The New England Chapter of HHO held a bear hunt from September 30, 2022 – October 2, 2022, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. One staff member supported this event, and one active-duty service member was selected for this hunt.
During the extended weekend trip, the hard-working Plott hounds could get on the scent trail/strike multiple bears, with 2 bears harvested. The first bear harvested was a grueling 10-mile track through the mountain terrain (beaver impoundments, blowdowns, moss-covered rocks, etc.) for the pack of hounds. The harvested bear (186lb Boar) never "treed" and was "bayed up" on the ground by the hounds and was shot at a very close distance by active-duty service member Rand Larson tagging his first bear. Petty Officer First Class Larson is a Gunner's Mate in the United States Navy and is currently stationed in Bath, Maine, aboard the Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) – (DDG-120) USS Carl M. Levin, which is a US Navy Arleigh Burke Class Flight IIA Guided Missile Destroyer being built by Bath Iron Works.
After the 1st bear was in the books, time was left, and the HHO Field Staff Member Chris Marcoux got a shot at harvesting his 1st bear. The team headed out Sat. AM for round 2 was a slow day; no bear was taken. Day 3 – Last Day, the hounds could strike early and quickly. A bear was treed, located, and harvested by 0800. Unfortunately, that's where all the work began, the bear was dispatched 50-plus feet up in a large oak tree, and a tree climber was called to retrieve the bear from its lofty perch.
Thank you! Goes out to Bruce Rogers for his support of this event and the New England Chapter for donating to this hound hunt. Bruce's Plott hounds are excellent! And thank you to the private landowners that allowed us to access their properties, Jonathan Cyr for the tow out, Zachary Osgood, and Bear Paw – the tree climbing bear retrieval expert.
