Mother's Day, 2000
I finally decided to get a new bow after my third season hunting with my Mathews Feather-Light. My wonderful husband decided it would be my Mother's Day gift. After just losing my Dad, I was not able to start searching for a bow right then. Sometime in June, I started looking in the bowhunting magazines for ads on new bows. I decided I wanted the new 2000 HCA women's bow. I called our local archery shop, told Kim what I wanted, and she placed the order for me. We waited... expecting the bow in six weeks... no bow, so we waited expecting it to come in at any time. The seventh week came and went by... no bow. I called Kim and asked her if she heard anything... nope; so we waited as the eighth week went by... still no bow.

I wanted my new bow so that I could start shooting it to get ready for the upcoming bear hunt. By this time I only had the rest of the summer to start shooting to get ready and I was getting very anxious. I knew bowhunting black bear was not something I wanted to do without enough practice and a new bow on top of that. Here we were starting the ninth week and still no word yet as to where my bow was or what was going on. Finally, Kim called HCA and was told they did not make left-handed bows for this particular bow. There was no explanation as to why she was not told when the order was placed or why no one had followed through to let us know we did not have a bow coming so we could make other plans.

Talk about a red head flaming... needless to say, I was very upset. Kim and Chuck both knew we were going on the bear hunt and they suggested I try a PSE, which they could get within a week. We had given Danny a PSE Durango in 1999 for Father's Day. He could not say enough about how happy he was with his bow and felt I would be happy with a PSE... so I finally cooled off enough and said ok, order me the bow. As promised, the shop got my bow within a week. The shop set it up for me, taking another day, and I finally got my bow... a big sigh of relief. I finally had my bow and now it was time to get down to some serious target shooting.

We practiced and practiced on our targets, getting ready for the bear hunt. I really felt like I was ready. I was shooting better than ever. Having a bow that is right for you is what bowhunting and archery are all about.

We arrived at Harts Lake Lodge on Sunday evening around 8:00 pm. After supper we talked of our plans for Monday's hunt. Monday turned out to be very cold, windy and rainy. We went to our tree stands about 3:00 pm since the rain had stopped. The wind did not die down at all. Sitting in the tree stand swinging back and forth in bear country was not my idea of fun. I remember praying. Lord, please don't let this tree break from all this wind. It started to rain about 6:00 pm and by that time I was freezing, so I called them to come pick me up. No bear sightings that day.

Tuesday brought a little sunshine but still windy and cold... brrrrrrrr we went to our stands at the usual 3:00 pm and I had added more layers so I would be ready. There was not any rain, but it was a bone chilling cold this southern gal had never felt before. The wind cut right through my layers. 6:00 pm rolled around again, and I called so they would come pick me up. A call came through that Danny had gotten a bear and they were going in to help him bring his bear out. It was his second bear with his PSE Durango.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much just like Tuesday as far as the weather and there were no bear sightings at all. Friday came and it was our last day to hunt... it was beautiful outside. In the stand it was just so calm; I was able to watch birds and squirrels. I also heard a chomping sound right behind me. At about 6:45 pm a bear crossed over the trail behind the bait barrel to the woods on my left. I could see him sitting there and finally he started toward the barrel. I had my PSE ready to draw as he slowly moved in closer... closer... waiting on him being so slow was agonizing... he was just getting to the trail where I would be ready to release my arrow... the time seemed to stop while waiting for him to get to the spot I needed him to be so I could get a clear shot. I started pulling my bow back, almost there... just a few more steps... his head just at the edge of the trail... pulling my bow back as he inched up...

I heard the truck coming down the road to pick me up... darn; he bolted. The only bear I saw all week... so close, yet so far away. It was 7:10 pm, the legal time to stop hunting...heavy sigh....

The best decision I have ever made about purchasing a bow was to get the PSE Stingray. I have had a Darton and a Mathews bow, but neither one of those can come near my PSE Stingray. It is by far the sweetest shooting bow I have ever shot. It will put the arrows right in there. If you hunt in tree stands, then you owe it to yourself to try the PSE Stingray because it only weighs a little over three pounds and is only 32" from axle to axle.

There are many bows out on the market. Before you buy, try a PSE and I think you will be surprised. I know I was.

Sue Burch