The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-01-15
KILLING A MOTHER BEAR.
Il was Mighty Lucky for tho Man that She
Couldn't Get At Him.

In spite Of the stories often told Of fierce
encounters with bears at all seasons Of the
year. the guides on the western side Of the Adj
rondacks have demonstrated to their WI sat-
isfaction that there is but one season Of the
year when a bear will attack a man, and that Is
during the time between the latter part OF an
uary and the middle Of April. Even then no
danger is to be apprehended except from q
mother bear. In open winters, like the present
one, the bears can hardly be said to hibernate
at all. for signs Of their presence are seen by
the woodsmen all the winter through. But be
the weather mild or severe, by the LIST Of jan
uary the mother bear socks some sort Of u den.
Sometimes she digs the earth from beneath the
roots Of a tree standing on a hill side. and beds
the cavity with leaves and moss, the amounto Of
the bedding depending on the severity Of the
weather that is to follow. Dens have been
found with not even q pawful Of moss In them.
and in such cases thesweather that followed
was remarkably mild. Old tree tops serve the
purpose of dens also. and 80 do hollow logs and
natural caves.
1t was while going to a job OF peeling hon.
lock bark above this hamlet that Mr.. ]. B.
Mcintosh had an adventure with o bear. He
was plodding slowly along on his snowshoss,
whom he was startled by the most ferocious
growing and snarling he had ever heard. He
WAS uuhDlo 70 lOcut0 lu0 SOuuus luTtu0E tuuu
the general direction. and started at once to
investigate. 1t required a deal OF nerve to do
this under the circumstances but after work
ing through the brush a few rods he found that
the disturbance was all In the butt OF q big
hollow maple tree. The tree was considerably
over three feet in diameter. and had very wide
spreading roots. and in the shelter formed I'M
der the roots. where the tree had rottsd away.
a big hole on one side between two high roots
that led to the cavity within, but the snow had
piled up over the hole, and had been alternately
melted by the heat Of the, bear during warm
days and frozen by the cold at night. until the
hole was almost closed by a thick wall OF ice.
side. was all that remained unsealed by the Ice.
It was through this opening that the old bear
was down wind from him. and she was now at
work. tooth and claw, in q frantic ,endeavor to
Mcfnttosh saw that, while the Ice was stubborn
and the boar had to work at a disadvantage.
s sns vas e s s,isS an e hip!a HyaY k, the sb barrier bIdis
remssin ned s Hs IS a nodes bacSwoodfsm na and
was; ali he was thinking about was that he now
had a char S.t to crafty .rba H has b sdra a1Ways a besn
a asxious o to- see se them su0 Ho wa Was n sure si there % %sss
cubs within on account Of the old bears %ferocity;
All the time he was thinking OF this he had
old bear had been getting wild with rage, She
would thrust her nose out through the hole tn
and then she would draw it back with a howl
and sink her teeth alternately into the wood
AND t siei lssi to s slsw W doWn s the b aqI = h anSa t Rs%
bite away again until her, lips and gums we're
cut in a dozen. places. Plainly. there was no
old bear or go away from there rapidly enough
to reach home before she could, oyertaks him,
she reached q clearing, i she would then, and
1t would take a man with q cool head to face
snca 2 peast, even VIII WI l q repeatihs rino In
walked right up 70 the tree The bear thrust
as far out Of the hole as she could, pushing:
against the barrier tH. until tn the Ice began to
his axe up 70 = the Gd he! Ivsg int sh the Sr 6ear's sSkuIHl
,.Wiping the blood from his axe on the snow
hand sled. A neighbor went into the woods
with him. IT took the two about hall an hour
Il tRe eb bsa aWay When VIZ ,cs at 81 last saai they Ses' s SSeta fsI IN IN
dragging her through tho opening they found
two cubs in the bottom q the nest. They
ssss psfSap thG nsw RsR Born na %infs s : f fss1' we're ere
alone eraw! about, They did not measars oyer
s sS|1 IL sa 81 ;hi Msi 5s2s o Sfys The ihsy V we're D PSSSii
on tho body Of the old bear after she had been
rolled on to the hand sled, and we're then
covered with o coat, but they died befope reach
ipg the clearing, probably from exposure INTO to
old bear weighed 227 pounds. She was In very
The guides here say that as far rs they know
only one other instance 81 a man i!nding a
on this side of the Adirondack Mountains;
That was tho case of a hunter, named Arnold
for psnthers near Big Lake with two com;
p~anlons. The snow was several feet deep. and
there had been a fall of a foot or 80 not long be-
fore they went into the woods, While tramping
along they came across a very old trail. 1t was
simply series Of depression, In the snow, but
that the bear was going to q den they deter
mined to follow II, Hall 2 mile away they
mound that was rounded out under the roots
they SET near 4 they v hgaTd nth the no old ID
case OF the one Mcintosh found she was u
prisoner in any Icy den The men shot ! her set to
been kept open by. her breath above her nose.
Il was something In the shape OF q funnel 30
fierce were her struggles and 30 terrible her
rage that the men say hey were glad she VA