When we arrived at the enclosed trailer in the morning we discovered that one of the local bears, probably named Yogi, had tried to get to the meat inside the trailer. He left his muddy paw prints all over the outside and bent one of the windows.

He must have been really hungry because after being unsuccessful at getting to any of the elk back straps he decided to try and make a meal out of the seat of the ATV. His taste buds must not be up to par because he took more than one bite out of the vinyl seat.

Since we were just going to get Don's animal off of the mountain and load the meat into the trucks and head for home I neglected to strap on my side arm. Denny and Don went to get Don's bull and I was to handle the chore of moving the meat from the trailer to the back of my truck and get Denny's trailer ready to drive that ATV into it.

As they drove off the thought that the bear might still be in the area crept into my mind with increasing intensity. I backed the truck up to the trailer and began the chore with one eye and ear open to the hillsides around me. Every sound got my immediate and undivided attention and I checked out the area before I entered the enclosed trailer lest I find Yogi with his dinner in my hands when I emerged. I am glad to report that the event proved uneventful.

The last thing to go into the back of the truck was the head with the 5X6 antlers clearly visible. I have taken several elk over the past nine years, but no hunt was as strenuous or rewarding as this one. The trip home was indeed filled with pride.

It was to be a whirlwind trip home arriving on Wednesday afternoon, cutting up Denny's elk on Thursday and making the trip back out West to Maybell on Friday.