ing past 5:45 p.m. when ….

ing past 5:45 p.m. when he finally set himself back up, this time no patience would be required. Not even 15 minutes later, the bear had returned, whether due to the noise or perhaps oblivious to it. Regardless, it was back, and Weiland hoped that he would get his opportunity.

The animal lumbered just into range and Weiland silently waited for his chance. After the time he had spent prior, keeping quiet for another minute or two seemed a small price to pay in order to get a better shot. The bear continued its creep towards him, and as the gap narrowed, he drew his bow up. It was 7 yards away when Weiland loosed his arrow and his aim struck true. The 220-pound boar went down and he had scored his first bear.

While certainly memorable in its own right, Weiland noted the most interesting part of the hunt was the slight irony in the fact that it had taken so little time for the bear to come by after he had set up in his stand for the final time.

“Sitting in the stand for 12 minutes, definitely,” Weiland said when asked if anything in particular stuck out to him about the details of getting his first bear. Which is hardly surprising, given a hunter’s normal routine. This was only heightened by the fact that he had not had any luck in this spot prior and had not even come into the day expecting anything different. Even when he had decided to head out later in the day, it was almost more on a whim than anything.

But sometimes that is the way of things. One can prepare for days or weeks and see nothing, or sometimes one can sit down and get your prize in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, all it takes is that one decision to go out, even if it is only for an hour or two, and that can pay dividends.