Historic Hood River
Bear Hunters Revisited
12-20-2013
Notes
Here’s another bear hunting image, this time with the men of the party and their hunting dogs.
The History Museum of Hood River County
Bringing the Rich History of Hood River County to Life
The History Museum of Hood River County
Bringing the Rich History of Hood River County to Life
Here’s another bear hunting image, this time with the men of the party and their hunting dogs.
charlott
With that many dogs, I can only assume they used them to track the bears. I am certain in that era there were a lot of bear in "them thar hills." When I was a teen ager we had a neighbor that I recall got a bear up on Fir Mountain. Know they were probably quite a few of them roaming around, but never saw one.
Bill Seaton
They were still bear in the Hood River area in the late 1940’s. I remember that Don McConn got one.
spinsur
I’ve seen a number of bear in "them thar hills" around the Valley in recent times.
l.e.
The hide on the right looks like a pretty good sized bear.
Lots of bear where I live. A couple of years ago, one ran through the school yard. In the 1980’s a little girl was killed here by a bear.
It is still a strong memory for many of us.
I wonder what kind of dogs those are? They look to be of the same breed.
Buzz
Good looking hunting dogs. And it sure looks like a bear hunting trip, but I don’t really understand it. Bear meat is lousy eating, and where I have lived if anybody wanted to shoot one for sport, just leave a little garbage outside for bait. Wildlife officers have to get rid of some every year here on the peninsula where I live now because they become a nuisance. In Alaska they were also considered more of a nuisance than anything. Hunting dogs like that were used for "runnin cougar" that were killing livestock when I was a kid. Also notice the old flintlock rifle not in this picture.
JF
Oh, they are still around. At least once a year someone out riding sees a bear in the Post Canyon area.
charlott
Buzz, Tex said it was good if you knew how to process the kill, etc.
Buzz
Don’t know who Tex is, but if he likes it, I hereby donate my future share of bear meat to Tex. Guess taste is an individual thing, because if I were forced to process any more of it, hunting dogs would not go hungry. LOL
Maria Kollas
I recall an article with photo in the Hood River News some time in the 80s telling of a bear killed on the west side of town (Country Club, Post Canyon?). Supposedly the largest bear on record shot. I don’t remember the name of the person.
Jeffrey Bryant
My brother shot a bear in Hood River Valley back in the 70’s. It made a nice rug. I think he used some of the meat, but I hear it is greasy.
Bill Seaton
Buzz,the "Tex" that Charlott mentions was Tex Lyda. He was one of the janitors at HRHS when you were there.
Buzz
Forgot about that Tex. If anybody would know how to make bear meat edible, it would probably be him.
l.e.
I am a bit skeptical that these guys are hunting bear during the photo. I agree with Buzz…..the dogs seem more likely to be used for cougar hunting.
Although, you wouldn’t need pack saddles to pack out a cougar.
charlott
Yes sir, when it came to "wild" meat Tex knew how to deal with it.
Buzz
l.e., the Kentta boys who run cougar on the coast just brought the hides back. They couldn’t use horses as the ground was too steep and brushy. They chased them on foot and were usually gone for up to a week. Don’t think anyone would pack a dead cougar out as I never heard of anyone eating the meat. But I can’t speak to whether Tex thought it was good eating.
Barbara Parsons
Tex was a treasure. If we came to school early, he would help us with our geometry homework.
LMH
Tex was a good guy. I managed to make his acquaintance my freshman year. Little did I know my parents knew the Lyda family. I think they live out on the eastside. His birth name was Whitman. Yes, he was from Texas.
LMH
Further research – The whole family, Tex, Dixie, Joe and Judy are buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery.