Coach Potter
Life of the Party
I met Christian (referred to as the kid from here) when I was coaching football in the fall of 2021. He was brand new to football and the school. He was a gangly awkward Junior at the time, but he worked hard, listened well and LOVED the weight room. He was a quiet kid but wasn't afraid to ask questions and carried himself with some confidence. Aside from having natural talent, he would be the kind of kid every coach wants around. He was in my position group, so I coached him every day.
One day I wore a Kuiu (hunting brand) rain jacket to practice and that struck up a conversation about hunting. In N. Idaho, there is a pretty solid hunting culture so there are a lot of kids who "hunt" but this kid was obsessed. As the season progressed, we began spending as much time talking about hunting as we did football. The kid's dad is a retired Marine helicopter pilot, and they had spent most of his life living overseas so hunting was new to both him and his dad. The kid was full of questions about anything and everything hunting. I had the pleasure of meeting his dad after a game one night and they invited me for dinner with their family. That was a first time for me as a coach. I was honored to be their guest a few weeks later. The kid made a wild game dish that was over the top good and we spent the entire evening talking about hunting. The kid's dad is also a whiskey collector so that was fun as well.
Over the last few years, we did a few little hunting excursions, and I got some shooting lessons from the kid's dad. Josh finished his Marine career as a pilot, but he started as a Recon Marine, and he can shoot! We have all become close friends, but the kid's dad is a casual hunter, and the kid wants to do everything big. Last spring I invited them to do a spring bear hunt with me. The kid was stoked but Josh had no interest. Anyway, I couldn't make my schedule align with the kid's college schedule so I promised him that he could come along with me and my buddies for the 2025 season. We usually do an April trip and a May trip. It turned out that the kid was the only one who could fit in a May trip this year, so it was just me and the kid on this trip.
I was in NYC for work Monday to Wednesday and we left Thursday morning. I was dragging ass when I picked him up at 5:00 am but he had enough stoke for both of us and it didn't take long for me to forget about the jet lag. Going from the highest population density in the country to the lowest was quite a contrast. I don't think I would have liked it the other way around. We made it to the trail head by 10:00 and burning trail by 10:15. We had perfect weather for the pack in...55 degrees and overcast.
This was a new area to me. I've been looking at it on map for a couple years and I was really excited to see it in person. I was also a little nervous. This was my first trip with a person that I was ultimately responsible for. The kid is a stud of a young man, but he doesn't have any experience so that was in the back of my mind as we were heading in. This spot was only going to be five miles from the trailhead, and we burned up the first four miles when we came off a pass and onto a flat that was covered in morels. I was like a fat kid in a candy store! To begin with, I love morels. I might like them as much as huckle berries! Also, it has always been a dream to cook morels and bear meat in the fat of a bear while on a hunting trip. I have had a couple trips where we found the morels but no bear and vice versa but never together. As we were picking the mushrooms, I had mentioned to the kid that all we needed now was for him to kill us a bear with some fat and we could pour out our nasty freeze-dried meals in the fire! He loves those things. I think they suck, and I've tried them all.
We picked as many morels as we felt we could eat in a few days and left the rest for the animals. The only thing that I was truly concerned about with the route in was the possibility of some tough creek crossings. I knew the main trail would have bridges over the main tributary, but the plan was to branch off that trail onto a shorter dead-end trail that went up a side drainage. Many times, those trails aren't maintained and often times grown over, no problem. They always have creeks in the bottom, but they tend to be smaller trib's to the main trib. I have learned that trails on maps can be wildly inaccurate, so I never trust where they show the crossings but I'm always hopeful that they are doable.
We got to the branch in the trail where we would head up a side drainage and I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the trail. I wasn't super thrilled at the size of the creek it followed but it didn't look impossible. By the time we had walked another quarter mile we were at the first crossing. I asked the kid if he was ready to be cold and he said it looked fast. I could tell he was nervous. I was a little as well as our packs were in the 60-pound range being day one, but I noticed a dead tree that appeared long enough to span the creek if we dropped it right and that would give us something to hold onto as we waded. In addition to that I put my micro-spikes over my crocks for extra traction. I would go first and throw my crocks back across to him as he didn't bring crocks nor spikes. We stripped down and I went first. The water level was just up to the boys, and it was COLD but the tree held, and the grip was good with the spikes.... made it across easy and the kid followed. I had no idea where the next crossing would be and suggested we stay out of our clothes, but the kid didn't like that idea, so we suited back up and headed up the trail.
