Kevin Snobl, from Neenah, WI, was ecstatic when selected for the 2022 bear harvest drawing. “I wanted to give my license to a child with Down Syndrome because my son has it, and bear hunting is important to him.
15-year-old Kate and her family arrived at the bear camp late afternoon. Following a delicious supper, they got settled into the camper. Then, out of the blue, Kate said, “Yep, dad, I’m going to have my bear by 7:00 tomorrow morning.”
Opening day of the hunt, Kate, her older brother Garrison and their dad Gary got up at 5:00 am. After breakfast, their guide, Brent Evitch, loaded the dogs into the truck, and they headed out to check their baits while the other hunters also checked their assigned bait.
Gary said, “We went to the first bait spot, sat for about twenty minutes, then Brent let out the oldest dog. He got on a trail in about 10 minutes, and we followed in the truck and watched on the monitor screen. The dog chased the bear for about 1 ½ miles, and Brent called his wife to go to where the bear was coming out. His wife called and said the bear ran across the road right in front of them. So we and the other three trucks met up with her. Then they turned the other dogs loose; what an exciting noise all the dogs made! We waited until you could hear the dogs treed the bear, then we drove to a lane and walked about 300 yards with muddy areas, stumps, etc.”
Brent said, “On our way to the tree, we crossed paths with a couple of guys from another hound’s group who instantly started helping. Everyone took turns holding Kates’s hand and helping her through the rough terrain. When we arrived, the bear was 80 feet up in a big pine tree, and we were down a big hill.”
Brent set the tripod up, aimed the crossbow toward the bear, and helped her stabilize it. Finally, at 7:15 am, Kate squeezed the trigger, and the bear came tumbling down and hit the ground. Her smile was enormous, and everyone was emotional.
Gary said, “The best part of the hunt was the love the bear hunt gave my children from start to finish. Everyone cared for us as a family with hugs, and shaking hands, just like we were a complete family; just the smiles on their faces told the whole story.
Kevin expressed, “I wanted Brent and the Critter Gitter Crew to guide Kate’s hunt because I saw how much work they put into their hunts. They take such great care of the hunters and their families you truly get the whole package.”
Brent added, “The most impactful part of this hunt was seeing all my family come together to help a special hunter and have it all successfully come together as a team.”
Many thanks to Kevin Snobl for donating his license and Brent Evitch and the Critter Gitter Hound Hunter Crew for helping make a young lady’s bear hunt a great success. Congratulations to Kate on her trophy bear and the beautiful memories and camaraderie shared with her family and new hunting buddies! God bless!
If you are interested in getting involved, want to donate your 2023 bear license, or know of a deserving youth or veteran, don’t hesitate to contact United Special Sportsman Alliance.