Joel McKissick, 18, of East Butler shot this bear the first day of the season near Warren. He also bagged a turkey and a deer to record hunting's Triple Crown.

EAST BUTLER— When it comes to hunting, Joel McKissick's goal is a basic one.

"I want to get at least one of everything," the 18-year-old East Butler resident said.

He got a nice head start toward that goal recently, completing hunting's Triple Crown in a span of 23 days.

McKissick shot a turkey Oct. 27 in Carbon Center, got a 7-point buck and a doe Oct. 30 during bow season, then bagged a 132-pound bear on the first day of bear season near Warren.

"There are people who hunt for 30 years, go out there with paid guides, and never do this,"McKissick said about the Triple Crown. "I feel pretty fortunate. I just go into the woods with my Dad and our hunting group."

A hunter since age 13, McKissick is part of a family that has hunted for generations. He is the first member of his family to get a bear since his grandfather, Chuck McKissick, got one 40 years ago.

McKissick's father, Joel McKissick Sr., shot a coyote during the same hunt in which Joel Jr. got the bear. The family is having full-body mounts done on the bear and coyote.

McKissick got the bear on the first day of bear season while hunting with his cousin, Josh Anthony. Both shot at the animal while sitting on top of a rock hanging over a ledge.

"My uncle was down below and must have kicked it out into the open somehow,"McKissick said. "We saw it running and just started shooting.

"I shot first and the bear went down right away. It got up, ran about 30 yards, then went down again. When we checked it, there were no other wounds except that first one."

While this was the first bear McKissick ever bagged, he has seen them in the woods before.

"We saw a mother and her two cubs running up a hill one time," he said. "Before we had a chance to shoot, they ran in the direction of a guy and his kid. We could hear the shots all around us and saw the bear go down."

McKissick participates in deer gun season as well, but enjoys bow hunting because "it's much more challenging."

"I got a doe with a bow when I was 13," he said. "Ihadn't gotten another deer during bow season until this year, when I got two.

"I won't shoot with my bow unless I'm within 30 yards of the deer. Even then, you have to get it in the vitals."

McKissick has shot three turkeys in his brief hunting career.

"I'm hoping to go on a safari and do some traveling and hunt big game down the road," he said. "I love to hunt."