The sound of bear hounds in training is music to my ears

Back in the beginnings of our young country, hunters were looked at with great favor; bear hunters were revered. Folk heroes like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett are examples. Both led interesting lives and both did several other things than hunt, but their legendary personas grew out of hunting, especially hunting bear.

Around that time, rendered down bear fat, known as bear grease, was exchanged and traded almost as a form of currency. Today rendered down bear fat is still sought after for making pastries – especially pie crust. It’s a delicacy that today is obtained only after a person hunts, harvests their own bear, and renders the fat themselves. The hides and meat of bear were considered quite valuable 200 years ago.

Bear hunting back then involved hounds. Crockett talks about the use of his dogs and described some pretty gritty hunts for bear in his autobiography. And as described on one of those hunts, he lived up to his legend by killing the bear with a knife, mostly since he dropped his gun and couldn’t find it in the dark of night. He collaborated well with his dogs.

This Saturday the bear hound training begins. This is the period when dogs may be trained by trailing free roaming bear in the state. The training season ends August 31st.

I enjoy listening to the music of hounds trailing game play out while fishing northwoods lakes early in the morning hours. With the fog still hovering just above the water and the air still windless, I can easily sit back, close my eyes, and conjure up images right out of the pages of “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

The excitement and lore of bear hunting is woven tightly into the fabric of this country and continues today. We might not use bear grease as currency anymore, but bear rugs still fetch a pretty fair price in antique shops.

A bear hunter once told me that training season is great for hunters and bad for dogs. “I prefer the training season,” he told me. “The dogs love the kill season (actual hunting season) because they get their biggest reward; for hunters kill season involves a lot of hard work.”

This weekend the bear dog trucks will be out and the music will start again. “July 1 is a very special day of the year to me. Opening day of bear hound training season in Wisconsin,” said Cody Akey, a lifelong bear hunter from the Medford area. “Training season every year brings the same sense of anticipation and excitement year after year. What will this season bring? Which young and upcoming dogs will take the next step? Will ‘the lightbulb click’ for any of the pups? Have any new big bear wandered into any of the baits? So many unanswered questions and so much to look forward to. Training season is the time we get to try to put answers to all those questions.” “Coming from a guy who hates summer and the misery it brings in terms of hot weather, I look forward to July 1 every summer with the unmatched enthusiasm of an eight-year old going to bed on December 24th,” Cody continued. I’ve accompanied several groups into the woods during the training season over the last three plus decades. What always stands out is the strong sense of family within the groups. From toddlers to the seasoned hunters, often the whole family participates. Seeing a bear up close and stationary doesn’t happen every day and never gets old for young and old – everyone’s excited. Many of the bear hunting groups have cookouts for the whole family after a training run. Some have tailgate picnics in the woods. Some head to a lake for some swimming and fishing to cool off. I’ve just noticed that training season involves a lot of family and friend time, centered around an outdoor activity that dates back to before our country was a country.

“Training season’s a time to develop bonds with young dogs, and further deepen bonds with old dogs. It’s a time to thoroughly enjoy the sport of bear hunting and exceptional dog work without the added pressure of harvesting an animal,” Cody told me. “It’s entirely devoted to strengthening the endurance of both man and dog, to honing our skills and senses, and most importantly, to just have fun!”

On this Independence Day weekend if you hear the music of the hounds, you’re listening to an American tradition far older than fireworks.

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