The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-06-21

The Destruction of the Grizzlies and the
Black Bears.

Black Bears.
In Western America there are two
bears that claim the sportsman at
tention-the grizzly and the black.
The former hunters have endowed
with many aliases, such as "silver-
tip" 'brown," cinnamon bald
face" and range" bear These names
do not mean any thing, for the grizzly,
ike the dog, is of many colors. These
two varieties of bears can. among,
other things, be distinguished by the
formation of their claws. Those of the
grizzly are longer on the fore than on
the hind feet The claws of the black
bear are short, and are of the same
length on all four feet. 1t is difficult
to persuade the hun tiers of different
sections that the ''silver-tip," ''cinna-
mon," ''brown." ''bald-fac and
range" bears are all from the same
ance 'try, and that the same animal is
c"lled by different names in different
localities. But while hunters may
vary in their nomenclature, they one
and all agree that the fulIgrown
g izzly is the gamest animal in the
world, and the one to be most dreaded.
Never do these bears stand on their
mind legs and pursue the hunter with
terrible bowls and roars, as is the Or
bhodOx way of describing their con-
dicts with human beings in the ghastly
literature of the country. When not
hit in the brain or spine they put
their head down, and with swinging
gallop rush upon the hunter. They
usually receive their death wound
without demonstrate on, sinking down
and dying mute. The majority Of
grizzlies shot by our famous Eastern
spo:tsmen are those that have first
been trapped. They are killed when
in this crippled condition, after drag
ging often for miles large steel trap
with huge trailing log attached
The grizzly is found west OF the
Missouri river, and very rarely, if
ever, east of it. They inhabit both
the plains and mountains. A dozen
years ago they could be seen almost
anywhere in the mountain ranges, but
since their destruction has been COM
passed by batting and traps they have
become shy, and difficult to approach
dear enough for certa'n killing shot.
Bears are the most wary animals OF
all the big game in America. They
20 singly, and usually see the hunter
before he catches glimpse OF them.
They then cunningly slip away, and
are difficult to trail. At this time they
are fairly abundant IN the mountains
of Montana a sure find being In Crazy
Women's Mountain, north OF the
Northern Pacific railroad. There Is
also a goodly number of bears dlstrlo-
uted over the mountains of Idaho anu
Wyoming. some in Southern Gail
tornia, scattered in the Sierra MadreS
and on the junction waters OF Tile
Santa Maria river in San Luis OolSPo
County. They are also numerous III
the Rocky mountains and Sierra Ne
vadas.
The black bear has a far wider rals0
than the grizzly, but in the West IL l,
confined mostly to the mountains anu
rarely comes out on the pralrles' ~
is we'll distributed, however, ana Is e.
! pecially abundant in the tlmoeteu
country, moving about. to wnere 10y {
mast and berries are most plentiful
Black bears are very numerous ~
Northern Montana. On the Paclii0
Coast they outnumber the gr'zz'l1''
where both species feed on 'ne
salmon. The destruction Oh 'nO
grizzlies has been much greater 'n l.n
that of the black. Bears, though gun
abundant, are very difficult anllnai' ~
hunt and kill in sportsmanllke way.
Franklin Satterthwaite, in Harper
Magazine.