A duo of forest rangers wanting to film the awakening of a hibernating bear in April 1937 got more drama than they were expecting when the star of their amateur documentary awoke in a rather grouchy mood.
The saga began in November 1936, when state game supervisor Frank T. Wire and Umatilla National Forest supervisor Clark Martin were hunting near Bear Wallow in the Blue Mountains. They found a hole dug near an uprooted pine tree, neatly lined with grass, and a clump of debris set aside to cover up the entrance to the den come hibernation time for black bears. Wire and Martin marked the spot, determining to return in the spring to film the bear coming out of hibernation.
On April 6, 1937, Wire and Martin made the seven-hour snowshoe trek back to the bear’s den, accompanied by forest ranger Clarence Huston and Martin’s terrier, through several feet of snow. After considerable ax work, Martin announced to the others, “Betcha he’s right under here,” and proved his point by promptly sinking deep into the snow, right into the bear’s bedroom.
“I never saw a man in such a hurry,” Wire said later. “Clark must have jumped ten feet and he was no sooner out of the way when the nose and ears of Mr. Bear appeared.”
With the terrier barking at the hole, the rangers grabbed ropes and waited for the bear to reappear. As soon as he came out of the den far enough, Martin and Huston got one rope around his hindquarters and another around his neck. Then the rodeo began.
The bear woke up mad, and fought and bucked like a bronco. Martin managed to cut the rear rope, Huston slackened the neck rope, and the bear leapt for safety, climbing a nearby 10-foot tree with the terrier in hot pursuit. From there it jumped to the roof of a nearby ski shed, then jumped to the ground and dashed back to his hole.
The rangers carefully cut the neck rope and leapt back. The bear charged back out of the hole and made for the hills. The trio later found the bear’s footprints, crossing and re-crossing in the snow in his haste to escape.
Wire got 300 feet of film during the escapade, and promised to show his nature documentary to Pendleton folks in May.
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