We didn't go more than 100 yards and we had to cross again. Fortunately, this time there were a couple of big trees laying across and we were able to walk them. There was one log right about creek level and another one about 5 feet above the creek and side by side. It was perfect and we got across easy, only to go another short distance to come to another crossing. This one was really dicey, and we were cliffed out on our side. We scoped the far side and determined that we could go back to the logs, cross back and bushwack up that same side as long as we could get around a rock wall at the water's edge. It was going to suck but it was doable. We go back, cross the logs, barely skirt the wall, bushwack our way another 100 yards and we hit trail again...phew. I'm sensing the kid's becoming discouraged as he's asking me if I think the current trend is going to continue. I'm concerned about the same thing as I'm feeling the time crunch to get where we need to be by dark. We only have another mile to get out of the canyon, but we are moving at a snail's pace now with all we are having to deal with. I assure him that these trips are only fun if they suck a little and we move forward.
We got about 75 more yards when we get to another crossing. This one isn't terrible but it's going to require another strip down. We are standing Creekside discussing the path to take when I look up the creek and there is a bear moving through the brush at less that 50 yards on the far side of the creek. All I said to the kid was, "BEAR" and now he sees it too. I spin him around to grab his rifle off the back of his pack; I rip off the scope cover and ask him where his shells are. He replies the magazine is loaded as I hand him the gun. Fortunately, all he had to do was rack one and he does. He picks up the bear in his scope and says it's moving away. I always carry a predator call in my bino harness so I grab that out and start blowing. The kid stays on the bear through his scope while I'm calling and then says, "he's coming back at us". I let off the call just as the bear jumps onto a log that crosses the creek to our side. That bear got one foot to the bank on our side and the kid knocked him off his feet with the shot. The bear disappeared from sight when he went down so I threw up my glass to see if I could pick him up. All I could see was some brush tops moving right where he went down and then they went still. It was less than 30 seconds, and he was motionless. One of the fastest, cleanest kills I have ever seen. The first thing the kid said wasn't hell yeah, or got him, or anything celebratory, all he said was "coach, he didn't suffer". I thought that was pretty awesome!
I gave him a big hug, and we immediately started verbally processing what had just happened. I ranged the log he crossed, and it was 42 yards. The kid disclosed to me that he was really wrestling with discouragement when we were standing there at the creek discussing that crossing. He thanked me profusely for bringing him along and spoke of how excited his dad was going to be. It was really cool, but we still had a lot of work to do before dark. We spent the next few hours breaking down the bear. I decided it was best to hang him there overnight and come back the next morning with empty packs as we were already heavy. We took some fat, a choice cut and headed back down drainage to find a place to camp, cook morels and bear meat in bear fat. What a day!
The next morning, we got up and headed back for the bear with empty packs. It was a SLOG getting all that meat, hide and head back down through all that nasty terrain but by noon we’re eating lunch and making plans for the afternoon hunt. About a mile from camp, we found a decent open hillside to watch until dark that night. Honestly, for me, I didn't really care what we did that evening as I was still reveling in the glory of the day before. We sat silently for hours staring through glass until every once in a while, the kid would say, "coach, can you believe what happened yesterday?" I'll bet he replayed that moment all day every day for the remainder of the trip. I know it was at least five times per day because he said that many out loud. As the sun was going down that night I told him I thought we needed to move to a different unit unless he wanted to cross that creek another dozen times. He like that idea, but I told him there was a caveat. The only way to move units without losing a full day of hunting was to pack out his bear that night...he agreed. I did the mileage and time in my head really quick and made sure he understood this was going to suck. He replied, "I heard some old dude say these things aren't any fun unless they suck a little"…touché.
We got back to camp at 9:30 that night and loaded up. We had 4 miles to get to the trail head where we would leave the meat, turn and burn the 4 miles back to camp. We crawled in our bags at 1:30 am, slept for a few hours, loaded up camp and headed back out to the trail head in the morning. We had about 75 miles of road to get to the next spot and we arrived just in time for the evening hunt when I blew a tire...and it started to pour rain in a biblical fashion. By the time I changed the tire and made camp, we weren't left with much time to glass from anywhere but what we could see around camp. However, we did have some bear and morel fajitas that night! I'm 3 days into a hunt and haven't touched a freeze-dried meal...I'm winning!
