Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-01-11
GRIZZLY BEARS IN MANITOBA.
Monstrous of Size, They Still Range the
Forests Rack In the Mountains.


Forests Back In the Mountains.
Fifteen years ago, ," said George w.
Rae. Manitoba pioneer, 1.-THE grizzly
bear was so plentiful among the Manitoba
Rockies that the Hudson Bay company
annually secured many hundreds of their
skins from the army Of hunters and trap
pers that had its range in that wild region,
but today this fierce and pOnderOus beast
nowhere so fierce or of such enormous
proportions Is among the Manitoba fast
nesses-is quite rarity in its old haunts,
and doubt if one can now be come upon
without difficult and tedious journey OF
at least 800 miles into the interior wilder
ness of the province. The grizzly has met
with almost as hard fate as the buffalo.
although. from the nature and isolation OF
its present retreats, and the difficulties at
tendant on hunting and trapping it, the
grizzly bear. like the Manitoba moose,
will never become extinct in that country.
l believe that the moose, although the
flesh of 1000 of them Is required To supply
the military stations in the territory alone
with fresh meat every year, Is rs plentiful
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 a long and
varied experience in hunting these ami
mails in their respective localities has prov
ed 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 : feet from muzzle
to tail, or weighed more than 200 pounds.
But it was no uncommon 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 500 pounds or more.
I have seen Manitoba grizzlies that, when
they threw themselves on their launches
and rose erect. lowered five and six feet
above me, and | want to tell you that it
takes a man with large quantity and the
best quality of nerve TO stand in that ire
mendous presence and prepare TO do bat
tie 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 fOrepaws, making marks IN the
bark by digging it with their claws.
have more than once come Gcross these
measuring marks Of the grizzly, as the
marks on the bark are called, - feet above
the ground Imagine coming suddenly
upon n beast like that in some deep ra-
vine or isolated spot almost impossible,
owing to the down timber heaped and tan
gled on the ground and surrounded 10y
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 bufTaloes on the
plains, Manitoba grizzly bears were keen
and persistent hunters of them. When
grizzly and buffalo met, there was sure
to he a fearful contest, although it seldom
lasted long, and the buffalo was usually
the victim. The buffalo bull, when con-
fronted by n bear, would invariably charge
ferociously upon its big and ugly foe
This was just what the bear desired, and
he waited. erect on his launches, the on
set Of the buffalo. As the latter rushed
forward, with lowered head, and was al
most 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 antagonists neck. \ Manitoba
grizzly has been known to engage, in rap
id succession, four and even five infuriat-
ed buffalo bulls and kill every one OF
them. 1t sometimes happened, though,
that a bull. Younger and more agile than
his companions. succeeded in evadlng the
fatal blow of the grizzly's terrible paw
long enough to give in turn deadly
thrust of his horn into the bears side,
puncturing the vitals and making the con-
test mutual slaughter
"In general characteristics of course the
Manitoba grizzly is not in any way differ
ent from others of the family. While l
believe that a grizzly bear will sometimes
wait and precipitate fight with man,
and take pains To put himself in the way
Of one in the great majority Of cases he
will take Il second thought about the mat
ter and back out. kansas City Times.