Pennsylvania Game News - September 2008 - 22

Record ESP Bear By Dick Broadbent M Y PREMONITION started in early November 2004, when Stephen Erb and I went deer hunting in Nebraska. Steve’s the organizer of our bear and deer drives, near the town of Morris in Tioga County. Stephen was lamenting the fact that too many bears were being missed on prior hunts, even though we were averaging one to two bears a year. He said, “We should do better.” Bragging, I told him repeatedly, “Put the bears in front of my wife Carol and me and we’ll do the job.” He replied, “You can’t guarantee where a bear is going to move. One spot is as good as another.” I knew he was correct. After taking two fine Nebraska whitetails, I told the guides as we were leaving that I’d be sending them photos of a giant bear I was sure we’d be getting on our upcoming PA hunt. They looked at me as if my elevator didn’t go all the way to the top floor. I, too, was amazed at what I had said. Truth is, Carol and I had never even seen a bear on a bear hunt. Many were shot near us, but we never had any chances. I introduced Carol, our three daughters and one son, and their four spouses to deer hunting, and they’ve all taken mature whitetails. Carol and our daughter Kim are the most experienced, having taken elk, cougars, mule deer, coyotes, upland game and many fine whitetails. They’ve both hunted bears with the Erbs since 1990. They’d leave me at home in Delaware to deer hunt in Maryland, then I’d arrive in PA prior to Monday’s deer sea22 son. But, I missed my wife, the fun and the camaraderie, and in 2000, I decided to join them on their bear hunt, and have every year since. And after what transpired, I’m glad I did. I’ve deer hunted the Morris area since 1973 and loved it. We’d stay at the Penn Hotel and have a ball. After several years we bought 300 acres nearby, on Rattler Mountain, and had Tim Erb build us a stone cabin in 1987. Tim was a builder, stone mason, taxidermist, friend and the finest hunter I have ever known. If you showed him how to do a skill, he’d wind up doing it better than you. After getting an elk, having it mounted and placing it near the floor in a bedroom, only to have underwear draped on it, we had Tim add on a trophy room in 1998, to properly showcase the elk. He drew the plans for it on a napkin in the Penn Hotel bar. He did such a fine job I bought him a Remington .338. He loved it and said it was the best gift he’d ever received. After he passed away in June 2000, his wife Linda returned the rifle to me. I loaned it to Stephen, to be used by the five Erb brothers in memory of Tim. They loved Tim and were very appreciative. Before the 2000 season, I told Stephen that he’d get a bear if he used Tim’s .338. He said, “I’ve hunted bears for 26 years without getting one. What do I have to lose?” As I was riding back from the Philadelphia airport with my daughter Jennifer and her husband Nick on Tuesday afternoon of the bear season, I told them that Stephen had just shot a bear. When we arrived at Rattler Mountain later, we found my precognition to be correct — he had taken a 208-pounder, using his brother’s GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - September 2008

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