The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-18
REARs IN PeNNsYl vANiA.
Plenty of Sport for Hunters in tho North
ern Tier of Counties.


Tier of Counties.
1.-The cutting away of the timber"
says an observant and experienced woods
man, man who has surveyed and
hunted in Pennsylvania S northern tier
of counties for many years, ..has natur-
ally been followed by the appearance of
vast acres of various kinds of berry
shes-huckleberry, bear berry. and
others the fruit OF which forms the
favorite provender of bears. and on which
they thrive AS on nothing else. And, while
giving way TO these prolific and tooth
some bear pastures. the clearing away of
the trees does not disturb the character
of the dense swamps. in the confines OF
which the ANIMALS find safe places for
bringing forth and rearing their young;
and the rocky hedges, with their ravines
and caverns, still remain as of old. and
there the bears find winter iairs as secure
and comfortable as they We're when the
forests grew above them. Bears have
solitudes and impenetrable places, bur
they don I require that such spots shall
be provided by forest depths. Swamp
and rocks are all they ask, if the contigu
Gus country only provides them with
such sustenance as they like. OF course,
if cultivated farms take the place of the
woods, the bear has to go. but it will be
many and many year before the noun.
tain regions of northern Pennsylvania
viii have such face put upon them.
There are as many bears in the northern
tier of Pennsylvania counties as there
We're fifty years ago, and fifty years from
hai AZ hea OF
on the huekleberries, scrub oak acorns,
and occasional sheep and pigs just as
saucily and just as numerous.
If a man is hunting bears for profit il
is better to trap than to hunt them, but
the sportsman who seeks bear for pleas
ure and excitement-a and there is usually
plenty of the latter in running down
bruin-foIlow the trail with gun and dog.
A bear hunters uuttit is simple. He
wants especially a good dog. If the
hunter is an expert lac will carry a rifle.
but a double barrelcd shotgun that viii
carry a good charge of hlIckshot 10 kill
at thirty yards is the best for the average
sportsman. Heavy boots. thick trousers,
a light hunting AK in belt, a pistol and
long bladed knife for emergencies are
sensible things to accompany the hunter,
if they are not absolutely essential.
Dogs are the natural enemies of bears.
A dogs yelp is the signal to the bear for
fight. Few experienced dogs are fool
ish enough to go beyond the opening of a
cave to which a bear has been scented
and to pitch into bear that has turned
for fight. A full grown bear, with his
dander up, can ward off half a dozen
dogs If he can prevent an attack IN the
rear. A fair blow from bears paw
will place any dog in condition that
will rob the subsequent proceedings of all
interest To him. At sight CT man.
though. bear will make every effort to
get away. As rule, bruin viii never
fight man until forced to, but when he
does engage in such battle it viii be
war to the death with him. A she bear
with cubs. when closely followed, will
keep her cubs ahead of her, and bring up
the rear TO protect them. If she is pushed
closely she will try TO brighten off her
pursuers by making Il great show of
fight. She will growl, show her great
teeth, tear the bark from trees and scat
ter it about with much fuss and noise.
and will make herself as fierce as possible
in many ways. If the enemy persists in
his pursuit, and she cannot elude hin,
and get her cubs out of his way, she will
turn and fight as long as she
has a drop Of blood TO shed in
| defense of her young. The cubs,
| meanwhile. viii hGddle together a
short distance away, and whine and cry
| pitcoisly as they await the gage of bat
| tie. In chasing a bear experienced dogs
| greatly aid the hunter. Without a good
| dog the trail may be followed from sun
| rise until sunset without the hunter once
| getting sight of his coveted game. The
| dog harnesses the bear, bringing it to q
| standstill and keeping it there by slxiilful
manuvering until the hunter comes up.
The sportsman who is anxious to bC
| put to his mettle while bear hunting has
| only to let bruin get scent of him at the
| start. Then the bear will take course
| To follow which will require nerve wind
| and a tough skin. When the snow l.
| deep bear chase is slow and tedious.
With light fall of snow and a fresh track,
| however, there is no sport so exciting,
! and even an amateur hunter will find
| himself travelling miles on a good stiff
trot, so wrapped up will he be in tie
chase. 1t is no difficult matter to kill a
bear if the dogs understand their bust
4
! will give all his attention to the DOGS that
are yelping around him. while the hunter
stands Off and peppers him full of lead.
But there are times when bear viii
brace himself for a fight from the word
| go, and then if the hunter doesn't Kill
at the first fire he will be apt to have
about as lively time O. his hands rs he
could well dream of. NJ story of bea,
| fight that was ever told can be much
ahead of the actual incidents that so with
fight, if it is a good one. A hear chase
is often long and tiresome piece Of work,
| for when the game finds that lie is
| scented he will pick out the most tangled
and impossible place he can reach. &c
will frequently lead his pursuer twenty
| miles over mountains and through val
| leys, where the brush and briers are
harassing and the sw;tmps almost mac
cessible to man, while he will shuttle
along with his clumsy gait as rapidly and
easily rs if on the best of roads.-Cor.
| New York Sun.
THE MOUND BUILDERS OF OHIO.