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In the beginning...
The Bear Pen Plott story begins on January 29, 1920 with the birth of Homon Eugene Fielder on the family farm on Piney River, Dickson County, Tennessee. Homon was the fourth of nine children born to Stephen Ford Fielder and Emma Haley Fielder.
On January 5, 1946, after returning to the States from a six-year tour with the US Army that took him from Iceland to New Guinea during World War II, Homon Fielder married Vera Lorraine Hatfield in Detroit, Michigan and soon returned to Vera's home state of West Virginia. The newlyweds bought a home in Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia and still live there today. Homon is now 86 years of age and Vera is two years younger. On October 12, 1946, the first of two sons, Stephen Ford Fielder was born. Eight years later, a second son, David Randall Fielder was born on January 21, 1955.
Homon Fielder brought the love of tree dogs and hunting with him to West Virginia. In the fall of 1954 while hunting with Opal Bennett on the Williams River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, Homon would have his first experience with Plott dogs running bear. Bennett owned a pair of Plott females, Daisy, age four, and her daughter June, age two. When Homon's grade Black and Tan Sam struck a track that he refused to run and the two Plotts continued on what turned out to be a bear track, it ruined Homon for life. The Plotts would catch the bear and fight it into the night until the wind and snow of a howling storm covered the sounds of their voices and they were lost. June, the younger of the two was recovered and Homon bought her to begin a 52-year involvement with the breed.
Homon's sons have continued in their father's footsteps, hunting and breeding the same line of Plott dogs to this day.
Photo Caption - Homon Fielder, right, and his younger brother Julian with cur dogs, Pat and Mike in 1938 just before Homon would leave for the Army. Note the two coon hides, tacked “square” in the custom of the day and the numerous opossum and skunk hides. There were very few coons in middle Tennessee at that time.
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Last Updated by: Mike Phillips
1/23/2006 3:00:53 PM
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