The right gear makes the biggest difference in any situation. The only way to know if I chose the perfect gear for the job is to put it to the test. After spending time on the range with the Marlin Model 336 Trapper Series, chambered in 30-30 WIN, I felt confident it would be the perfect gun.
Perfect for what, you might ask? Perfect for my very first bear hunt in the snowy mountains of West Virginia late last year. As confident as I was, being a seasoned hunter, I knew I needed to prepare myself for anything. You may read about how I began to prepare myself by getting to know this rifle.
In April 2025, Ronnie Snedegar mentioned the opportunity may present itself for me to go on my first bear hunt. At that time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to accept the invitation. The more I thought about it, the thrill of the unknown and the hunt in general percolated within me. When I met Brian and Carrie Wyatt at the Greenbrier Valley Sportsman’s Alliance Youth Day last October, and received an official invitation to the bear hunt, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
There are many methods of hunting – from a still hunt, to a spot and stalk or to the use of well-trained hounds. Brian and Carrie’s team of dogs includes several well-cared-for and trained hounds. They’re not just working dogs, they’re family and they show up for each other. I was invited to join them for the United Special Sportsman Alliance Veteran Hunt. I knew this promised to deliver an action-packed hunt, which would also be physically demanding. For that reason, I knew the lightweight, compact Marlin Model 336 complemented the hunt perfectly.
I am what some would call a flatlander from the Lowcountry, and we rarely experience snow or below-freezing temperatures. I knew this commitment would require me to step outside my comfort zone and navigate tough terrain – both on the drive there and the hunt itself.
My camera girl, Ruth Atherton, and I arrived at Ronnie’s safely on December 8; we set our gear out for the following morning and got some rest. We awoke to fresh snow. We met Brian, Carry, and 10 other hunters and their hounds before daybreak. We got an early start to stake our claim on the mountain.
While Brian drove, Raul (a veteran), shared his hunt story from the day before and we couldn’t help but get fired up. When daylight arrived, Brian and the other houndsmen turned their hounds loose. The Wyatt family’s bluetick hound, Latch, led the pack on the scent of the first bear.
Almost immediately Latch sounded off with his deep bellowing bark, then the army of hounds fell in like a military cadence.
If you’ve ever experienced a hunt with hounds, you know what I’m talking about. Every dog gives a unique bark and when it all comes together, it’s a beautiful sound. It came time to load five rounds of Double Tap 30-30 Winchester 170 Grain Controlled Expansion bullets into the loading gate, but I refrained from advancing a round to the chamber for safety purposes.
The dogs’ song became extremely faint as they chased the bear away from us; though we couldn’t hear them, the dog handlers had their location on their Garmin GPS Handheld devices. When the hounds treed the bear, it came time trek one mile up the mountain. I slung the Marlin over my shoulder, with every intention of smoothly trekking up the side of the snow-covered mountain. Before long I was thankful for the skinner sights, aka peep sights, that offer another aspect of reliability to the Model 336. I would be lying if I told you I stayed on my feet the entire time and could only imagine the effect my unstable trek may have had on an optic.
When we rounded the corner, I spotted the treed black bear, about 35 yards in the leafless tree. Dustin, another hunter, gave instructions to my camera girl and I as to where to stand to make a good shot. I had never been that close to a bear in the wild, and my adrenaline kicked into overdrive. Dustin shouted loud enough to match the songs of the hounds, “Whenever you’re ready, take the shot!”
This required an almost straight-up, offhand shot. I wasn’t concerned about the rifle’s performance or mine; I already prepared myself mentally for this scenario. I chambered a round by cocking the lever action and shouldered the Marlin. I placed the front blade sight on the center of the bear’s face while also in the centering it in the rear peep sight. I released a here-it-goes breath, disengaged the push button safety and squeezed the trigger.
The shot connected, the bear went limp and I could faintly hear the thud of his descent through the hounds’ excitement.
Firsts are always special and the Marlin Model 336 in 30-30 WIN is a rifle that will find itself in the grips of my hands often. Thank you to all who made these first harvests possible.
Learn more about the Marlin Model 336 Trapper Series at the Ruger website. MSRP: $1,599
I am a wife and a mother who loves the outdoors, I also review and test airguns and shooting products for various manufacturers. As Airgun Angie, I get to spend a fair amount of time outdoors hunting and shooting! I love what I do, I get the opportunity to test many different types of shooting and hunting gear. My current adventures can be found on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC764VE4T-i2XihiyISmkJKA You can also follow me on Facebook, @leadlife17 "Airgun Angie." View all posts by Angie Perry
