Was. That meant the man was no longer with his family, and Orion had to clamp her mouth shut to keep herself from asking whether he had died before or after the Pulse. She'd hate to open old wounds with a thoughtless question, and it likely would have only served to point out her own losses. Best to leave it alone.
"Well, at least you know he was a good hunter," she offered in a careful tone. "I'd never be able to bag a bear on my own, and I think I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow. But the largest thing I've ever caught is a stag last fall just as the season was beginning to turn cold."