Isiah said, “I was happy when my dad told me about my bear hunt. It was something I dreamed about doing!”
“The people were super nice and friendly and made us feel welcome,” said his mom, Kelly. After they discussed the details of the hunt with the group, they all headed to bed early to get a good night’s sleep.
Jay Link picked up Isiah and his dad around 5 am, and then headed out to meet up with the rest of their bear hunting crew. One of the guides went out and checked the bait while others looked for tracks on the road. “It wasn’t long, and the dogs struck a track but were unable to line it out,” said Lee.
After seeing a bear on one of their trail cams, the group released their dogs on that bait. “We were following the dogs by GPS, and we saw a bear cross the road, and it was exciting. The dogs chased the bear 9.3 miles before it was treed.”
They put Isiah in the side-by-side UTV, put his manual wheelchair in the back, and headed out towards the tree. “I felt good they had finally treed the bear, and as we got closer, I could hear dogs barking louder. It was my first-time hunting with dogs, and it was really cool!”
They helped Isiah into his wheelchair and got him out as close to the tree as possible. He looked through the scope of his Savage 7mm 08 rifle, put the crosshair on the bear, and squeezed the trigger, and down the bear came.
“We worked our way through the thick brush and drug the bear back. You could see by the look on Isiah’s face he was excited. He made a good shot and got the job done; I was thrilled for my son.”
“When he got it, he was so happy, so full of smiles,” said Kelly. “The best part of the hunt was my son being around all those wonderful people. It was amazing, and he enjoyed every moment of it.”
We are grateful to Joe Scidmore for donating his license, Jay Link and Tommy Thompson, and FFCS Bear Hunter for helping make a young man’s dream come true. Congratulations to Isiah on his trophy bear and the unforgettable memories and camaraderie shared with his family and hunting buddies! God bless!
If you are interested in getting involved or know of a deserving child or veteran, don’t hesitate to contact USSA.