Young Alaskan Huntress Interrupts Prom Day for Grizzly Hunt
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.28.15
Like most girls her age, 15-year-old Cassidy Kramer thought prom day was a big deal. Yet unlike most girls, the resident of Kotzebue, Alaska spent much of last Saturday roughing it in the bitterly cold wilderness a with rifle in hand. This is because prom just so happened to coincide with a subsistence hunt led by her father, Lance Kramer.
“It’s important to go out and get bears in the springtime,” Lance told KTUU. “We always try to get a spring bear every year, this time of year.”
Hunting grizzlies is very important to the residents of Kotzebue as it keeps the predators at a manageable level and helps stem the decline of local moose populations. There is also the meat, which is always appreciated. According to the Kramer family, it is a tradition for Eskimo hunters to harvest meat to donate to the needy, and so Cassidy found herself alongside her father and 10-year-old brother in the mountains above the Noatak River. It was far from what she expected to be doing on her prom day, and while other girls would be preparing for the big night ahead, Cassidy had her eye on her first grizzly.
“We got downwind of that bear so it couldn’t smell us, couldn’t hear us,” Lance said. “Sure enough, it came around the corner and Cassidy shot it and it rolled down the mountain.”
The hunting party skinned and dressed the bear on the mountain and then had to hurry back in time for Cassidy to arrive on time to the prom. After all, ski pants, mittens, and a snowmobile coat are hardly the proper attire. Despite arriving home less than an hour before her friends came by the pick her up, Cassidy was able to change into a dress and her first set of heels.
“What a memorable first prom for Cassidy! Taikuu Savannah for helping her get ready and to her daddy Lance Kramer for helping her get her first bear!” wrote her mother Corina Kramer on Facebook.
The Kramer family added that most of the bear meat will be given to Cassidy’s grandmother. You can also see a video collage of Cassidy’s prom day below.
What a memorable first prom for Cassidy! Taikuu Savannah for helping her get ready and to her daddy Lance Kramer for helping her get her first bear! Thanks for waiting for her to get ready Caitlin Conwell! Taikuu Peej Jones for showing her how she should be treated, like a Princess! And especially TAIKUU Lord for safety and answering all her prayers!
Posted by Corina Kramer on Monday, April 27, 2015
