The Shift Finale

Setting: Central California, 2020

Since going on her first hunt with Chase a few years ago, Laura did whatever she could to develop her skills as a hunter. She continued to hunt alongside Chase and learned as much as she could from her. During her junior year of college, Chase helped Laura get her hunting license so she could start hunting for herself. After getting her license, Laura bought herself a compound bow. She believed that a bow and arrow was a more honorable weapon choice compared to a firearm.

She practiced with her bow frequently, trying out different arrows, broadheads and setups to find out what worked best for her. Once she felt comfortable using it, she started hunting for herself. The first few times Chase came with her. Laura wasn't completely confident she could do everything on her own. Chase said that she should focus on small game first before going after bigger prey. Laura struggled to make a kill on her first few hunts but she wasn't discouraged. She knew that it would take time for her skills to develop.

She hunted all throughout her final years of college. She still maintained her greenhouse and fished from time to time but her main focus was becoming a better hunter. With time her skills improved and she managed to make her first kill, an 18lb turkey. From then on she continued to hunt small game with her bow until she was confident enough to go after bigger game. She didn't have much success hunting larger animals, only managing to kill a small feral hog. Deer hunting was a struggle and she never drew tags for any other animals she wanted to try and hunt. But just a year after graduating college, unforeseen circumstances would cause her to go her biggest and most challenging hunt of her life.

She had gotten a job as a nutritionist at a private medical firm and had been working there for 3 months when she heard news of a super contagious virus coming out of China. Like most people, Laura brushed off the news thinking that the problem would take care of itself. After all it was in a whole other country. But as time passed the virus continued to spread and eventually reached the United States. The virus, known as COVID-19, had soon caused a worldwide pandemic and by March, before she could grasp what was happening, the whole world had shut down. People began losing their jobs left and right and unfortunately for Laura, she was one of them.

With no job and the world at a standstill, Laura tried to figure out how she would take care of herself until the pandemic was over. She was living on her own now and wanted to maintain her independence. Fortunately her father had already paid her rent for the year so her biggest expense was already taken care of. Her 2 main concerns were groceries and gas. While gas wasn't very hard to come by, groceries and similar items were more of a challenge. Store shelves were stripped bare as people hoarded supplies. Gardening tools and other things were impossible to come by and outdoor stores were depleted of almost everything as the world tried to produce their own food.

As the pandemic continued and resources remained scarce, Laura began to get worried. Her food supply started to diminish and with no end to the pandemic in sight, she feared that she would have to move back in with her parents if things didn't improve. But she was determined to remain independent and take care of herself. She did manage to hunt a turkey and a couple of jackrabbits early on but those wouldn't last very long. Unsure of her future, Laura came to the realization that she may have to move back home. But a special letter in the mail would give her a chance to save her independence.

In the summer, Laura received a letter from California Fish & Game. At first she thought it would be a notice saying that she didn't draw a deer tag this year. But to her surprise and slight relief, the notice said something different. It told her that she had managed to draw an elk tag for the Grizzly Island unit for the middle of September. This was break she needed. She knew that because of an elk's large size that taking one down would give her enough meat to last a long time. Hopefully long enough for things to improve. And she had just enough money to afford the tag. From the moment she received that letter, all her time and energy went into preparing for the biggest hunt of her life.

The first thing she did was call Chase to see if she would come with her. They had a brief conversation and Chase congratulated her on drawing such a hard to get tag. But she told her that she wouldn't be able to come with her since the pandemic had caused her to work more to keep the farm going. However she did tell Laura that she could borrow her truck for the hunt. If she managed to bring one down, she would need it to be able to bring all the meat back. Laura thanked her and said she would pick it up the day before her hunt date.

Laura spent the next couple of months gathering supplies and preparing her body for the hunt. There wasn't enough time to get in the ideal shape for an elk hunt, so she prioritized cardio and resistance training. Since all of the gyms were shut down due to the pandemic, she had to workout on her own. Normally she needed the push of a trainer to get her through a workout but with a low food supply and an opportunity to secure enough for a long period of time, she found the motivation she needed to push her body.

Gathering the necessary gear proved to be a challenge because most outdoor shops had very low inventory. She was able to find a few things she needed but somethings she would just have to do without. She bought a small tent and cooler for her food. She also was able to find a cheap elk call. It wasn't highly rated but it was all she could get at the time. She practiced with her bow everyday at a local archery range. Since it was an outdoor range, it was one of the few facilities that was able to stay open. She practiced so often that one of the managers approached her and asked if she was a professional archer. Laura told him that she was preparing to go elk hunting. The manager, a former hunter himself, was both surprised and excited to hear her plans. He told her that if she got one to bring a picture and he'll hang it in the clubhouse.