One day I wore a Kuiu (hunting brand) rain jacket to practice and that struck up a conversation about hunting. In N. Idaho, there is a pretty solid hunting culture so there are a lot of kids who "hunt" but this kid was obsessed. As the season progressed, we began spending as much time talking about hunting as we did football. The kid's dad is a retired Marine helicopter pilot, and they had spent most of his life living overseas so hunting was new to both him and his dad. The kid was full of questions about anything and everything hunting. I had the pleasure of meeting his dad after a game one night and they invited me for dinner with their family. That was a first time for me as a coach. I was honored to be their guest a few weeks later. The kid made a wild game dish that was over the top good and we spent the entire evening talking about hunting. The kid's dad is also a whiskey collector so that was fun as well.
Over the last few years, we did a few little hunting excursions, and I got some shooting lessons from the kid's dad. Josh finished his Marine career as a pilot, but he started as a Recon Marine, and he can shoot! We have all become close friends, but the kid's dad is a casual hunter, and the kid wants to do everything big. Last spring I invited them to do a spring bear hunt with me. The kid was stoked but Josh had no interest. Anyway, I couldn't make my schedule align with the kid's college schedule so I promised him that he could come along with me and my buddies for the 2025 season. We usually do an April trip and a May trip. It turned out that the kid was the only one who could fit in a May trip this year, so it was just me and the kid on this trip.
I was in NYC for work Monday to Wednesday and we left Thursday morning. I was dragging ass when I picked him up at 5:00 am but he had enough stoke for both of us and it didn't take long for me to forget about the jet lag. Going from the highest population density in the country to the lowest was quite a contrast. I don't think I would have liked it the other way around. We made it to the trail head by 10:00 and burning trail by 10:15. We had perfect weather for the pack in...55 degrees and overcast.
This was a new area to me. I've been looking at it on map for a couple years and I was really excited to see it in person. I was also a little nervous. This was my first trip with a person that I was ultimately responsible for. The kid is a stud of a young man, but he doesn't have any experience so that was in the back of my mind as we were heading in. This spot was only going to be five miles from the trailhead, and we burned up the first four miles when we came off a pass and onto a flat that was covered in morels. I was like a fat kid in a candy store! To begin with, I love morels. I might like them as much as huckle berries! Also, it has always been a dream to cook morels and bear meat in the fat of a bear while on a hunting trip. I have had a couple trips where we found the morels but no bear and vice versa but never together. As we were picking the mushrooms, I had mentioned to the kid that all we needed now was for him to kill us a bear with some fat and we could pour out our nasty freeze-dried meals in the fire! He loves those things. I think they suck, and I've tried them all.
We picked as many morels as we felt we could eat in a few days and left the rest for the animals. The only thing that I was truly concerned about with the route in was the possibility of some tough creek crossings. I knew the main trail would have bridges over the main tributary, but the plan was to branch off that trail onto a shorter dead-end trail that went up a side drainage. Many times, those trails aren't maintained and often times grown over, no problem. They always have creeks in the bottom, but they tend to be smaller trib's to the main trib. I have learned that trails on maps can be wildly inaccurate, so I never trust where they show the crossings but I'm always hopeful that they are doable.
We got to the branch in the trail where we would head up a side drainage and I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the trail. I wasn't super thrilled at the size of the creek it followed but it didn't look impossible. By the time we had walked another quarter mile we were at the first crossing. I asked the kid if he was ready to be cold and he said it looked fast. I could tell he was nervous. I was a little as well as our packs were in the 60-pound range being day one, but I noticed a dead tree that appeared long enough to span the creek if we dropped it right and that would give us something to hold onto as we waded. In addition to that I put my micro-spikes over my crocks for extra traction. I would go first and throw my crocks back across to him as he didn't bring crocks nor spikes. We stripped down and I went first. The water level was just up to the boys, and it was COLD but the tree held, and the grip was good with the spikes.... made it across easy and the kid followed. I had no idea where the next crossing would be and suggested we stay out of our clothes, but the kid didn't like that idea, so we suited back up and headed up the trail.
