bear witness

i was a lad of 13 my dad & i used to go deer hunting.  i had my winchester 30-30 that i rarely fired & my dad had his bolt-action browning 30-06.  now my old man was a good hunter.  patient, steady & calm.  unlike his usual workaday self.  i've seen him take & make incredible shots.  like shooting a running buck in nevada at around 20 yards.  that magnificent beast hit the ground running & was still deep breathing when we got on to him.  my old man took careful aim and fired into the buck's neck as i watched the wild eyes of this grand animal spin wide until they glazed over.  this afternoon we sat on a fallen log at the end of a deer trail.  behind us was the forest with a slope of around 30 degrees that dropped off into even more thick foretst.  i was a bored 13 year old.  i didn't like hunting.  i hated my rifle.  it was too loud.  too powerful.  too deadly.  but on this occasion we got our bear tags.  these tags were regulated & administered by the state of california allowed us both to kill one adult male bear each.  why we got those tags i can't say.  we had never seen a bear.  until now.  daydreaming i sat on the log until my dad whispered in my ear, 'bear!'  i swiveled off the log & looked behind me.   15 feet away was a male black bear on his hind legs.  my dad had his browning in position.  the bear stopped sniffed the air & froze in mid-step.  i forgot i had a rifle.  he was beautiful.  magnificent creature that stood on his hind leg i shit you not.  he looked 20 ft tall.  the bear sized up the scene & immediately turned down the 30-degree incline & vanished from our sights.  my hands shook when they found my rifle & i could hardly hold it.  my father was already placing his rifle at rest.  'why didn't you shoot it,' i asked.  i don't remember my dad's answer.  all i remember was that this beautiful animal an adult male black bear was a mere 15 feet away.