Football Or Not? An Alaskan Lets A Bear Hunt Decide

“I know I’ll go after another bear but try not to get too caught up in what was best because it’s all about the context of the speci?c adventure,” Lund writes. (JEFF LUND)
 (JEFF LUND)

Ever had one of those decisions where you just wanted to flip a coin or play rock-paper scissors to decide? Check out this story of how a teenage Alaskan decided what path he wanted to take to college:

From Deadspin via the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

Ferris, a standout in multiple sports and the classroom at Palmer High, is also an avid outdoorsman. He picked a spring bear hunt earlier this year to help him make the final decision. If he got the elusive bear he’d tracked before, Ferris would follow the call to play football at the University of Mary. If not, Ferris would turn his focus to academics at the University of Wyoming.

As it turned out, the hunt was a success. And now Ferris, a two-time all-state running back, is ready to make the run to the next level.

“I let it all come down to fate, and fate chose University of Mary,” Ferris said Monday after he signed his National Letter of Intent to attend the Bismarck, North Dakota, school and play for the Division II Marauders. “We’d gone up for (the bear) once. We hadn’t seen it in two days. I said, we kill it, I’ll go play football.”

The hunt was not just a thrill for Ferris, but a relief.

“Once I made the decision, it’s a full commitment,” Ferris said. “(The) decision was weighing me down. I was losing sleep over it. It’s the biggest decision I’ve had to make.”

The bear was obviously not available for comment.