Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado!

Big Bull Down! Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado! By Kirstie Pike, CEO Prois Hunting Apparel for Women

Again?!? Yes, again… Hanna Pike, daughter of Prois founders Steve and Kirstie Pike, bags another trophy animal for 2009! Hanna, 17 years old, started out her 2009 season with hard-earned Mountain Goat that she took in the 13,000 foot peaks of Colorado. This week, Hanna scored her second trophy of 2009- a 7×6 bull taken in Southeastern Colorado.

Hanna, accompanied by her father and grandfather (Jim “Jim Dog” Pike) set out for the south east reaches of the state. Packing in on horseback, the threesome set up early on opening morning to glass the area. A number of sizable bulls and cows were sighted that morning. However, when Hanna spotted a nice 7×6, she knew that was the bull she wanted. After some maneuvering, she was able to set-up into position and take her shot.

The rest, they say, is history. A trophy bull is quite a prize, but the memories fabulous hunt shared with her dad and grampa are what will mean the most. Passing the torch and fueling the passion for hunting and the outdoors starts at home. It is a beautiful thing to watch our kids grow into the next generation of sportsmen/women. Oh, and by the way…Hanna isn’t done yet. She ALSO drew a Colorado Mule Deer tag for the upcoming season…stay tuned!

12 yr. Old Hannah Goes Hunting Bear!

I met Hannah at the youth bear hunt when I was interviewing the kids that the ABC Sportsmen’s Club had sponsored. This spunky little gal was raring to go and told me she would be on a hunting show some day! You go Girl!

 Here is 12 year old Hannah’s Bear Hunt in her own words:

 The first day we went out and we checked on the baits in the beginning of the day. We saw 2 cubs alone and there was 1 mother and 3 cubs. It was a good sized mother, but of course you can’t shoot a mother with cubs. Then at around 2 o’clock we looked at one bait, and we saw medium sized tracks and we guessed around a 200 pound bear.

 We got ready and we decided to go after it. We let 1 dog go and started to hear the howling and we let 3 more and then another 2. They all started howling and we kept going back and forth and back and forth because they kept on running on the bear tracks for 2 hours because the bear would not go up a tree.

 The bear was running in circles. My guide Larry noticed there were 3 dogs going in one direction and 3 dogs going in the other and it was weird because we think there was a small 100 pound (bear) and another 200 pound bear. Three dogs were chasing after one and 3 dogs were chasing after the other. We put 3 more (dogs) out there and we ended up with the 100 or so pound bear up a tree.

 We had to walk at least a mile out in the woods and we found it. It was up in a tree and it was about 125 pounds.

 We were getting the dogs tied back and getting ready to shoot and it went down the tree. It ran out and he let the dogs go again. Larry asked if  

I wanted to go for a different one and I said no because none of the other kids had one yet at this time.  

 Our truck was way over on the other side and we were closer to some trucks on this side of the woods where there were other people that helped us. He (Larry) went to get our truck and we heard howling really close to us. One of the other hunters came back and he said that the bear was on the side of the road up in a tree.

 We ran down the road and there it was up a tree and all the dogs were there. Then I shot it once and got it in the lungs and then it climbed up the tree. We didn’t know if I missed it or not. It was weird and then we hit it again, I think in the neck and it still wouldn’t drop. So we hit it 1 more time and it finally dropped. It weighed about 125 pounds.

Hannah’s first words when she saw the bear were “I can’t believe this! It’s like I’m dreaming”.

 A big THANK YOU to the Medford Hunter Safety Instructors, Ashland Bayfield County Sportsmen Club, Bayfield County Wisconsin DNR Warden Pat Quaintance, and Guide Larry Leer of Ettrick, WI and his entire crew of awesome Hunters for making this little girl’s unbelievable wish happen.

 Youth can sign up for the WI LTBH (Learn to Bear Hunt) program on the  WI DNR webpage or at a DNR Service Center or at a hunter’s safety class.

One more note: Hannah has also taken her first deer in the WI Youth hunt last weekend. Congratulations Hannah.