As her hunt drew closer, she made all the final preparations. She told her parents where she was going and how long she planned on being there. She collected all of the food and water she would need and loaded it into her car, along with the rest of her gear. After going over her checklist of things, she had a small salad for dinner and went to bed early. Knowing she had a long and early day in the morning.

Her alarm went off at 5 am. She quickly got out of bed and threw on her clothes. Not wasting any time, she locked up her apartment and went to her car. Her first stop of the day was her parents house. Her mother had made her a special batch of raspberry chocolate chip cookies for the hunt. These were her childhood favorites and her mother decided to make her a batch, hoping it would bring her some comfort and a bit of luck. And after picking them up, she immediately opened the container and ate a couple.

After that she drove to Chase's family farm to pick up the truck. It was about an hour away from her parents house but because it was early in the morning, she got there in 45 minutes. When she pulled up, Chase was already outside getting ready to work the farm. Laura parked her car next to the truck and started loading her gear. Chase came up to her,

"Today's the big day?" Chase asked excitedly.

"Not yet. I've got some kind of orientation to go to first. My official hunt date is tomorrow."

"Oh okay. Well I wish you nothing but the best." She paused for a brief moment. "You know, it's crazy to think that you have the chance to bag an elk before me." Chase chuckled.

"I know that is crazy. But I still have to bring one down first."

"Well regardless of whether you get one or not, I'm so proud of you Laura. You come a long way from the girl I met 5 years ago."

"Wow, has it really been 5 years?"

"Sure has. Time flies doesn't it?"

"Yeah it really does."

The two girls shared an embrace before Laura hopped in the truck and left the farm. She meditated on what Chase said as she drove. Thinking about everything she had done that led her to this moment, she felt like she had accomplished a lot. But she didn't allow herself to be too impressed by all that she had done. She was focused on the task at hand, knowing that it would be her toughest challenge so far.

The drive from Chase's farm to Grizzly Island took about 3 hours. Arriving at the Grizzly Island camp area around 10:30 am, Laura decided that she would do some scouting before her orientation at 5 pm, which is a process all elk hunters must go through the day before their hunt begins. She set out on foot, hoping to not spook any elk that may be in the area. The land was a mix of wide open prairie with a number of sloughs and creeks meandering through them. It wasn't the most ideal environment for bow hunting since there was little cover, so Laura knew that getting close enough to take a shot would be difficult. However, in the few hours she spent scouting, she spotted several small groups of elk. So she figured that she would have multiple chances to get close enough for a good shot.

After she was satisfied with her scouting she headed back to the camp area to prepare for orientation. The fish and game officer arrived at 3 pm and was surprised to see Laura was already there waiting for him.

"Laura Bennett?" The game warden asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm Officer Bryant, I'm here for your orientation. Basically I'm going to discuss the rules and regulations regarding your hunt, check your weapons and equipment and give you the necessary resources." He proceeded to check her gear, making sure that she hadn't packed anything illegal. After he was done he went on to tell her all the rules that applied to her hunt. He also provided her with a map of the hunting area, along with the number to the fish and game facility. Once all her gear had been checked and all the information received, she had one final question for Officer Bryant.

"Why do they call it Grizzly Island if there are no grizzly bears here?"

"That's because back in the 1700's and 1800's, this place was a grizzly hot spot."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Grizzlies would come from all over to feed on the salmon that came through here on their spawning runs. In fact, there's a cabin dedicated to a legendary bear hunter that lived near here in the early 1800's. You can't go inside but it's still a cool place to visit."

Officer Bryant finished the orientation process and returned back to base. Laura set up camp for the night and prepared her evening meal. She also partook in some more of her mother's cookies as well. While she ate, Laura contemplated her strategy for getting close enough to take an elk with her bow. She figured that staying close to the water and letting the elk come to her would be her best tactic. Especially since stalking a herd of them would be hard with the lack of cover in the area. She wasn't sure how the next few days would go but she was prepared to do whatever she had to do in order to fill her tag.

