A beautiful valley set among towering , forested ridges and complete with a rustic hunting cabin containing decades of memories and stories within its walls , including calendars still hanging from the 1980s and ' 90s , and memorabilia left from family and visiting hunters through the ages .
As we readied for the hunt the night before the first day , excitement filled the air . For the time in a century , we ’ d be bear hunting with hounds in Montana ! It was new for everyone , and that kind of anticipation — and uncertainty — has an edge to it . How would it go ? Would we chase bear after bear or struggle to start a track ?
The dogs , especially , grabbed everyone ’ s attention . As it is with any dog-hunting endeavor , Man ’ s Best Friend is the star of the show , fun to be around and watch , a source of pride and joy for the owners . As cat hounds , the dogs weren ’ t proficient on the tactics of bears , and how they ’ d perform was anyone ’ s
Off-road vehicles transport hunters and hounds into the rugged terrain . two permits per unit for non-residents . Of course , my luck remained consistent as I blanked , and Evan ’ s streak continued as he was one of the lucky few to draw . The hunt was afoot !
We met McGillivray at his place west of Lolo , Mont ., and stayed in nearby cabins . We ’ d be hunting the surrounding forests , including the family land of Paul Rossignol just down the road . Serving as president of Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife , Rossignol ’ s property was gorgeous . guess . Because of the uncertainty , McGillivray and Rossignol called in Duane Hostetler . “ The Amish Assassin ,” as he was nicknamed , had dogs that had hunted bears in other states .
We traversed Rossignol ’ s expanse of private property and the surrounding public lands . It was mid-May , still early in the mountains of Western Montana , and with just two days available in our schedule to hunt , strikes were few and far between — even fresh bear sign was rare . We did manage a couple of chases but never saw a bear , much less treed one .
Such is hunting . Especially a first go at a new species using a wholly new method .
While we never saw a bear and Evan didn ’ t have a chance to punch his Montana tag , the experience and camaraderie more than sufficed . Rossignol would pull his side-by-side over and share the history of his family ’ s land , including how Lewis and Clark passed through the area , trappers who lived on the property when the fur trade was king , Native American traditions and the legend of Lawrence Rence a trapper believed to be buried on the property . Lolo , Mont ., is believed to be named after Rence , as the Native Americans at the time were unable to pronounce his name , so called him “ Lou Lou ,” which later came to identify the area as Lolo .
At a time when hound hunting is under constant attack and opportunities are threatened , and often lost , every year , Montana opening a season is a rare and welcome change . The option to pursue black bears using hounds in the wilds of Montana is as western as it gets , and an experience future generations should have the chance to try .
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