Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
November 22, 2025, was supposed to be a simple ground-morning deer sit in Freedom, New York. Instead, it became the kind of hunt that gets talked about at camp for the next 50 years.
Twenty-six-year-old Janelle Miller was hunting family property in Cattaraugus County with her father, Dan, and grandfather, Doug, land they’ve hunted for more than two decades. She made sure to thank Tom Lyon for always allowing their family to come up to camp. It was a deer-only morning.
Then the brush started moving.
“It sounded just like a deer walking,” Janelle said.
But when the animal reached the edge of cover, the body told a different story. This wasn’t a whitetail.
Calmly, she stood up, shouldered her pink camo 20-gauge, and found a clean lane between two trees. The shot broke perfectly behind the shoulders. The bear stood up on its back legs, dropped, and then bolted.
Janelle and her dad took off after it. Though she trailed slightly behind, still recovering from abdominal surgery and stitches. Her father fired again as a precaution in case the bear turned aggressive. It kept running. A final shot ended the chase, the bear collapsing against a fallen tree.
In the moment, she was steady. Focused. Controlled.
Afterward?
“Holy bleep,” she said. “I could barely talk.”
The adrenaline dump hit hard.
It took six guys and a side-by-side to haul the bear out. Estimated at over 365 pounds, it yielded more than 100 pounds of meat. On property where no one had even seen a bear in over 20 years, it felt surreal.
The bear was brought whole to a Grand Island taxidermist for a full-body mount, with additional work handled by Buck N Doe. The skull will be preserved, and the teeth submitted to the New York DEC.
Her only regrets? Not getting an official weight, and not snapping a photo with all the guys and her pink shotgun.
For her father, the moment carried decades of memories.
“I’ll never forget fearless little Janelle,” Dan said, remembering her flipping rocks in pajamas looking for snakes. “Every moment in the woods with my daughter is priceless. Dad loves you.”
Her grandfather had his own flashback. A five-year-old riding on the mower at camp, catching more fish than the boys, shooting her .22, graduating to shotguns.
“She made all my years of hunting worth it,” he said. “I’m so incredibly proud of her.”
Now she’s the one her nieces look up to.
First bear. Three generations in the woods. A pink camo shotgun. And a story that will live at camp forever.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
– Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper – Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.
– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
– Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.
– Field-Tested Gear Reviewer – Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.
