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“They were just awesome to watch.
“Unless you've seen a bear in the CALEB FLIES/FACEBOOK
wild, it’s just a completely different
feeling. I think some of that is a lit-
tle bit of fear knowing that that thing
could be up your tree ripping you
apart if it wanted to.
“It wasn’t until noon that I saw the
bear that I ended up taking. She was
an older sow. She didn’t have any
cubs.” His nerves went off the chart.
“She was so close to me, the big-
gest bear I’ve seen in the wild.
“It’s similar to buck fever. You get so
excited seeing this huge animal you
really want to take. It’s just a mix of emo-
tions, and there’s really nothing like it.
“I wanted to make a good shot.”
Finally the sow came closer, stopped
to Flies’ left, and gave me a 5-yard
shot. Everything worked out perfect!”
It was a great shot, and the bear
expired just 20 yards from the stand.
And Caleb Flies has just made mod-
ern-day hunting history in Oklahoma.
His harvest is believed to be the first
black bear taken entirely with prim-
itive, handmade archery equipment
since American Indians did so more
than a century ago.
Flies took to Facebook later that
day: “Wow, can’t believe this just hap-
pened. Primitive archery Oklahoma
black bear. Could be the first in over
a hundred years. What a dream come “I’m in love with just seeing The Ravenclaw selfbow that Flies used to take
his Oklahoma black bear. Clearly seen are the
true, and a huge bear is just the icing bears in the wild, and going carved nocks in the arrow shaft, the flax fiber
string, and the inlaid turquoise bear paw under
on the cake.” hunting is just an excuse to the beaver skin grip.
To those who don’t condone go do that .” And for him, harvesting isn’t the
hunting, Flies has a response. On end game.
Facebook, he wrote, “I had a tag, “I’m in love with just seeing bears
which is one of the major fees that of years. Bears kill deer fawn, and in the wild, and going hunting is just
fund their research and conservation. even other baby bears. It’s good to an excuse to go do that.”
I understand bears are portrayed as harvest some bears and keep their
cute fluffballs, but they’re part of the population in healthy numbers. I do (Communication and Education
circle of life, which humans are also like hunting but also want them to Specialists Blake Podhajsky and Darrin
part of and have been for thousands thrive as a whole population.” Hill contributed to this feature.)

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