'Mountain Men' Star Jake Herak Lost Two of His Dogs Ahead of Season 10

The History Channel series Mountain Men follows a set of self-sufficient survivalists around the United States who are living completely off-the-grid. Since the docu-series debuted in 2012, viewers have seen these frontiersmen battle the elements, including extreme weather conditions and dangerous wildlife.

Montana-based lion hunter Jake Herak joined the cast of Mountain Men in Season 7, and he quickly became a fan favorite because of his team of dogs.

Jake attempts to keep menacing mountain lions away from ranch land by training and using several Treeing Walker Coonhounds. Though he has grown the group over the years, a few of his dogs have been staples on his squad, including Henry and Clutch.

In the Season 10 episode "Coyote Showdown", the Mountain Men narrator (D.B. Sweeney) reveals that both Clutch and Henry have died.

In the second episode of Season 10, Jake is training his "youngest team in years," and he's added a new dog to the mix: a six-month-old named Trip, who earned his moniker because he came to Montana from New Mexico.

Trip joins Jake's other hounds, Lefty, Marlene, Trixie, and Viola "Vi," who are also preparing for the next hunting season. However, two of his most tried and true dogs are missing.

The Mountain Men narrator reveals that Jake recently lost "two of his most trusted veterans," which is why he got Trip.

"Trip joined the pack following two sudden losses," D.B. Sweeney explains. "Ten-year-old Henry, who succumbed to cancer, and six-year-old Clutch, who suffered an accidental death."

Neither the narrator nor Jake would elaborate on what caused Clutch's "accidental death," though fans are more than intrigued to learn what exactly happened.

In November of 2020, ahead of his hunting season, Jake opened up about losing Clutch for the first time on his Instagram feed. He shared a video of his late dogs.

"The crew," Jake wrote in the caption. "As I look forward to tomorrow's opening day of lion season I can't help but look back at the past.. This will be my first season without both Henry and Clutch man... So as I look forward to the tomorrow, I can't help but reflect on the past..."

"Clutch and Henry were two of the finest hounds a man could ask for! It was my honor to share the mountain with such driven hounds, I'll never forget the lessons we taught each other and I'll always use them to better the new members of the pack..." he added. "I thank you both and I'll carry the tradition on in memory of you!!"

Though Jake has yet to publicly share what happened to Clutch, he did post about Henry's passing when it happened in April of 2020. He shared the upsetting news on his Instagram feed.

"Can't say I've hit this part of the process in becoming a houndsman and truly it's the only part of the process that I've found that I hate... it's not something I even care to share but fact is it's 'life.' Henry passed away a few days ago," he wrote on April 29, 2020. "I honestly didn't even want to share this, but Henry deserves a [farewell] and half of you follow me or watch us on TV because of theses hounds...."

Jake then mentioned how much his late dog meant to him.

"This dog taught me so much about what 'I' truly want in life and so much more... he was the first hound pup that I helped train," he continued. "I watched him grow as he watched me grow, so many firsts with this hound that will never be done again... From rags to riches, from a nobody to a somebody Henry helped me achieve all of that and I wouldn't trade our miles and adventures for anything..."

Since Jake wrote about how he didn't want to publicly share the news of Henry's death, it perhaps explains why he didn't post about Clutch's untimely passing when it occurred.

Mountain Men airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on the History Channel.