When he got back, it was almost dark, so he hung the four quarters and the side meat up in the smokehouse. It was cool so he knew they would be okay until morning.
After feeding both the dog and wolf he went in, fixed himself a can of soup, took a shower and went to bed.
Next morning he took the meat down and covered it with sugar cure. This would be very good eating next winter.
Then he grabbed his rifle, checked his loads and headed for the north end of the valley just to check and see if the bear had been there.
It hadn"t so he went over to the east side of the main valley to explore two other smaller fields he had found. He"d go back a little later and watch for the bear. Maybe he"d get lucky and the bear problem would be over today.
He really didn"t figure the bear would be out b
