The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-10-11
Some Good Bear Stories.

I rise for a few remarks on the
bear. I have known bruin for the
past forty years. l have met him on
the trail in Northern Michigan, Penn
svlvania and the North Woods. l
have seen him in Wisconsin and Min
neSOta.
Ordinarily bruin is about as danger
Gus as a raccoon or the festive wood
chuck. But it does happen that the
mother of any mammal will ignore
danger to herself in defense Of her
young. Almost any animal will go
wild and reckless of danger in defense
of her young, and the bear is wonder
full on muscle. Consequently, when a
she bear turns on her tormentors it is
we'll to keep back about ~cighty-five and
a half feet. She doesn't want to hurt
anybody. She only wants to get her
babes away from that fearful Dlped
with the Derby hat and a dead rabbit
cut on his hair.
If you humor her you are safe
enough. If you want to put your
hounds on her, making the escape OF
her cubs doubtful; well, "you takes
your choice" If you drive her to des-
Iteration and she has the grit to stand
by her cubs, "better you stand a leedle
back"
l have Ragged a good deal Of bear
meat. | have been twice on a lone
cruise in the North Woods. I saw
several bears there-all intent on their
own affairs. 49,.
So slight was the danger from wild
animals there, and SO childish seemed
the immense ornaments of the aver
age tourist, that I came to leave, not
only my rifle, but my revolver behind.
And l found the eight-ounce rod and
the pocket hatchet all sufficient for de-
tense against wild beasts. AL the
same, a she bear with cubs may be
dangerous. 1 will give three instances
that l can vouch for:
Forty wears ago "Jim Steele" with
a record of seven panthcrs, twenty-on
bears, and 1900 deer, resided at the
mouth of "Asoph Run" He sent his
son, aged fourteen, up the creek for
the cows one evening. The boy came
back frightened and crying, saying
that a big bear had chased and nearly
caught him. Old Jim was disguised
at the bows cowardice. Leaving his
rifle he went back with the boy, and
at the mouth of the Kennedy Run the
boy commenced to say: "lt was just
here" when an immense bear Jumped
from under the bank, reared on her
hind legs, and, showing all the teeth
she had, growing, snarling and threat
cning, made at the party. ola jim
took it in at once. Jump on my
back" he yelled to the youngster,
which the boy did at once; and yelling,
hacking and nourishing a knife, all
the weapon he had, old Jim and the
boy got away. Then they saw the
mother bear cross the rifle on the
creek and scatter up the mountain
side, to be seen no more of men forever
T%hirty-two years ago "Harry Ellis"
born and bred on Pine Creek, guided
aparty to the h%uckleberry hills OF the
Barrens. While prospecting for the
best berrying grounds ne was suddenly
confronted by IN immense bear, which
arose from behind a large fallen trunk,
and, rearing on her hind legs, made
directly at him, roaring, granting,
snarling and showing her best array
of teeth. Harry seized and tlourished
a pine knot, whooping and yelling at
the top of his voice, as he ran back
ward at his best pace for a few rods
only, when the bear turned and quickly
conveyed her two cubs out of danger.
On the same range of hills l once
went huckleberrying with Farmer T.,
his wife and daughter, on invitation.
Our rig was a two-horse farm wagon,
the bottom of the wagon packed with
inverted tubs and buckets. Distance
to the ground, twenty-one miles.
BY dint of starting at 8 a. NJ, and
abusing the horses to unwonted speed,
we were on the ground at II a. NJ,
among berries so plenty that the
ground was absolutely hidden. 1t was
a short Job to pick a bushcl of berries
on such ground; but I had been there
before, and I thought [ knew OF a
place, about three-quartcrs of n mile
westward, where the berries were
equally plenty, but larger. So l took
a large tin pail and started. Half way
to the ground there is a gulch to be
crossed. and this gulch was badly
blocked with fallen timber. When
near the bottom l halted to select the
best routes for getting by or over some
fallen trees that lay in my path, when
a very large, dingy-looking, "brown-
nosed" bear sprang on a pine, sprang
off again directly at me, got on her
hind legs and began to play the usual
game of scare-showing all her teeth,
making the savage, roaring, barking,
growing noise common to enraged
bears. On the instant l commenced a
lively ~retrograde movement. Once l
caught my heels and tumbled. over
backward, but got up suddenly. 1t
was a Chinese fight. Growing, snarl-
ing, teeth and claws on n side;
whooping, yelling and pounding tin
ware on the other. Nobody hurt.
Bear badly scared. AS for myself, l
wasn't scared a bit! AS for the bear;
it goes without saying that when she
had played me off a few rods, she got
down on all tours and took herself out
with her cubs for all she was WORTH
Forest and Stream.