Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1892-12-22
ONE BEAR TOO MANY.
Ira Dodge Meets a Bear That Gives Him the
Worst OF II.

w. b. Benham has received a letter
from Ira Dodge giving the particulars
OF the bear fight in which the famous
hunter recently came to grief. Mr..
Dodge is a hunter OF large game and
his success as a bear slayer has given
linn a reputation for courage that ex-
tends all over the northwest. He Is &
dead shot with a rifle and when his
friends read of his disaster in tht
Chronicle d few weeks G they were
slow to believe it. Nevertheless the
article was true; the fight was just a.
seriousa as first reported and thefrIends
OF the mountaineer in this city feat
that Ira Dodge may have had his last
fight.
The letter to Mr.. Benham is dated
Nov. 25th from Cora, Wyoming, n
from it is taken the following graph,
description OF the fight:
when ! came upon the bear | only
sawthe head and neck of one and free
at the center OF the bunch, the brusl
being very thick. 1t fell and com
meuced bawlIng after tue fashion o.
grizzlies. ] advanced n few steps anc
saw Ia second bear in a thick ciump D,
bushes and n at it with the SAINT,
results. / then passed by the first beai
where il was .Jing, as l supposed,
dead. Hoping to get a shot at the
third one, but failing to see it ana
knowing that had given the second
one IA dead shot, | started back to
number one with the intention OF skin
ming it, at the same time watching fol
the third but number one had gone.
Taking up the trail | came upon 1t IL
a thick ciump OF bushes about fifty
yards away and shot it again near TIN,
middle OF the body, that being til,
only part ! C, uld see. 1t then started
toward me and ] fired at it again at n
distance OF about thirty yards, but ii
either fell OIL jumped n log just as
shot and | knew that / had missed it.
An instant later it was on to me ana
all efforts TO extract the shell from my
rifle were OF no avail. iran around a
tree but bruin was too fast fol me; ~
| turned to face it, throwing my hat
in it's face at the same time, 1T struck
me on the breast and We went togeth-
CIR. 1t then commenced a vigorous
cuewing OF my right lee, just above the
knee, biting along close up to my body
| still tried to get my gun loaded, bu,
failing Ia this | gave the bear my rlgni
hand 10 chew and with my left mad,
many thrusts at its SIDE with my
hunting knife, but | do not believe
that one OF them tool effect as my
hand would bound away as ii / Were
pounding on a drum. | then devoted
my time 10 protecting vital places ano
playing 'pOssum," and thus struggling
/ lost consciousness. Some time after,
| cannot tell how long, L came o and
found the bear gone. Rising and pick
ing up mygun ! could hear the bear il
Lne same place it had left to attack
me. But a spiked gun was OF no ac-
count to me so / leaned it up agains,
n tree and thereit stillremains. j theT
cr;,wied TO my horse, a distance o.
several hundred yards, and with a last
Effort succeeded in mounting him anC
riding to the nearest camp, somt
twelve miles awHy. Some OF the hoy.
who never had bear fights would say
they would have dubbed their guns Oh
run UP n tree. but | found no time tc
climb tees, and to pound IN n bear.
mead with II Gun would. | imagine, b,
much like clubbing II cyclone"
In another place the hunter. writin.
OF hts wounds, says: This morHInl
Nt have discovered hat the thumb IL
DISCOUNTED from the wrist, and severn
pieces oil bone protrude thcrefrom
NV tare and forehead havetWenty-on'
ugly Wounds; my nose Is crushed in H'
tie bridge, aud Il number OF broker
i,Drrs rs,u he located i'll my face
Bozeman Chronicle.