St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-03-01
TRAPPING THE GRIZZLY.
NeaO York Times.

"The grizzly BEAR" says Trappel
Read, "next to the Indian, is the ugli-
est customer that the hunter, miner oil
prOspector has to deal with. You
don't have to depend on your cunning
as hunter to insure yourself the sight
of one, for they are neither modest MOI
scarce about putting themselves in
your way. AS a general thing, if the
hunter isn't experienced, it will require
more cunning and skill for him to get
out of the sight of grizzly than ii
will for him to come i'll sight of one.
Since L went to the Rockies the Indian
has been greatly awed and tanned
down, but the advance of the civiliza-
ton has not added one iOta of sweet
ness to the grizzly bears temper OF
rendered to dull his claws or loosen
his teeth.
GAS far as danger is concerned,
believe there is more in trapping the
grizzly than there is in chasing him
with rifle. Our traps are pOnderous
iron implements, AS heavy as three OF
your black bear traps, and with jaws
so stiff that it requires two men using
lever to force them open so they can
be set. We attach strong chain to
the trap, the same as you do for the
play thing you call bears here in the
east, but our chains are strong enough
for log chains. At the other end of
the chain is attached an iron ring or
band six or eight inches in diameter.
This is forced, 10y pounding it with a
maui, over the end of log six feet
long and big enough around to make
the iron band fit so tightly around it
that it can't be pulled off. When a
grizzly steps on the pan of one of these
great traps and the stiff jaws close on
his leg, the heavy log serves as a
hindrance to him as he drags it along
by the chain on his retreat to his
haunts in the tangled thickets he ia
vOrs. A great deal of cunning has to
be used in setting trap for a grizzly
bear, for he is almost as suspicious as
the fox, and will frequently desert
what has the appearance of a good
meal if he makes up his mind that
danger is lurking near. He never hes
itates to risk danger that he may see
positively confronting or challenging
him, in the way of hunter, dog or any
thing else, but a suspicious looking
object, the nature of which he cannot
understand, is enough to start him off
about his business and to keep him
moving until he has placed a good
extent of territory between him and
the mysterious cause of his fear.
"And what do you suppose is the
favorite food of this fierce hulking
monastery Ground mice, moles, grubs,
and crickets. What do you think of a
great bloodthirsty beast, weighing
1900 pounds, hunting and devouring
such insignificant things as these :
Yet grizzly bear will do that all day
long. Once 1 trapped for several days
for big grizzly that was prOwling
about a mining camp where L was
staying, but failed i'm every attempt
/ made to lead the willy beast into my
steel. / was about to give him up as
bad job, when | heard a ground
mouse squealing near where the trap
was set, and | made up my mind to
give the bear one trial with a few of
these little chaps as lures. After a
long and tedious search L caught a
dozen mice, and, covering up my trap
carelessly with some dead branches, |
tied half dozen of the mice by strings
to pegs in the ground around the trap.
When L visited the spot an hour or so
later | found Mr.. Grizzly fast, with
both of his paws in the trap. The
mice had overcome his fears, and | put
him out of his tronble by loading him
with few rifle balls. After that |
would never have used anything else
to tempt grizzlies to my traps, but
they are not an easy thing to get hold
on rare occasions"