Connecticut western news., 1894-01-04
MANITOBA GRIZZLIES.
INDUSTRIOUS BEARS IN THE FORESTS
 BACK IN THE MOUNTAINS.


 Some of Them Tower Six Feet Above a Man, and It Takes Nerve to Stand In That Tremendous Presence-A Hunter Saved His Life by Doing a Circus Act.
 Fifteen years ago. said George W. Rae, Manitoba pioneer, the grizzly bear was so plentiful among the Mani toba Rockies that the Hudson Bay com- pany annually secured many hundreds of their skins from the army of hunters and trappers that had it's range in that wild region, but today this fierce and ponderous beast-nowhere so fierce or of such enormous proportions as among the Manitoba fastnesses-is quite rari- ty in it's old haunts, and I doubt if one can now be come upon without diff cult and tedious journey of at least 300 miles into the interior wilderness of the province.
 The grizzly has met with almost as hard fate as the buffalo, although, from the nature and isolation of it's present retreats and the difficulties attendant on hunting and trapping for it, the grizzly
  CT become extinct in that country. be- lieve that the moose, although the flesh of LOGO of them Is required to supply the military stations in the territory alone with fresh meat every year, is as plenti- ful today in its wild retreats as it has been at any time since the great inroads of fur and pelt hunters were begun in the territory.
 know no reason why the grizzly bear of the Manitoba Rockies should grow so much larger than the grizzly of the same mountains in the States, but long and varied experience in hunting these animals in their respective localities has proved to me that such is the fact No grizzly bear that ever captured or that ever knew to be captured south of Manitoba measured more than 74 feet from muzzle to tail, or weighed more than 1,2O0 pounds. But 1t was no un- common thing in the palmy days of | grizzly bears in Manitoba for the hunter | or trapper to be confronted by one of these monsters feet in length and with bulk of 1,500 pounds or more. have seen Manitoba grizzlies that when they I threw themselves on their launches and rose erect lowered five feet and six feet above me, and want to tell you that it takes man with large quantity and the best quality of nerve to stand in that | tremendous presence and prepared to do battle coolly and with level head. Grizzly bears, like all the rest of the bear family, have the curious habit of rising against tree, and, reaching up as far as they can with their fore paws, making marks in the bark by digging it with their claws. l have more than once come across these measuring marks | of grizzly, as the marks on the bark are called, 12 feet above the ground. Imagine coming suddenly upon beast | like that in some deep ravine or isolated | spot almost impossible owing to the l down timber heaped and tangled on the ground and surrounded by rocks and thick underbrush. The sight of his | great jaws, open and red, and his eyes flashing in fury at you from the enor- { nous head that towers so far above you, is something only to be appreciated when once seen
 When there were buffaloes on the plains, Manitoba grizzly bears were keen | and persistent hunters of them. When a grizzly and buffalo met, there was sure to be fearful contest, although it seldom lasted long, and the buffalo was | usually the victim. The buffalo bull, | when confronted by bear, would in variably charge ferociously upon it's big | and ugly foe. This was just what the bear desired, and he awaited, erect op | hs ha af ho ffo1a | AS the latter rushed forward with low cred head and was almost upon the bear the immense grizzly threw himself | quickly to one side, and with a blow as quick as lightning with one of his great forepaws seldom failed to break his an tagonist's neck. A Manitoba grizzly has been known to engage in rapid success sion four and even five infuriated buffalo bulls and kill every one of them. It sometimes happened, though, that a bull younger and more agile than his com panion succeeded in evading the fatal 1 blow of the grizzly's terrible paw long enough to give in turn deadly thrust of his horn into the bears side, puncturing his vitals and making the contest mu- tual slaughter.
 In general characteristics, of course, the Manitoba grizzly is not in any way different from others of the family. While l believe that grizzly bear will sometimes wait and precipitate fight with man and take pains to put him self in the way of one, in the great ma jority of cases he will take second thought about the matter and back out. A queer instance of this disposition came to my knowledge once where a famous Manitoba guide courageously advanced upon three grizzlies, an old she one and two half grown cubs, and, by a series of ridiculous monkeyshines and acrobatic maneuvers within rod or two of the threatening bears, filled them with such astonishment and apparent fear that they retreated to the woods as fast as they could go.
 The hunters gun had snapped in both barrels, he having drawn on the old bear before the young ones came upon the scene. It was in fit of desperation that he tried the turning of handspring and jumping up and down, clapping As hands and resorting to other unhunter- like measures. He had been told once that hunter had frightened a noun tain lion away by similar absurd move ments, and he found that it worked to perfection in the case of the three griz. zly bears, but he never, even in the face of that fact, advised or encouraged any one to go hunting Manitoba or any other kind of grizzlies armed with noth. ing more than @ capacity to turn gro tesque somersaults.-New York Sun.
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