PLUCKY kids donned their hunting gear and tracked down a big grizzly bear on Monday as Roves Farm kicked off the first day of its annual bear hunt.

Parents brought their children to have a ride on the tractor before tackling a number of obstacles that uncovered the whereabouts of the illusive grizzly.

The intrepid explorers had to negotiate such perils as the Deep Cold River, the Tick Oozy Mud, a Swirly Whirly Snow Storm and, most terrifying of all, the Deep Dark Forest.

Ricky Bailey, one of the farm hands involved, said: “The bear hunt is really aimed at the younger children.

“We take them through several different obstacles that appear in the story and they always have a really good time.

Ricky, a natural with children, leads the parents and kids into the woods and when approaching each obstacle he issues the familiar suggestion: “We can’t go over under it, we can’t go under it, so we’ll have to go through it.”

Upon reaching the dark and scary cave in which the bear lives, Ricky explained: “We can’t use a real cave because some of the children would get scared.

“When they see the bear they give it a big cuddle and then head back through the woods to the tractor.”

The cave is a wooden frame with a curtain pulled across it and the bear, of course, is one of the workers dressed in a costume.

The course takes 40 minutes to complete, tractor ride included, and Ricky described it as “a memorable experience for the kids and fun for all the family”.

There were also bear hunt-related craft activities on offer throughout the day, which involved the kids cutting, gluing and sticking, making masks and drawing pictures.

Ricky added: “I really love this. I think it’s one of the best things we do. It’s great for the young children, who really get into it and enjoy themselves.”

The bear hunt runs from now until August 31 at Roves Farm, Sevenhampton, and for more information log on to www.rovesfarm.co.uk or call 01793 763939.