The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1885-11-14
A BEAR HUNTER
TELLS HOW HE MANAGES TO EN-
TRAP LUCkLEss BRLlN.
A Farmers shrewd Escape How q Rear
Trap Is Made and How It Must
BE Set Wary Old Ones
Saving the Pelt-
lie vision tMe.l Journal.l


found myself hobnobbing with q. beal
hunter in the midst of his traps the Other
day. The hunter was Enoch r. Knapp
who lives on Bear river, small stream that
runs down from a spur of the White noun
tain chain and empties into the Androscog.
gin at Newry. The bear hunters house is q
neat cottage at the base of Bear mountain
around which the river runs. The road
winds among steep hills and thickly wooded
mountains till it seems to lose ITSELF and to
lose you in the bargain.
This mountain has long been known as
favorite resort for bears The farmers in
the vicinity do not try to keep many sheep.
One of them went up on the mountain with
yoke of oxen to haul out some timber not
long ago. A very large and hungry bear
appeared on the scene aud rushed at the
cattle with mouth open and eyes full Of
fury. The oxen snorted and started on q
wild gallop down the steep mountain
a BRILL ANT IDEA.
The farmers jud gment was as good az
his cattle's He had nothing with which
to defend himself and he had to think lively
to devise way of escape. He did an anus
ing but brilliant thing. Running between
the oxen he caught hold of the ring in the
y
carried him to the foot Of the mountain and
GROWER jumped and snarled around the
not reach the man between them hanging
on for dear life.
Mr.. Knapp has blacksmith shop oppo-
site his house, where he makes bear traps
and shoes horses, His traps are ingeniously
rk i~nr oni etnol nd oro of thnn.
looks like two stout wagon springs with q
pair jaws in the middle. These jaws are
bands of wrought iron with great steel teeth
rivated into than. When the jaws are
opened and caught under this stout steel
springs, you see a trencher In he middle of
the machine. The object of the bear hunter
is to induce the bear to step his fore foot on
that trencher. The least pressure lifts ths
catch and the jaws fly together with crush :
ing force. The tseth in the jaws make this
kind Of trap bear-killer as well as a bear.
catcher.
CRAFTY BRUIN.
Your bear hunter must use considerable
craft Said Mr.. Knapps 81 usually build q
cubby house in the woods Of old stumps and
decayed branches. I sorter pile 'en up
around, you know, and leave little OPEN
ing for the bear to go in, after he 1908 the
consarn and his curiosity is excited. catch
some sucker or other kind Of fish in tho
river and hang 'em up in the cubby. Then
/ try to fix the trap so that the Gear
will have to step on the trencher 1t he gsts
the fish. A bear never stops on log in his
path, but always steps over it. | usually
fix the trap on t'other side Of q log or
branch SO he will be pretty sure to step
over the log and into the trap.
IA knowing old bear WON'T 60 into one Of
these cubbies Sometimes after trying to
catch an old sheep thief in this way and
not getting him, I have caught tine old
fellow by hanging a string of fish in
a careless way on q tree, as if loft There
accidentally by some sportsman, and
putting the trap underneath. Sometimes
find track where q bear has habit OF
fording brook. I take away the stone in
the brook which the bear steps Gil VIXEN he
cr osses, and put the trap in it's place W Aea
the
pton =. trap Some
bears have learned to smell trap, SO we
have to kill the smell. We do that by
daubing it over with lard and besswax.
II have twelve traps, and visit 'em twice
. week. The bear is usually caught by the
fore paw. He don't live moro than twenty
four hours after the jaw closes on h--l, as
general thing. In warm weather the pelt
would spoil if did not get it pretty quick
After the critter died. The fur is in the
best condition when the bears are housing
late in the fall Then it is as nice as a
Merino sleeps wool l get IS TO s15 apiece
For my pelts The bears spend The winter
in the lodges about here or undsr the
stumps Since we had that hurricane thst
blew down SO many trees there have been
lot Of cozy places for bears around here"