We didn't go more than 100 yards and we had to cross again. Fortunately, this time there were a couple of big trees laying across and we were able to walk them. There was one log right about creek level and another one about 5 feet above the creek and side by side. It was perfect and we got across easy, only to go another short distance to come to another crossing. This one was really dicey, and we were cliffed out on our side. We scoped the far side and determined that we could go back to the logs, cross back and bushwack up that same side as long as we could get around a rock wall at the water's edge. It was going to suck but it was doable. We go back, cross the logs, barely skirt the wall, bushwack our way another 100 yards and we hit trail again...phew. I'm sensing the kid's becoming discouraged as he's asking me if I think the current trend is going to continue. I'm concerned about the same thing as I'm feeling the time crunch to get where we need to be by dark. We only have another mile to get out of the canyon, but we are moving at a snail's pace now with all we are having to deal with. I assure him that these trips are only fun if they suck a little and we move forward.
We got about 75 more yards when we get to another crossing. This one isn't terrible but it's going to require another strip down. We are standing Creekside discussing the path to take when I look up the creek and there is a bear moving through the brush at less that 50 yards on the far side of the creek. All I said to the kid was, "BEAR" and now he sees it too. I spin him around to grab his rifle off the back of his pack; I rip off the scope cover and ask him where his shells are. He replies the magazine is loaded as I hand him the gun. Fortunately, all he had to do was rack one and he does. He picks up the bear in his scope and says it's moving away. I always carry a predator call in my bino harness so I grab that out and start blowing. The kid stays on the bear through his scope while I'm calling and then says, "he's coming back at us". I let off the call just as the bear jumps onto a log that crosses the creek to our side. That bear got one foot to the bank on our side and the kid knocked him off his feet with the shot. The bear disappeared from sight when he went down so I threw up my glass to see if I could pick him up. All I could see was some brush tops moving right where he went down and then they went still. It was less than 30 seconds, and he was motionless. One of the fastest, cleanest kills I have ever seen. The first thing the kid said wasn't hell yeah, or got him, or anything celebratory, all he said was "coach, he didn't suffer". I thought that was pretty awesome!
I gave him a big hug, and we immediately started verbally processing what had just happened. I ranged the log he crossed, and it was 42 yards. The kid disclosed to me that he was really wrestling with discouragement when we were standing there at the creek discussing that crossing. He thanked me profusely for bringing him along and spoke of how excited his dad was going to be. It was really cool, but we still had a lot of work to do before dark. We spent the next few hours breaking down the bear. I decided it was best to hang him there overnight and come back the next morning with empty packs as we were already heavy. We took some fat, a choice cut and headed back down drainage to find a place to camp, cook morels and bear meat in bear fat. What a day!
The next morning, we got up and headed back for the bear with empty packs. It was a SLOG getting all that meat, hide and head back down through all that nasty terrain but by noon we’re eating lunch and making plans for the afternoon hunt. About a mile from camp, we found a decent open hillside to watch until dark that night. Honestly, for me, I didn't really care what we did that evening as I was still reveling in the glory of the day before. We sat silently for hours staring through glass until every once in a while, the kid would say, "coach, can you believe what happened yesterday?" I'll bet he replayed that moment all day every day for the remainder of the trip. I know it was at least five times per day because he said that many out loud. As the sun was going down that night I told him I thought we needed to move to a different unit unless he wanted to cross that creek another dozen times. He like that idea, but I told him there was a caveat. The only way to move units without losing a full day of hunting was to pack out his bear that night...he agreed. I did the mileage and time in my head really quick and made sure he understood this was going to suck. He replied, "I heard some old dude say these things aren't any fun unless they suck a little"…touché.
We got back to camp at 9:30 that night and loaded up. We had 4 miles to get to the trail head where we would leave the meat, turn and burn the 4 miles back to camp. We crawled in our bags at 1:30 am, slept for a few hours, loaded up camp and headed back out to the trail head in the morning. We had about 75 miles of road to get to the next spot and we arrived just in time for the evening hunt when I blew a tire...and it started to pour rain in a biblical fashion. By the time I changed the tire and made camp, we weren't left with much time to glass from anywhere but what we could see around camp. However, we did have some bear and morel fajitas that night! I'm 3 days into a hunt and haven't touched a freeze-dried meal...I'm winning!
. I thoroughly enjoy following your adventures. I'll hunt with you vicariously any time.
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