The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-09-05
Killing and Cooking a Grizzly Bear.


In my youth ever had a great desire to see
the Rocky mountains, and to have hand in
some Of those wonderful adventures of which
had heard 30 much. My great longing was
to be able to say that had killed buffalo, a
grizzly bear, and had q little difficulty with the
noble red man, and may say here that got
all of the latter felt any appetite for.
first saw the Rocky mountains about eight
years ago, after thousand miles of monoton-
Gus travel over the plains, in which 1 had
killed my first buffaloes, and, had my fill of In
dian difficulties, and now having seen the great
mountains, still wished to kill grizzly to
make my happiness complete
About this time / became acquainted with
an old hunter whom they called Bald Jake, "
on account, l presume OF the deartn of hair
on the top of his head. Jake and l soon be-
came quite friends, and to his ear / confessed
my longing to be the death of a grizzly. He
kindly agreed to help me in the matter, at the
same time advising prudence and no foolhardi-
ness. promised to be guided wholly by him,
and so began taking lessons at once. He
stuffed bear skin with leaves and put me at
practice on it at 100 Yards with my rifle.
Now, youngster," said he, "yer can blaze
away till yer can hit that ar hide just behind
the shoulder-blade ev'ry clatter, and then
reckon wen talk about hunting grizzlers. But,
till you can do that ar this coon don't bulge
for gold dust or peltries."
After weeks practice, and the waste Of most
of my ammunition, / became sufficiently FRO
ficient, in my teachers estimation, and on the
same evening he proposed hunt for the NOR
row. To give me an idea of the greatness Of
my undertaking, he recounted to me many
tales of hair-breadth escapes he had had, and
showed seams and scars on the body in proof
thereof
I rolIod into NV hIo pLoto faal;no MT q Ettla
anxious as to the issue of thu morrow.
Jake was up early, and had breakfast ready
when l awoke. "Say, youngster, you had
better turn out, reckon, if 80 be it yer want to
hunt grizzlers this ar day."
/ was up and ready in short time, and off
we started, Jake leading the way with strides
that kept me in half run all the way. At last
he stopped, and, looking back at me, who came
up very much out of breath, said: wall,
youngster, you amt much on a trail be yer?"
/ assented as 1 had found it best to do so to all
Jake's sarcasms was quite willing that he
should talk if l could rest in the meantime.
"There is right smart of bar in yon kenyon, "
said he, pointing to deep, dark gulch to our
left.
will we have to go down there to hunt
themy" asked, for / had somehow lost my de-
sire to kill grizzlies.
Wall, no, l reckon not. Them bar will
kinder come up to get look at the sun and
some fresh air arter while, and then yer
can turn yersef loose!
So we sat waiting, and not long either, for we
soon heard something moving across the gulch,
and Jake whispered, @Now, youngster, yon is a
grizzler, and reckon thar IL no string on yer. I"
And true enough there, not fifty yards from us,
was monstrous old fellow sitting quietly look
ing at U.s. felt treasured on learning that the
gulch lay between us, and / had no fear in
shooting at him, since, If l missed, he could not
we'll cross the gulch. So, after being advised
to keep cool and take good aim, / fired, and
had the satisfaction of seeing his bearship drop
and founder about in way that told me that
he had got his death wound; in fact, was shit
hard" rs Jake said. A half hours tramp
brought us round the head of the gulch, and TO
the spot where my first grizzly lay, cold and
stiff. "Hit right smart" said Jake
We skinned him, and Jake cut off a large
piece, saying, Il reckon yer would like to tooth
little o. this ar bar, 80 We'll tote home a
chunk"
Now, sisters, comes the cooking. AS soon as
we arrived at camp, Jake cut long, thin strips
from the chunk, and, after rolling them in
flour and sprinkling with salt and pepper,
wound them round the ends of long sticks which
we held over the fire until cooked 1t was very
nice, but cannot say that like bear meat es-
pecally grizzly. But the way Jake cooked it
is the only way it is At to eat, if at all.
MoNTANIAN.