Morning came quickly and with only 4 days to hunt, Laura wasted little time getting out there. As soon as it was light enough to see, she hopped in the truck and headed down the main road that ran through the hunting area. At first she went to the spot she visited the day before but the herd had moved on and was out of view. She wondered how such large animals could completely disappear in such an open area. Nonetheless, she proceeded down the road, looking for a herd. She had drawn a bull tag so any group without a male would be ignored. However she hoped to find one without a herd, which would make stalking much easier since there would be less of a chance she would get spotted.

Continuing down the road, she reached a fork. Instead of choosing which turn to take, she parked the truck off the road and decided to proceed on foot. It was still early morning and the sun had just came over the horizon. Her plan was to walk in a straight line, stopping every 20 minutes, and using her call to see if she could lure some in. She did this for a few hours with no success. After seeing that her strategy wasn't working, she walked back to the truck to take a break and thinks things over.

When she reached the truck, she took out a couple more cookies and some jerky before sitting on the tailgate to rest. She pulled out the map that Officer Bryant had given her. Since it was just a few minutes past noon, she looked for any nearby water. Figuring that the elk would have to come drink as it would only be getting hotter as the day went on. She found a creek that snaked through the hunting ground not far from her location. And since it was so close to where the truck was parked, she could easily walk there and get settled long before she expected the elk to arrive. After finishing off her midday snack, she grabbed her gear and walked towards the creek.

Laura took her time as she walked towards the creek. Taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the environment, she used this downtime to relax her mind and refocus on the task at hand. As she got closer to the creek, she noticed groups of cattail bushes near the water. Thinking this would be a good spot, she set up a position near the cattails and waited for the elk to show up. While she waited, Laura didn't use her call, thinking the water itself would be enough to draw them in. Hours passed with no sign of the elk. She saw a bunch of different wildlife, even a few blacktail deer, but no elk.

With no elk in sight and the sun beginning to set, Laura got up from her position and walked back to the truck. It was hard for her to fight off the discouraging feeling that started to creep into her mind. That fact that she hadn't seen any elk all day was worrying to her, especially since she only had 3 days left. Once she made it back to camp, she cooked her a small dinner and went over the map again. Realizing that she only made it to the center of the hunting area, she made a plan to explore the boundaries and see if she could at least locate a herd. And because the area was only about a mile long and half a mile wide, it would be easy for her to reach the perimeter and work her way around the hunting grounds. This gave her a little bit of hope for the next day.

The following morning, after eating a light breakfast, Laura drove up the road to the northernmost boundary of the hunting area. She stopped the truck about a quarter of a mile from the boundary and walked the rest of the way. Once there she sat and scanned the area with her binoculars to see if there were any elk just out the hunting grounds that she could try and call in. She did spot a decent sized herd of about 20 elk, with a few young bulls among them. However they were a good distance away and didn't seem like they would be coming within range. She watched the herd for over and hour as they slowly grazed, moving further away as time passed. Convinced they would not enter the hunting ground, she moved on to the western boundary.

The western boundary was one of the longer ones and presented the best opportunity to find a herd since half of it's border was near water. Laura hoped she could find a herd at or near the water and try to call them closer. As she walked the border, she didn't see any elk. Even down by the water she couldn't find any. However she did find some tracks that seemed to be very fresh, potentially from the day before. She remembered a hunter she watched online saying that elk sometimes move through an area in 2 or 3 day cycles. So if the elk weren't there today, they could show up tomorrow or the next day. She made sure to mark the spot on her map to remind herself to come back there the next day, assuming she didn't get an elk that day.

Once the spot was marked, Laura went back to the truck and headed towards the southernmost border. On the way there, she spotted a large group of elk grazing in the same general area she was in yesterday afternoon. The group had close to 30 elk but almost all of them were females. Laura knew she couldn't kill any of them but decided to see how close she could get to them as sort of a "practice stalk". She parked the truck, leaving most of her gear, and tried to sneak up to the herd.

The herd of elk was over 150 yards away from the truck. Laura was trying to see if she could get within 50 yards of the herd. If she could, then she would feel confident about stalking and closing the distance to an elk she actually planned to take. She moved slowly towards the herd, doing her best to remain as low to the ground as possible. There was practically no cover to conceal her movements. Only a few small patches of tall grass were between her and the elk. The wind was blowing at her side, so she wasn't worried about getting winded by the herd. After closing the distance to just 100 yards, Laura was feeling more and more confident. She crept even closer with her movements growing more cautious with each yard gained. When she was about 70 yards away, one of the females caught sight of her. Laura immediately froze but it was too late. The female had alerted the others in the herd and they all ran off.

