The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-21
BEARS AND BEAR HUNTERS.
an INVITING REGION FOR DaRING AND
EXHILAR4TING SPORT.


sivc swamps OF Wayne and Pike counties. Pa
and Sullivan aud Delaware. n. Y. the black
boar. even Mt this late day roams and rears lie
young in n security almost rs undisturbcd as Il
did century ngo. and finds in The outlying
areas OF beech and oak forests as ample supply
OF food. The hunting and trapping Of these
animals furnishes both pleasure md profit to
many OF the backwoods inhabitants. hundreds
being captured every yonr Their skins and
meut command ready sale The skins bring
from sl5 to s25 and the moat sells for twenty
cents n pound. The hunter ren2es from $50
To $50 on full-grown bcur. The principal bear
hunters in the Pike county region are tho Shat.
fers and Quicks. They live in the depths Of tho
woods. seventeen miles from this place. Pin.
chot Swamp. Basam Swamp. Indian Swamp,
Maple Swamp. and Hemlock Swamp nro great
bear haunts. Jonas Shafrer the youngest mem.
Der Of the former family was at Lacknwaxen
few days ago after some supplies. l asked him
what the prospects Of the hunt were this season
"They's more sign o. bear round our place
this fall than they's been fora rood many year"
he said IAN I'm only watin' for all inch r so
o snow SOS KIN get in the track O. some big
black cuss. Bear signs is various. II the sof'
dirt long the edges o. the swamps g tracked up
5 IL cow ii been walkin' through IL. n the
scrub oaks 3 all squashed down in places. n
yllltT luckcls II HOTuclS n'SlS u lOfc 10 pltcVr
n bee trees robbed. them's signs o. bear. n
good uns. too. You see the bears is out feedln'
then. n two r three OF 'em in u patch O. scrub
oaks II soon leave thoir mark They git up ON
their hind legs an thrash the scrub down with
their paws. squashin' 'em TO the ground an
knockin the akerns of. When they git big
patch squashed down they 20 over I an eat the
nkcrns That's what they'm doin ev'ry night
now, out round our place" ,
But they don't eat hornets and yellow jack.
-" Don't they ? Mebbe they don't; but ef I
Ncx' to a bee tree. a bear likes to run foul Of a
yaller-Jacket ora hornet workin In the woods
Hell prance round TIL he finds the hole tho
tree r stuck ins to a rock. Then theys fun.
In about three JERKS, bear,l turn a ynlicr-
with his pgw unkivers Z, Tbs little ynlcr rep
tiles night like fury. and sometimes kiver the
bar l till ne looks 5 l. he had mustard spread!
kind '.grins. nm licks the honey out a clean g
yer old woman = WASH platter An all the
more tention to the bees thin IL they was &c
many struws a,tckln' OF him. shot n biz
jackets nest oyer nigh lniin swamp. "a killcc
him dead. II I'd only wounded him.. an he'c
g-showed 1sht Ia a-tacklcd him. o !c,ourse
little hot-talled devils didn't scare me out. an
was irnid to 20 an SKIN ny de?d oeS r, I'LL they
But it's more fuu W see n bear git NJ Dor.
nets nest One o these III ec's biz q halt
snshe sGmeieI an ssnF Gy, sly t.ds 1to
everything. But when a bear clans his eye on q
hornets nest you see smart crltter. Hits on
ece ,V q The =" ledge loye t. Then h. tcGs biz
stones Y pieces o wood down ut y till one hits
f. an off II goes, followed by million or 500
the, mudde1t hornets I ever got on their eur:
Mebbe you don't know I. but \ mad hornet AIM
q takin' ba,k seat for, anything that pSowls
mixed like this they seem To know who done IL
an they wait for the bear To- come on. Hennt
long comm. Then the hornets go Tor him;
but he don't care. Sometimes hen get up Un
his hind legs an square OF ut the hornets with
his paws an strike out rs II he were boxin'. All
his eyes sheL Often hen lay down an, roll on
tho nest. II he wanted 70 tease the hornets
nest she had stoned down put 1, under ono o
her arms. and prance OF with 1t s Il was
good Joke on ne hornets One mad horneti
a hull nest Of 'em never RAISED lump 5 big 'su
buckshot on bar. When hqrn.ts, nest E, s n
r long stick, hen Git up on the limb and
dance on II til the nest comes down.
benz The best bee hunter ever burnt hones
can't line bee tree any certainer than bear
n when bear gits r scent o one he don't glyet
eivin' TIA wherk evry now mn then to nna out
where the boiler place is. When he comes to II
he cuts n hole with his sharp claws. an faint
long lore he's n lunchin' on Wild honey.
