The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-10-05

N0UHIu-TI.nx
DO Not Fear Man and WIN rirhs WIN.
MortalIy Wounded
A traveller who recently returned from
Alaska says: The Alaskan brown bea,
is huge. shaggy animal, VARYING in
length from to 2 feet and weiohino
from 500 to 1900 pounds found him
to be an expert fisher. and durjnp the
salmon season he frequents all the rivers
emptying into the Boring sea and the
north Pacific and their tributaries as far
as the fish 60 After the salmon run il
over the animal retreats into the recessas
of the hills, where berries and small
game are plentiful Among other things
be does besides fishing and OCCASIONALLY
chewing up a hunter, he is great road.
maker for this part Of Alaska Nor only
are the banks Of the streams trodden into
good trails by these huge NUMBERING
beasts, but the swampy plains are cross.
ed in every direction by paths leading to
the hills. The traveller will do well TO
follow them in journeying across the
country, as they invariably lead to the
best feeding places along the stream and
form the best routes to the hills"
A hunter who has spent some time
there recently chasing brown bears
writes several Of his experiences to the
Seattle Telegraph.
my first encounter. he says, with
one of these brown bears was startling
experience for me, and / have always
thought equally so for the bear. We had
been working up against a strong cur
rent Of the Koowak river all day, and
toward nightfall pitched our tent at the
base Of high bluff forming the right
bank Of the stream While supper was
being prepared l climbed the bluff to
get a look at the country and was walk
ing along with my gun carelessly held
in my left hand. The top Of the bluff
was densely covered almost to the edge
with spruce and alders, and the under
growth was so thick that it was impos-
sible to see more than few feet through
it. