The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-04-03
STORIES ABOUT BEARS.

Two Boys Have n Lively Experience on
the Oswegatchie River.
Up on the borders of the -Adirondacks
nothing pleases the farmers son so
much as TO have winter hold of, so that
he may engage in bear-hunt. When
winter sets in. as it sometimes does,
early in November, and continues right
through without thaw, hunting for
any thing except rabbits or grouse is
not followed with encouraging results.
The bear and the coon then seek winter
quarters, to remain until spring, or, ac-
cording to the popular belief, until
Candlemas day, whom they come out to
see II the sun casts their shadow on the
snow. When bears roam around in De-
cember then there is fun. Last Christ
may day two young men. known locally
as Joe and Fred, had very lively ex-
perience on the Oswegatchie river.
Suppose we let Joe tell his story:
with provisions enough to last two
days we started out Tuesday forenoon
for long tramp, our destination being
log camp ten miles away. We saw no
signs Of bear until within mile of the
camp we were to occupy. Then we
ran across the track of what was
apparently. small specimen. We con-
cluded that we would not follow him at
once, so we kept straight ahead ON the
trailsintil the camp was reached. An
odd feature of the hunt began right
here. When we started forward on the
trail again we did not go over quarter
Of mile before we again struck bear
tracks. This time there were marks of
two bears, and the tracks of one being
about three times as big as those of the
other, we made up our minds he was
monster. Before we reached camp we
found more bear tracks, and the family
had increased to three. 1t was about
four o'clock in the afternoon when we
got into camp, and being SO late=we
concluded that the best thing to do would
be to make ourselves comfortable for
the night and take the chances Of fnd-
ing the family of bears within ten miles
of us on the next day. When we started
out bright and early on Christmas
morning We found the tracks we had
seen the night before within two miles
of camp on ledge of rocks near the
river bank. Having traced them to
their hiding place, the next thing was
to get at them. This was not so
easy. The hole in the rocks WAS not
very big, and there was only one way
to get in. 1t was evident that
an old bear and her two cubs were in
side, and the chances were altogether
in favor of fight when they we're
stirred Up Fred concluded that a six
teen-foot sapfing would be a good thing
with which to begin operations, and he
rocks, rifle in hand, while he gave a
furious jab with the sapling. He had
made but one thrust when there was a
savage growl, a rush, my. gun was dis
charged without effect, and the next
thing i remember was blow and a
tumble among. the rocks. gathered
myself up in time to see the old bear
galloping through the woods thirty
rods away, with half-grown cub in
close pursuit. Fred was just drawing a
bead on the other cub, which had come
out last. He fred and rolled him over
the-f first time. When / came to look
myself over found my right arm had
been disabled by striking rock with
my elbow, and had this scratch-on my
face to remind me of the paws of the
old bear. / was so badly used up that
the bear hunt ended right there. We
gathered up the cub and returned to
camp and the next time l find family
of hears ON ledge ofrocks / shall stand
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