Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-12-04
CATSkILL BEARS.
fbe Various Nays in which They
are Captured by the Hunters in
Winter.
phiIa.lelnhin rlmes


resorts among the Catskills in the
summer have no idea that i is a wild
beast hunting ground in the winter.
Such is the fact, however, and per-
haps no spot in the state is so noted
for bears and smaller animals as is
the neighborhood of Shandaken,
Ulster county. With the exception
Of the few small settlements the ter
ritory is one wilderness of mountain
and timber isno. Forty years ago
nearly the entire population were
trappers and huntsmen. At the
present time there are many back.
woodsmen who gain their livelihood
| by fishing for trout and other fish in
the summer and hunting and trap
ping in the winter. In severe win
ters the snow is deep on the noun
tains and in the ravines and notches.
In the latter places it remains far
into the spring. AT the present time
the snow ia many places is from
three to FIVE feet deep There are
many wild and picturesque sp2ts ia
the town of Shandaken, among
which may be mentioned the notch
in Deer Hollow, the HuHter Notch,
Devils Glen Westkill Glove and Big
Indian Hollow The mountains that
run up along Deep Hollow are from
500 TO 3 500 high and are the win
ter homes of bears. These noun
taiss are very steep and abound in
rocky lodges, under nearly all of
which can be found deep holes or
caves. Rugged as they are, they are
| beautiful objects to look at in the
winter sunlight, their snow-capped
peaks fairly dazzling the beholder.
In past years larger bears have been
killed than of late, although instead
OF becoming extinct among the
Catskills, bears are more numerous
now than ever before. A well known
trapper gives as his reason for this
| that number of years ago, when the
mountains were we'll timbered, the
bears could scarcely find anything to
eat and had to live on roots, bark and
whatever game they could lay their
paws upon. Since the wood has been
cleared off shrubs and bushes have
grown thickly, intermingled with
briars and trailing vines, which fur
nish berries and other food for wild
animals. AS bruin is very much like
hog, he will eat pretty much any
thing IN the animal or vegetable line.
In the coolest weather bears usually
| house themselves in small caves or
openings, under the lodges of rocks,
where it is dry; but when the winter
is open they come out and are easily
tracked over tie light snow. They
usually select the southerly face of a
mountain for their koles or dens,
probably because it is warmer and
more pleasant. 1t is considered that
they eat nothing while housed up,
but lie rolled up in a heap. They
will remain in that condition the
greater part of the winter unless
aroused by dogs who scent them out.
Dogs are their natural enemies
Bears pay but little attention to the
loud yelping of the dogs, but put on a
/ bold front. Few experienced dogs
are foolish enough to go beyond the
mouth OF a cave, for a full-grown
bear can ward off half dozen good
dogs with the greatest ease. When a
dog receives fair blow from one of
its paws it quickly goes to grass, !"
with the blood squirting from its
wounds. At sight of man, however,
bears become uneasy and try to
escape. AS a general rule they will
never fight man unless forced into
it. When they have cubs and are
followed closely they will keep them
ahead and follow close in tAe rear to
protect them. If pushed closely they
will make a great show of fight,
growl and tear the bark from the
trees with much fuss and noise, and
do their utmost to frIghten off the
enemy, and if there is no help for i:
they will fight fiercely when brought
to bay. Bears, when known to be
with young, are left alone, unless the
hunters are armed for fight. Ex-
perienced dogs greatly assist the
hunter, aud do much toward check
ing the speed of the bear Now and
then they nab bruin by by hind leg,
which worries him greatly. After
dog has tackled a bear once, how
ever, he knows enough to keep out of
the reach of his paws, and, being
nimbler than bruin, he has little
trouble in doing this
Hunters are often given long and
weary chase over the mountains and
through the valleys ten, fifteen and
even twenty miles, generally in the
toughest places; for the bear, when
he finds that he is tracked, will pick
out the most tangled and irpassable
places he can reach, going down in
deep ravines, where the brush and
briars are so thick that they viii tear
the clothing of the hunters if they
attempt to follow him, while bruin
will shuttle along, because of his
thich hide, almost as fast as on better
ground. The articles necessary ts
complete the outfit of bear hunter
are few and simple. A good dog and
breech loading doubled-barreled
shotgun, heavy boots, coarse and
thick trousers and short coat, and a
belt with apartments for cartridges
and pistol prepare the hunter for his
sport. When the snow is deep the
chase will be slow and tedious, but if
/ there is Cnly a light fall the hunts-