A dejected Laura sat back and watched the herd run off in the distance. She could feel a slight rumble in the ground as they all ran away. Now realizing that getting close enough for a shot would be very difficult, she knew that the best approach would be to sit and wait for the elk to come to her. And after finding a spot with relatively fresh tracks earlier in the day, she had an idea of where she needed to be. With that in mind Laura went back to the truck and headed back to camp. She figured that all the elk in area might have been scared off and decided it would be best to let the area cool down for the rest of the day.

Once back at camp, Laura made an early dinner and just relaxed while she thought about tomorrow's hunt. She was growing concerned that she may not be able to take down an elk. Especially since she only had 2 days left before her hunt was over. She thought about how much easier it would have been if she had a rifle instead of a bow. "I would probably have one by now." She said to herself. As doubt crept into her mind, she remembered what Chase said about being hopeful. After all the situation she was currently in was similar to the one her and Chase were in on her very first hunt. Thinking back on how things turned out back then helped calm her mind and help her focus on what was to come. She still had time and she planned on making the most of it.

The next day, Laura headed back to the area where she found the tracks. It was just after 7 am when she reached the spot. She took a position close to the water, behind some cattail bushes. The wind was minimal but she made sure that it was blowing in her face. She hoped that if the elk showed up they wouldn't be coming from behind her. She sat waiting for hours with no elk in sight. As time went on she started to get sleepy. She scarfed down a few more of her mother's cookies, thinking they would give her some energy. But they ended up having the opposite effect and she fell asleep just before noon.

It wasn't until 3 pm that she was woken up by a strong odor. "What the heck is that smell?" She said as she came out of her slumber. As soon as she started to sit up, she completely froze. Looking through the cattails she saw 4 mature bull elk. The closest one was just 15 yards away. Her plan had worked but she was now at a disadvantage since the elk had come within range before she was able to get prepared for a shot. She would have to move extremely slowly and cautiously to avoid being seen. While the 4 bulls drank from the stream, Laura picked out the one she wanted to take down, a nice 8 point bull. His antlers may not have been as nice as the others but he had the most body mass and that is what Laura cared about most.

She knew that she would have to move painstakingly slow to avoid being seen. First she would have to get to a sitting position, as she was laying down. Then she would have to draw her arrow and aim in a way that it wouldn't hit the cattails. It would be a difficult shot not because of distance but of circumstance. Laura began to sit up, constantly staring at the 4 bulls to make sure they haven't detected her. She was moving so slowly that her body began to ache and dealing with the pain was just as difficult as staying unseen. After a few minutes that seemed to last forever, Laura managed to reach a sitting position. But once she got to that position, the elk had finished drinking and started walking away from the creek."Crap! This is not what I needed right now!" She said to herself.

Laura started to panic as she felt her one opportunity to take an elk was slowly slipping away. But with their backs turned towards her, this gave her an opportunity to nock an arrow and ready herself for a shot. They were still within her shooting range so she still had time but she needed to find the right angle before they were too far away. She also couldn't make any major movements because of how close they still were and didn't want to risk spooking them. With her arrow at the ready, she took out her rangefinder to see the distance. The device read 36 yards. She knew that in a few short moments the group would be beyond her range and her opportunity may disappear.

As she scrambled mentally on what to do next, she remembered her elk call. Since it was a cow elk call, she figured, "If I let out a call, maybe I can get them to stop long enough to take a shot." She carefully searched her backpack while keeping an eye on the elk. She grabbed her call and let out a few whines. The group stopped in their tracks, her plan had worked. The elk still had their backs to her and she didn't have a shot at the one she had picked out. She slowly pulled back on the bow until she reached full draw, keeping her sights on the particular elk she wanted. All of them stood frozen in place for a few moments until one of the other bull's took a big step and presented an open broadside shot. It had a bit less body mass but had two small tines behind his royals, making him a 10 pointer. It wasn't the one she wanted but it was the one who gave her the best shot opportunity.

Laura switched her focus to the other bull. She estimated the shot to be about 40 yards, just inside her range. Taking in a deep breath, she prepared to let her arrow fly. The only thing going through her mind at that moment was, "Don't miss." She took her shot, watching as the arrow flew through the cattails and into the bull's lower chest. All of them took off running into the distance. But the bull Laura had hit only ran another 30 yards before stopping. He staggered a bit and fell to the ground, letting out a few kicks as he laid. The other bulls stopped and looked at the dying 10 pointer. Meanwhile Laura, who was still processing what had just happened, looked on in disbelief. Her whole body felt like it was about to levitate off the ground as she came to grips with what she just did. Laura had filled her tag and gotten her elk.

