot one only a few days into the fall bear opener. The pleasant, pale pre dawn light showed through the mature trees and illuminated the sky with pinks and light blues that rewarded those up early enough to enjoy the sight. After some chats and coffee on the ride over, we found our parking spot and loaded up for what was going to be about a hike up various switchbacks to a few alpine bowls. Unbeknownst to me, the hike was 10 miles (I thought it would be much less), but Jim likely kept this from me knowing full well that my response would have been, “There are bears closer you know.” Simple joys of torturing siblings, I suppose.  

We hiked for a good 30 minutes along a gravely logging road. The crunch under my boots gave way to a comfort inside my brain that still occurs to this day. The sound of walking on gravel has always made me nostalgic for my childhood where I played outside and rode my bike up and down our gravel driveway along a quiet country road. Even after almost 50 years, I still enjoy that sound. As we rounded a heavily wooded corner, we jumped a bear just alongside the road who barreled into the dark forest for cover. Jim and I only had our bows since we decided not to bring rifles this time around. Plus, our bear seasons are not weapon specific so if it is a legal weapon, we could use it. I still carry the same bow to this day, an old Hoyt which has helped me put down many elk and deer.  

We talked about the encounter with excitement as we huffed and puffed our way higher up the mountains of the north Cascades, mosquitos dogging us like some drill instructor on a private beach during a PT march. We stopped occasionally and listened, which often gave away bears’ positions as they ate various berries just inside the brush, off the road. The sun was now peaking over the hills and the thermals were starting to kick in. We plodded on. 

By 11:00 a.m. we had neared the top of where we wanted to be. We were just below the lip of a large basin that was choked with various bushes, but shaded and cool. We decided to take our boots off and just hang out along the road for a bit as we ate some snacks, drank water, and talked about what brothers do. I did note that on the way up, Jim was chugging his water while I was conserving mine. Naturally, he polished off his water and ended up drinking much of mine. As we talked in slightly lower tones, but not much lower than what you would have around a dinner table, Jim suddenly paused, saying, “Do you hear that?”  

Now I am not known for my great hearing. In fact, I have a birth defect of abnormally thin eardrums, both of which have ruptured five times each (experiences I do not recommend). So, my hearing is not the best. I replied no and Jim came back with, “Sounds like a bear is walking up the road.” Now we were on a slight hill, with a blind corner about 50 yards ahead which was the rim edge of another bowl but gave way to a very steep decline. I believe I kind of laughed it off. But sure enough just downhill from us, an average black bear appeared. Naturally, as the mighty hunters we are, we didn’t have our boots on, our releases were off, and we were talking like normal. The bear plodded right toward us, and it was quickly decided that I would be the one to try for a shot.  

Hurriedly I put on my release. The bear took note of us as he panted up the hill and politely worked his way off the edge of the road and into the trees. He then skirted us as he kept coming uphill. It was almost comical. I was able to grab my bow and notch an arrow while hoping the bear would be so kind as to step out of the trees within range and offer a broad side shot. 

Coincidentally, that is just what the bear did. He sauntered out of the woods, the heat of the day blazing down on us. I almost felt bad for the guy wearing that black fur coat. He worked his way out of the tree line and onto the gravel road, then paused. Jim was in awe of my hunting prowess as I pulled back my bow, settling the peep sight between the 30-40 yard pin just behind the shoulder. I let loose, a textbook shot, and the arrow sailed cleanly over the bear’s shoulder. But my left and right positioning was spot on, to my limited credit. 

The bear made a break from the blind corner just up the hill from us as he bounced over the edge and into the sea of wilderness that surrounded us. I turned back to my brother with some disappointment, which was met with equal expression and some laughter. What had just happened? Well it turns out, once we shot distance with our range finder (which I did not do prior to the shot), the bear was 25 yards away. In my haste, I thought I was aiming at the bear between my 30-40 yard pins, guessing him at 35 yards, but I was at my 40-50 pins…clean miss. A clean miss I can accept and am thankful for. I would always prefer a nice, clean miss that hurts my pride than a poor shot that wounds the animal. 

We sat on the edge of the bowl and looked down into a vast sea of green and brush for several hours. Finally, the cool evening air began to fall and like clockwork, small black dots began to pop out in the bowl, which we would not have seen unless we stayed there. I believe we counted 10 bears in that one bowl before we decided to start to hike our way back. With our bows in hand, those bears deep in the shaded sanctuary were pretty safe from us. It was enjoyable to watch them regardless. 

I have learned some key things about black bears and hot days in the early season. For one, the bear I missed in the road was hot, just like us. He was looking for some shade or water. That’s where he was headed and that’s where you should start looking for bears during that time. The bowl where all those bears hung out is naturally cooler than the surrounding area, another key takeaway. Most have heard the saying by now, “find the food, find the bears”, but there should be a side note to that saying, “on hot days, find the water and shade, find the bears”. With no way to sweat, bears are just like dogs who need to cool down via panting and by taking dips on hot days. Why not search out wallows that might be a nice spot for a bear on a hot day? If you are out hunting elk in September and you find a wallow, remember it, not only for the elk, but for the possibility of bears. 

Heat not only affects a bear’s habits, but their hide and meat. It is vital that you field dress and cool the bear as quickly as possible. There are some places and days where this is easier than others, but keep this saying in your mind, “cool, clean, and dry”. What do you need to do to make this happen? Don’t dunk your hide in a bunch of water to cool it off. Heat and water are the perfect mix for bacteria to form and the sooner they take hold, the faster the slippage, or loss of hair, can happen. If a nice hide is important to you, be sure to get it off the body and air cooled in the shade as you work on the rest of the bear. Then once you are out, cool it down in a cooler. But again, protect it from water using plastic bags on top of bagged ice. Don’t go showing it off on a hot summer day; get it straight to the taxidermist or fridge/freezer. 

Despite coming home empty handed that day, I was left with a fun memory of blood, sweat, and bears…well, not so much the blood part. To this day, I claim I missed that bear on purpose because I didn’t want to pack that thing 10 miles out in the sweltering heat. And to this day, my brother doesn’t buy it.