The very idea of shooting grizzly bears with the bow and arrow strikes most people as so absurd that they laugh at the mention of it. The mental picture of the puny little archery implements of their childhood opposed to that of the largest and most fearsome beast of the Western world produces merriment and incredulity.

Because it seemed so impossible, I presume, this added to our desire to accomplish it......

Thus begins Chapter 14 of Saxton Pope's book: Hunting with the Bow and Arrow.
The museum at the California Academy of Sciences had an almost complete collection of North American animals - with the exception of a grizzly bear. Upon learning that a permit might be obtained to hunt in Yellowstone Park for the silvertip grizzly, Dr. Pope proposed to the museum curator that he would set up a group to obtain a few specimens with bows and arrows.

The permit was obtained on behalf of the museum and a group was formed that would include Dr. Pope, Art Young and the experienced guide, Ned Frost. They prepared for the trip and arrived at their campsite in late May of 1920. They would hunt and harvest five grizzly bears on their trip, but the last one taken would be the most memorable:

...the monster grizzly was romping back and forth in the shaded forest not more than 65 yards away. With deep booming growls like distant thunder, he voiced his anger and intent to kill... Young discharged three arrows at him. I shot two. We should have landed, he was so large. But he galloped off and I saw my last arrow fall between his legs. He was gone. We thought we had missed the beast and grief descended heavy upon us.... we had no idea that we had hit the great bear, but just to gather up our shafts, we went over the ground where he had been. One of Young's arrows was missing !.... We trailed him. We knew it was dangerous business....then we discovered the fore part of Young's arrow. It had gone through him. There was a pool of blood. Then we found the feathered butt, which he had drawn out with his teeth.

After searching for more than five hours, the party slept for the night and started looking again the next morning. They would eventually find that the bear had fallen over a ledge and came to rest on his back against a boulder.

There lay the largest grizzly bear in Wyoming, dead at our feet.... One arrow killed him....It seemed incredible. I thumped Young on the shoulder: "My, that was a marvelous shot !"

The bear weighed almost 1000 lbs and was seven feet, four inches in length. The hide, with unskinned paws and skull, weighed nearly 150 lbs.