I went on my first big game hunting trip with my dad and three friends Jonny, Cody, and Justin. It was the best time of my life. Weeks before our trip, we prepared, gathering all of our gear, making sure the boat was good to go. The ammo we used for our 300 win mag was so hard to find we didn't want to waste too much of it by target practicing, so after my dad got the gun cited in, I took three shots, the first at 100 yards, the second at 200 yards, and the third at 300 yards all of them hitting dead center. I was so proud of myself and my dad was so proud of me also. My mom did most of our packing for our trip. I didn't realize how much work it took to get ready to go hunting, preparing the boat, camping gear, warm clothes, food, and emergency kits. All of this had to be prepared and ready to go before we could leave the house.

The hunt began. All five of us loaded up in the boat and went across the inlet. It was low tide, so we anchored the boat up while we unloaded. After unloading, we made sure to tie the boat off and started setting up camp. As we were setting up camp, we saw a black bear heading up the hillside, and that's when my excitement started for the night. My dad and his friends grabbed their guns, we were all there hunting black bears, but all the guys had agreed since this was my first trip, I would get the first opportunity at a kill. My dad and I found an excellent spot to post up on and use some rocks as a rest to help keep my aim steady. We carefully watched the bear go back and forth, we wanted to ensure it didn't have any cubs following it around. I have learned that it may be legal to kill a sow that has yearling Cubs. Still, morally I just wasn't OK with that, so we watched, and after a while, we concluded that there were no Cubs. Growing up with a family that hunts as a lifestyle to provide food for their family, I have been taught a lot of respect for hunting. It is not a sport or a game to us. This is a lifestyle. After deciding to take the bear, I got set up and comfortable to take my shot. This was when the adrenaline started coming almost uncontrollably. Still, I was able to keep my cool, remembering everything my dad had taught me, slow and steady, keep breathing, squeeze the trigger, and only take the shot if I know it is a clear, clean shot. I took my shot, and the bear was down. After my dad confirmed that it was dead, he let me come up with him, and he showed me how to properly start gutting and preparing the bear to take back to camp.

"What, fish tacos? I don't know about all of that." I remember being skeptical at the thought of eating fish tacos. "Anyways, we didn't bring any fish." I told Cody. My dad let out a 

little chuckle and explained that we were taking the boat out and going to catch some rockfish to cook for dinner, so we loaded up in the boat and went out. It wasn't long before we had caught several rockfish to bring back to camp. Cody cooked the fish up in a pan over the campfire and made everybody's plates up with fish tacos. After the adrenaline rush and all of the work prepping the bear and bringing it down the hillside, I was starving. As I sat there looking at my plate, I was very hesitant to eat it, but I didn't want to be disrespectful, so I took a few bites. I was shocked at how amazing it was. I told Cody, "wow, Cody, you're a great cook." I thought for making rockfish on a fire at camp that this was delicious, and it goes to show you never know if you don't try.

The following day after getting up super early and having breakfast, we took the boat around the Cove to a different part of the beach. The tide was out, so we decided to beach the boat, and Jonny would keep an eye on it. My dad and I stayed at the hillside base while Justin and Cody headed up the cliffs to scout for bears; my dad and I glassed the hillside and cliffs, trying to spot bears. Jonny had stayed close to the boat and had laid the rope down underneath some rocks so he could grab it and pull the boat in as the tide came in. Not long had passed and Cody had spotted a bear. We saw him setting up to take the shot. After about 10 minutes, Cody took the shot and killed his bear. When Cody confirmed the kill, he turned around to us to give us a thumbs up. We started to cheer for him, and that's when we heard him scream, "THE BOAT, THE BOAT!"  We looked back at the boat. The tide had come in very quickly. Everyone had got so caught up watching Cody that nobody had realized the boat was drifting away. I began to panic a little inside, thinking we were going to be stranded on this beach. It's not like some tropical Paradise Beach. It's Alaska, for heaven's sake. Just as I am thinking this with no hesitation, my dad hands his gun off to Johnny and runs into the water, and starts swimming out to the boat. It is late spring out, so it still gets pretty cold. With my dad now wet and cold, we had to move quickly, getting the bear on board and head back to camp to get a fire going so he could warm up and get some dry clothes.

This trip was the best experience of my life. I learned so much and have grown just from a weekend hunting trip. Taking an animal's life is not an easy task and is only just the beginning of the process. It shouldn't be thought of as a game or a sport. I have a whole new look at life for myself and massive respect for the life of an animal and the acceptance of taking that life. Learning what goes into hunting and processing an animal for food is hard, gratifying work, and I now know what it feels like. Out of the five of us, only three people got their bears, so even though you put in a lot of hard work and money, you were never guaranteed to get something out of it. Whenever my dad Group hunts, no matter who got something, everyone helps with the whole process, and we always share the meat evenly to help feed all of our families. I have learned to try new things and always be prepared for the unexpected.

Not everyone will have the opportunity to be able to hunt for their food, and many people may not want the chance. Some people would instead buy their meat from the store, and all of that is ok. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to hunt and help provide food for my family. I am also thankful to follow my dad and other family members' footsteps and their traditions. I didn't think I would be any different or change anyway just because I went hunting, but on the contrary, I grew as a person. I have a new understanding of the life of animals, my food, and a new acceptance of how the cycle works. It indeed was the best weekend ever.