Rocky and Ruby

Andover, ME October 2024

Every bear hunting story (as told by bear guide Kirk) is exactly the same with a few variables changed (almost like a mad lib):

• Where the hunter was from

• Which trail

• Which dog was first on the scent

• How far the bear went

• Size and species of tree

• Size of the bear

• Gun used

So here is the story of Rocky the Bear...

In Kirkish:

"This son of a bitch from Buffalo was out on witches tit when Lacie struck. We set her loose and the chase was on. We let Ruby and Tango out of the box and they all chased that bear 2 and a half miles straight up the side hill with Lacie in the lead. After about 2 hours they treed that bear-had to be 250 pounds-in a 15 inch pine and he shot him with a 12 gauge."

Translation:

Frank and I were in the truck with one team of Kirks dogs. There was another team of dogs with their trainers from Virginia in another truck. Frank ended up with the other team and got a bear around the same time I got mine. So you basically drive these old logging trails at like 5 mph with your best dog (one that's is best at picking up bear scent) up on top of the dog box nose in the air. The rest of the dogs are in the dog box in the back of the truck

The logging roads have names (like witches tit) and the guides communicate on walkie talkies to coordinate the hunt. It is quite boring since there is no cell service in the mountains and they don't put the radio on. All you can do is listen to hundreds of bear stories like the one above with different variables as you wait for a dog to strike.

A strike is when the dog smells something she will start baying and we stop the truck. The trainer releases the dog that struck and they start running all over sniffing and barking to get the trail. Sometimes if the scent is too cold or it was a false alarm and you get back in the truck and keep going. If the scent is fresh and the lead dog takes off, then the chase is on and more dogs are released to get on the trail.

This really gets your blood pumping and is quite exciting. You can hear the dogs from almost a mile away depending on terrain and wind.

Seeing the dogs on the hunt (and especially when they encounter the bear close up), it's hard to believe they are so nice and mellow when not on the run. My favorite was of course Ruby. Not just because of the name but she was such a cool lovable dog. I believe she was also the mother of a few of the other dogs in the group.

Me and Ruby

The dogs all have Garmin collars to track location activity and barks per minute. The more barks the hotter the scent. The hunter and guide along with another guy for packing the bear out set off after the dogs. We go up the side of the mountain following trails if possible but at points just going hand over hand up the steep hills.

The setting is beautiful

and it is really good exercise. The weather on this particular day was perfect.

It was a rigorous track that took a couple of hours to finally get to where the dogs had the bear treed. The Garmin collars actually tell the guide when the dogs have a bear treed. The collar senses the motion of the dogs putting their front paws up on the side of the tree and throwing their head back as the go crazy barking-the barks per minute are off the chart.

I will spare you the rest of the story but you know how it ends. Rocky made his way from Maine to Wheatfield where the taxidermist did a great job. He put the picture into an AI thing to make him come alive and sent it to me.

Then Rocky had a temporary (1 month) home in Akron in the living room where he and the cat would stare each other down. This is when we started soliciting for names for the bear from friends and family. Granddaughter Ruby suggested Rocky I think because of the Rock he stands on.

Well the name obviously stuck and finally Rocky made the trip to Tellico Plains in the back of the van. There he looks out over the living room and into the mountains of western North Carolina.

I will never go on another bear hunt (for a number of reasons) but I am thankful for the opportunity. It was a blessing to enjoy autumn in Maine and hunt with some great people and amazing dogs.