Hunt of a Lifetime for Black Bear in New Hampshire

by Deb Hamel 9/14/22

What a blessing this September when we had the privilege of welcoming 16-year-old Mason and his mom Jessica from Michigan to our 122-acre camp in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire for a black bear hunt.

I am a children’s author with my first trio of books out this year in my ‘DADDY’S HUNTING SERIES’. I made the early decision to have a portion of the proceeds of ‘DADDY’S HUNTING STORY’ and ‘DADDY BOUGHT ME A BOW & SOME ARROWS’, go to a worthwhile cause.

Hunt of a Lifetime grants hunting and fishing dreams for children ages twenty-one and under with life-threatening illnesses and life-threatening diseases. As part of this hunt, we are under strict HIPPA rules to not disclose details. What we can say is, Mason went through a harrowing time in 2022 with hospitalizations and treatment. A very deserving young man for this trip.

A child may want to hunt a specific type of wildlife, or fish in a particular type of waterway. They have a network of taxidermists and tanneries who can preserve a catch or harvest for the child, and outfitters or private landowners (like us) who provide the land, bait, one on one guidance, lodging and food.

An entire network of sponsors helped to seamlessly coordinate this trip. I am proud to be a part of this with a portion of my proceeds of my first two books.

We donated lodging, food, our private land, and six 55-gallon drum barrels of bait (filled with pop tarts, peanut butter cookies, animal crackers, etc. The barrels and bait were drizzled with forty pounds of vanilla frosting, six boxes of ooey gooey caramel we had to squeeze out of individual bags). We spent ten days watching game cameras, tending the bait—and not hunting ourselves in hopes that would make the site full of bear action for Mason. This last part was tough to do, as we love this 30-day hunting season. This tiny sacrifice was so worth it though.

Interestingly, this was the first time that both Jessica and Mason were ever on an airplane. Upon arrival they had a tour of our camp and grounds, were told our home is theirs during the stay and Doug went over his hunting rules and goals. Mason listened intently the entire time.

I coordinated gifts for our hunt and want to thank the following for their in-kind donations:

An autographed portrait of Fred Bear was donated by Ellie Scott, whose late husband was Frank Scott, Fred Bear’s right-hand man and Director of the Fred Bear Museum…as well as one of the foremost historians in archery.

Lt. Frye of New Hampshire Fish & Game, also a regular on “NORTHWOODS LAW”, came to register the bear. NHF&G sent over playing cards with all of the Officers that were on “NORTHWOODS LAW” and presented it to Mason.

Scott Samson, owner of Samson Manufacturing, which is the premier manufacturer of firearms parts and accessories, donated logo t-shirts and accessories.

I donated signed copies of the three books in my ‘DADDY’S HUNTING SERIES’.

Ricky Wood, President of Fall Mountain Archery Club (Doug’s home Club), donated a hat and t-shirt, as well as his time in being a part of the hunt, helping with teaching and encouraging Mason. He was instrumental in the outcome of this hunt.

The night of the first hunt was fairly warm for September in New Hampshire. Jessica and I stayed up at the Camp—all windows and sliders open waiting to hear a shot in the distance of our acreage. I prayed for their safety, for a successful hunt, and for gorgeous fur—as Mason had chosen to get a rug made. Doug and I are bow hunters, so the sound of a shot firing would only mean success was at hand! They left at 3 pm, all smiles and hopeful anticipation. I watched the time go by, at 5:39 pm I said, “They might have seen the first bear by now.” At 6:15 pm my heart was racing, so wishing to be down there and praying for a bear harvest for Mason.

At 6:39 I noticed darkness was happening quicker than usual because of incoming storm clouds. I imagined my husband, Doug, intense and excited, guiding Mason which bear was a boar, which one to take. At 6:46 pm I heard a shot! I sprang from the couch screaming with immediate tears rolling down my cheeks, “THEY GOT A BEAR!” Running to Jessica to hug her, I realized I needed to grab the walkie-talkie. Just as I touched it, my husband clicked the mic twice. Crying and voice shaking I said, “We heard a shot. Did he get one?”

They had Mason come on the walkie-talkie and he said, “I GOT ONE!”. I talked back and said, “Really? Doug?” …. you could hear the smile and sense of pride he had in this young man we just met as he said, “He got one; it’s not a giant, but it’s beautiful.”

Preparations took place to preserve the 260-pound gorgeous fluffy black bear. For two hours it was non-stop activity, stories, laughter, tears and photos documenting each moment. When finished, showers for each and then we sat down for an old- fashioned meal of love, friendship, fellowship, thanksgiving, laughter and plates of food that never ran out.

Hunt of a Lifetime, a title so fitting and apropos for the child whose hunting dream just came true. Yet, a title just as fitting for my husband and I, as we will forever remember this hunt.

The wooden signs Doug made and hid along the trail to the hunting tower welcoming Mason will remain in the trees always. The cardboard painted bear Doug made for target practice will be hung in our garage.

Deb & Doug Gay, Mason (16) and his mom Jessica – along with the harvested 260lb black bear.

Our lives, Ricky’s life and Mason and Jessica’s will forever be bonded after this night. Our hearts will forever contain Mason and his mom. This was a moment in time where my two favorite Bible verses really rang true: “To whom much is given, much is expected” - for in our giving of our home, land, money, time and love…we have been blessed beyond measure by this experience. To share what we have with someone in need, and then see God pour out so much in return to us, felt miraculous. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" – We opened our home and hearts to two strangers, and the entire time they were with us it was as if angels were watching over everything – from the perfect hunt, the perfect compatibility, down to seeing the largest rainbow we have ever seen. We welcomed two strangers, and we parted as if we were family.

I encourage folks like us—private landowners—as well as professional guides and outfitters, to host and donate a hunting or fishing trip to contact Tina at huntofalifetime.org.