Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-25
TRAPPING A BEAR.
HOW IT 10 DONE IN THE WlLps OF
POTTER COUNTY, N. y.

~ SSSNi . w. y.
October the Finest Bear Hunting Season Of
the Yea-Settins the Trap for Bruin
An Angry Animai-A TicixIish Under
taking.
Benjamin j. Jones of Cortland county, n
T., on his way to the bear regions, near the
headwaters of the Snnamahoning creek,
says he takes more solid comfort hunting
bears for a month out in the wilds of Potter
county than he does on his fertile farm in
Cortland during all the rest Of the year. In
q talk with Farmer Jones he said;
SETTING THE TRAP
"After l have selected spot where I want
to set trap find fallen tree about a foot
in diameter. On the trunk of the tree place
the butts of small logs, one on top Of the
other, just as they do in building up log
hut, and let the other ends spread out on the
ground in the shape of letter V, with the
point at the tree trunk Then drive nail
in the log and hang the bait on it SO that the
bear can come along the next day, march
right into the log pen with the open front,
grab the bait and run off with it. Oh, no,
don't set any trap then. The bear has no
difficulty in hooking the bait and making off
with it, but he won't come back the next day
after to see if there is any more meat around
there to be gobbled up, but you can set it
down as fact that he will come nosing
around again within week as sure as he
lives
From now until the ground freezes up is
the best time to trap bears out there. Their
skins are good from now on, and they can
scent the bait half dozen times further now
than they can after it gets so cold that the
bait will freeze, We use almost any kind of
fresh meat for bait, and if it hangs till it gets
tainted little bear will smell it when he is
a mile away, and hustle around and nose
| about until he finds it. In cold weather the
meat will freeze right up, and bears nostrils
can't scent it ten rods away. That is one rea-
son why | trap bears in October, and the
other reason is because October is the finest
month in all the year to be out in the woods.
Just as likely as not he will make his ap-
pearance on tie third day In order to know
whether the meat has been carried away or
not, you have to visit the place every day.
When | find that the meat is gone place
fresh bait directly under Shere the other has
been hanging, pinning it to the ground with
a crotched sapling. Then 1 set the trap
place it about three feet from the bait, and il
a direct line with it, making sure that the
pan of the trap is toward the point from
which the bear is TO come If the pan i
placed toward the bait, it is more than likely
that the bear will bring his foot down too
near the end Of the jaws, and in that case tel
chances to one you will find nothing but
bears toe or two when you go to the trap
After | have got the trap set and nicely GOV
cred with leaves, and have hitched the chail
to either small piece of timber or an irol
claw little larger than my hand, place
stick as large as my leg across the logs at tn
mouth of the V-shased enclosure, and the
go away.
| MAD AS A HORNET.
Everything is now ready for him to nos
around, and when he gets TO the stick tina
lies across the mouth of the pen lie will nc
try to push it away. He will not even try t
raise it up with his nose or to crawl unde
it, but he will lift up one of his fore feet
throw it over the stick, and bring it dow
right on to the trap. Then there is some ia
thrashing around, for the bear is just the
one of the most astonished animals in cres
ton, and in his wild attempts to free b
foot he breaks down the bushes and teal
things up generally He is madden than
whole nest of hornets over the fix he find
himself in, but when he learns that the ira
does not hold him to the spot he cools off
bit, does everything he can think of to Goa
the trap to open its jaws and nurses his pain
full foot.
Looking for the bear after you have foun
that the trap has been carried away, e
peciallly when the underground is dense,
very exciting 1t is ticklish business, for yo
don't know what minute you may run fol
of the bear, and, if you happen to come p'
upon him, he will plunge at you and NAL
such a noise that for few seconds you wi
be almost beside yourself. If there is ever
time that bear will fight any living thir
that he gets his eye on, it is when a trap
making every minute of his life miserabl
He acts as though you had something to {
with getting him into the trouble, and he do
his best to get square with you for it.
course you have a good gun well in har
when you find him, and the weight or Il
hook on the other end of the chain keeps hi
, from making quite as fast speed through Il
bushes and over the logs as you make, al
! you soon stop his noise with a chunk of lead
J New York Sun.