This is one of those stories every hunter has heard a thousand times, but it is still worth telling no matter how many times it happens, the huge success of a first-time hunter.
In this case the term huge applies in a number of contexts, especially when you consider it is a 600-pound bruin.
This is about 17-year-old Anthony Ugarte, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who was deer hunting in Lexington with his dad Juan and brother Nick on opening day when the black bear appeared about 30 feet from where he was sitting.
At first Ugarte was concerned that the bear would scent him and possibly charge in his direction, but at the same time he didn’t want it to get away, so he shouldered his Savage 30-06 and dropped the massive bruin with one shot.
As luck would have it, the bear tumbled downhill, coming to rest at the base of a tree. Ugarte then called to his dad and brother, who were just as excited as him. But dragging a bear of any size is no easy chore, and before they even knew how much it weighed, they knew it would take more than the three of them to pull it out.
Even with the help of two friends, it took five of them six hours to drag it out, and even then one of those friends broke his hand on a rock when the rope snapped.
At any rate, the bruin had a dressed weight of 500 pounds and stood 7¹/₂ feet tall. It will be a day that Anthony will never forget.
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ken.moran@nypost.com