The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-10-18
FACTS ABOUT BEARS.
A Bear Ordinarily 40 More Danger
ous Than n WOOdchuck.

Forest and Stream.
rise for few remarks on the bear.
have known bruin for the past forty years. |
lave met him on the trail in northern Michi-
gang Pennsylvania, and the north woods
] have seen him in Wisconsin and Min
nesota.
Ordinarily bruin is about as dangerous as
raccoon or the festive woodchuck. But it
does happen that the mother fanny 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 wonderful on muscle. Con-
seuuentlwAhen a sho bear turns on her tor
mentors it is well to keep back about eighty
five and half feet She doesn't want to hurt
anybody She only wants to get her babes
away from that fearful biped with Derby
hat and dead rabbit cut on his hair,
If you humor her you are safe enough. II
you want to put your hounds on her, making
the escape of her cubs doubtful, well, you
takes your choice" fyou drive her to des-
peration and she has the grit to stand by her
cubs, ~bctter you stand leedle back"
have bagged good deal of bear meat l
have been twice on a lone cruise in the North
woods. saw several bears there-all intent
on their own affairs.
So slight was the danger from wild animals
there, and so childish seemed the immense
ornaments Of the average tourist that came
to leave, not only my rifle, but my revolver
| behind And found the eght-ounce rod and
| the rocket hatchet all sufficient for defense
| nj ,,ft11 "A
with cubs may be dangerous will give three
instances that can vouch for:
Forty years ago Sim Steele" with record
| of seven panthers, twenty-one bears and thir-
| teen hundred 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 big bear had chased him and nearly
caught him Old jim was Disguised at the boys
cowardice Leaving his rifle, he went back
with the boy, and at the mouth of Ken
| nedy Run the boy commenced to say 1T was
| lust here" when an immense bear jumped
| from under the bank, reared on her hind legs
and showing all the teeth she had, growing,
enarling and threatening, made at the party
Old jim took it in at once Jump on my
back" he yelled TO the youngster, which the
bow did at once, and Yelling backing and
fiourishing 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.
Thirty-two years ago Harry Ellis" born
and bred on Pine Creek, guided a party to the
huckleberry hills of the Barrens. While pros
pectng for the best berrying grounds he was
suddenly confronted by an immense bear,
which arose from behind large fallen trunk,
and roaring, granting, snarlinS and showing
her best array Of teeth. Harry seized and
tlourished large pine knot, whooplhg ana
| tl,a4 TOW 4 aa m II
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 | once went
huckleberrying with Farmer T., his wife and
| daughter on invitation Our rig was two
horse farm wagon, the bottom Of the wagon
packed with inverted tubs and buckets. Dis
| lance to the ground. twenty one miles.
| By dint of starting at 3 a. m. and abusing
the horses to unwonted speed we were on tho
ground at IL a. m, among berries so plenty
| that the ground was absolutely hidden. Ii was
a short lob to pick a bushel of berries on such
ground; but had been there before and |
thought knew of place about three-q quarters
| of mile westward where the berries were
equally plenty, but larger. So 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. Whom
near the bottom L halted to select the best
| route for getting by or over some fallen trees
that lay in my path, when very large, dingy-
looking "brown-nosed" bear sprang on pine,
sprang of again directly at me, got on her
hiud legs and began to play the usual gam,
of scare-showing all her teeth, max
ing the savage, roaring, barking, grow-
ing noise common to enraged bears On the
instant | commenced q lively rehogradc
movement Once | caught my heels and
! turned over backward, but got up suddenly
II was a Chinese fight. Growing, snarlug,
teeth and claws on one side; whooping, yell
ing and pounding tinware on the other No
body hurt. Bear badly scared. As for my
self, was not scared Bit As for the pear,
it goes without saying that when she had
| PLAYED me off few rods she got down on all
Tours and took herself ont with her cubs for
all she was worth.