After seeing that the 10 pointer had died, the other bulls continued on their way. When they had cleared the area, Laura grabbed her bow and her backpack and crossed the creek to claim her kill. Once on the other side, she found her arrow sticking out of the ground and cover in blood. She collected her arrow and proceeded towards her elk. She could see his antlers standing above his now lifeless body, which only seemed to get bigger the closer Laura got. She cautiously approached him, knelt down and placed her hand on his body. Immediately Laura was overcome with emotions. Happiness, sadness and sense of fulfillment all hit her at the same time. She even shed a few tears before letting out an almost primal scream to the heavens.

Once the emotions subsided, Laura called Chase on FaceTime. She couldn't wait to show her what she had done. When Chase answered the phone, she wasted no time in asking how she did. Laura just turned the phone towards her elk and could hear Chase yelling excitedly. They briefly shared a moment of joy and happiness before Chase walked her through the butchering process. Which was one of the main reasons why she called her. Since Laura had never processed an animal that large before, it took her much longer than it would have if Chase was doing it. Chase also texted her the number of a local butcher who could break down the meat for her. When she was finished, Laura put all her meat in game bags and walked back to the truck. In hindsight, she wished she had drove the truck over to the elk before she butchered him since carry the weight of all that meat was by far the hardest part of the hunt.

Chase also reminded Laura about taking the skull to the fish and game officer so they can take samples and verify her tag. With a few hours left before the office closed, she rushed over there to make everything official. The whole process went quicker than she expected and she managed to make it back to camp just after 6 pm. She ate some of the elk meat for dinner that night and savored every bite. The feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction made that meal one of the most special experiences she ever had. And after a long, hard day of hunting and a great dinner, she had no trouble getting to sleep.

Since there was no need for Laura to wake up early the next day, she decided to sleep in and get some much needed rest. She woke up around 10 am and started to break camp and pack up her gear. With the truck loaded up and her meat in the cooler, Laura hit the road right at noon. But instead of heading straight home, she wanted to take a look at that cabin that Officer Bryant told her about. It wasn't very far, only a 20 minute drive from where she had been camping. She followed a narrow dirt road that took her to a small cabin that was roped off. She couldn't go inside but she did step out the truck to take a look. In front of the cabin, just outside the barrier, stood a large stone plaque. It was all black with gold lettering and read,

"This remodeled cabin stands in memory of the legendary hunter known only as The Mad Bear. A friend of the Wintun tribe, terror to the Spanish and revered member of the brotherhood."

At the bottom of the text was a golden compass symbol. Laura took a picture of it so she could research it. She had know idea who this man was or what brotherhood he was apart of, so she was very curious to find out. When she got back on the main road and her cell phone regained its signal, she pulled off to the side and searched The Mad Bear. Her search yielded no results and there was no information about him. Even after she refined her search to be as specific as possible. The only thing she could find was a website discussing various urban legends of California native tribes. But even that gave no real information on who he, or she, was. However the compass symbol yielded a lot of results. Many people had seen and photographed the symbol but no one could figure out who they were or what it represented. Laura wanted to go deeper down the rabbit hole but she remembered that she had to get the meat to the butcher. So she just gave up and went on her way.

Laura's elk hunt proved to be a significant turning point in her life. The thrill of the hunt and satisfaction that came with taking down an animal like that had really stuck with her. She would spend the next few years traveling across the United States hunting many different kinds of game. In doing so she made a big name for herself. Amassing a large following on social media and even starting her own non-profit called My Daughter's Bow. Which teaches young girls archery and the art of bow hunting.

Meanwhile, Chase continued to work on her family farm throughout the pandemic. Once the restrictions were lifted, her father retired and handed the farm down to her eldest brother. She continued to work under her brother until her husband, an engineer, landed a lucrative job offer in Ohio, just outside of Columbus. They settled into their new lives and Chase would go on to give birth to twins a year after moving. But despite the distance between her and Laura, they always stayed in contact with each other. They would meet up once a year for their annual girls hunting trip. Laura and Chase would remain great friends and go on many hunts together.

Thank you for reading my short story. If you enjoyed this and stories like it, check out my novel, Tales Of The Gamekeepers Book 1, available on Amazon Kindle. Also follow my Instagram @stonecreekthehunter for novel and short story updates, as well as hunting and fishing related content.