6-year-old kills 212-pound Horry County bear

bear

Youth hunter’s mom killed a bear 3 days earlier

Gauge Britt, 6-years-old from Myrtle Beach, S.C., killed a 212-pound bear in Horry County on Oct. 20. He shot the bear while hunting with his dad just a few days after his mom killed her first bear.

The young hunter shot the animal from 50 yards away with a Ruger .270. He was sitting in a double ladder stand with his dad, Jason Britt in the afternoon. It’s a hunt that they weren’t sure would take place. With the season originally scheduled through Oct. 30, it was closed early because the Game Zone 4 quota of 30 bears was met early.

“That afternoon is one I will never forget,” said Jason Britt. “I knew with only a 30 bear quota that the season wouldn’t last long.”

On opening day, Jason Britt’s wife and Gauge’s mom killed her first bear. Jason’s goal was to make it happen for their son also, but he was feeling the pressure.

They hunted right after school

“My wife got her bear on opening day. Half my job was done. But I never thought it was going to be this hard to get Gauge on one. And without the help of great friends Wyatt Wise, Josh Epps, and Nick Gant, this would have never happened,” he said.

They hunted hard, but seemed to always be at the wrong stand. On the third day of the season, they walked out of the woods without a bruin. Due to harvest reports, they thought that would be the last day. But they found out the quota had not been met. The quest was still alive. They headed to the woods the next day.

“So as soon as Gauge got out of school, we went straight to Wyatt’s place where the bear had shown up multiple times,” he said.

And that afternoon, the 6-year-old killed his first bear.

“This day will be talked about for a long time!” said Jason Britt.

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.

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