" bear likes meat for change. When no
gifts good an hungry he'll walS INTO your PIE
OF with n pg un ler each arm ! they hin't any
objection raised. Has fond o veal too. an
calf don't have time 10 blat more n once when
bear puts his arm round H. But it's risky lot
EN- 10 come foon' round our pens. They're
very MT To weigh more by sever ounces O. lead
tn n when they LEFT the swamp"
According 10 jonas shutter bear viii often
lead the hunters chase OF twenty miles
through the swNnps, andt have Ken known
70 Keep on for nity or sixty miles before bens
henr when he sticks t the swamps,' said hA
I'VE crawled on my hands an knees. M
pulled myself long on my stomach fur many
mite through the laurels an iam'racks. folerin
u bear Four year ago last wntor / snot bia
She bear through the throHt. In nohot swamp.
an iolleret her through snow upt my waist
thinkn she'd have { give up Tore long. she
led me live milo, n then night 'rune On qh'
went out 10 look iur her. We come up,to her
in cave hall, milo b'yend whore | quli
irnckin her. We built n mr. in the mouth q
the cave 20 smoke her out IL. y minute see
big bears head In the openin' q the cave and
swash = come tw3 big paws OF ne ne ~ !
wsnf tis on" III federed. n I sSys to GIl.
They,s two IN there : that So says Gil.
ioIo the. lire wac nut out " " n ih's tnel
see u helf-grown ub ION; slie the ole Oear. u
says to GU. p.c-,n T., sats l. on: theys
an he won't up o. the cave an crawed in
NaS1. Thrn he came op! IN hurry nni mol.
= We ehu kpd burnin heml0oE Ia the hole aud
tie ole d. Teller come "A tearin out and was set
he'd with ball. Then the 'ubs come out. an
W chhwed them IN I'll our hntchut. The big
she Our I | woondrd thr day 'niOro couldn't cit
uut, an vi, shot her dead IN tho cave n dragged
her ont. Four Int bears is Il tolble fur days
hunt take t.
johns explained the manner in which bears
are trapped. Ld. Quick IL tho uipst successful
bear tTlppcr in th' State. lie builds n pen
where he finds signs p benr closed Oh three
sides, ana in II places his trtp. Ih"se traps arc
Ike u II ci rat trap. only many TINES larger
u" jaws brnI armed with loug. sharp teeth
Whom the irapper s"ta u hn covers It up with
moss, except IN the brJld pam mt or honey
= inced IN thc pen, IN sI'n pos ton that 10 ~.
al II ia" bear must stop with one Ut y fnct pt4
tln pm " the trap. Instantly it is sprung, md
tho ponderous JAWS come together, the t.etA
sinking deep into Tho b0nes and h,sh q, tao
poor an imni Pc the trap u strong chain -
attached gpol s2'd irrc Is tr vi; the
bran Ines arr cut OF 10 within loot or So ~ tho
iIhuk, leaving th.s much Of thrm prolI ting.
To mis- tree tHe other end Of the chain IS fasisn.
"d. when The bear finds huns VI in the tr.p.
y" starts OH with il. DRAGGING the fallen trr3
" I'm him. The stuhs ui No severed bran nrs
plough into tho ground md 50 harnss the pro.
~ - ot the bear that hr soon eNhNusta himself
qua b0fohlrs an rHsy prov 10 the trlpper whrn
/ he makes his rounds. Frequently tlr boar viii
WORK at ms liiM uut.l he -.Nrr- D. llVIux