The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-03-01
Trapping a Grizzly.

Trapping grizzly has its perils and
excitements also The trap employed
is of the double spring pattern, with
steel jaws, and weighs complete thirty
eight pounds. The springs are very
powerful and have to be bent with
levers. 1t is quite an art to set and
place trap cunningly, and trappers
vary in their methods and are chary of
explaining them. | will then pass this
branch of the subject. Let us suppose,
therefore, that the hunter has made his
camp in a neighborhood redolent Of
grizzlies and that no has his trap set Ia
a likely place for bear. AT the end
of the trap chain Is a ring about five
inches in diameter. and this is driven
about half a foot over the end of
heavy stick or log five inches through
and six or eight feet long The OBJ, ect
of this clog as il is called, is
to make trail which can be
readily followed and to hamper the
bear sufficiently TO prevent his going
to a great distance away before the
hunter can arrive. Great care must be
taken that the chain be fastened to the
extreme end of the clog in such a way
that it cannot get across two trees, and
SO give the brute chance to use his
enormous strength to tear himself loose.
Neither must the clog be too large and
heavy, or the same result will follow.
Ii may be accepted as maxim that
grizzly caught in such atrapwill event
ually get loose, and ordinarily in few
hours. He is generally caught by the
extremity of the forepaw, just above
the claws; the hold on him is not very
great; his exertions to get away are
tremendous, and the result in so cutting
and decorating the foot that sooner or
later he will tear out OF the trap alto
gether. Two grizzlies that ! caught
got away; one who was probably taken
by the claws alone leaving some hairs
only to tell the tale, the other leaving a
small piece Of his foot behind as a
souvenir. Many had all but torn them.
selves loose; in one case the foot was
almost cut through and only small
piece of skin the thickness Of a mans
little finger remained to hold the terri
bly, infuriated monster to the much de-
tested clog.
The traps are set far back IN dense
and gloomy forests near the tangled
swamps, where grizzlies love TO make
their lair. The ground is covered with
fallen timber, and travel must be afoot
and is slow and difficult. The bear on
being caught starts off on a tremen-
dous rush for the swamp which is close
by. Here he catches on rotten log
for a second and plows path through
wide enough for cart, there he hangs
on two fallen trees fifty feet long, but
he hangs for an instant only, moves the
great trees to one side and rushes on.
Next he strikes against a tree, and in
his rage turns and eats the whole side
out of it, leaving the fresh white pine
red with blood stains from his gums
Now he reaches the swamp and plunges
deep into its recesses, venting his rage
on the balsams and poplars, absolutely
chewing down saplings and even gnaw-
ing them into lengths like stove wood
All this time he is slowly but surely
tearing his foot loose from the the trap,
and surely but not slowly is he working
himself up into the most tremendous
degree of rage and fcrocity.
When you have thus trapped thou
sand-pound grizzly, you have not
caughta bear; you have simply caught
the devil incarnate! Indeed, the ques-
ton sometimes is, not whether you have
caught the bear, but whether you have
notsimply given him first-class oppor-
tunity to catch you! Now let us sec
how this is. The grizzly thus caught,
and thus worked up into the most
formidable ferocity. has to be followed
up afoot, first through dense forest
and then carefully into the heart of
tangled swamp, where one cannot see
ten steps ahead, and where, if the
monster should suddenly rise directly
in front and charge, trap. clog and all,
retreat would be absolutely impossible.
Add to this that at the time of the
hunters arrival the bear may have just
succeeded in tearing his foot loose, or
may have just managed to break his
chain, or may have just finished eating
up the clog bodily, all of which things
have happened in my experience. He
would then be in beautiful state of
frenzy and would be perfectly delighted
to wipe out hunter or two if only to
nniet down his nerves. Forest and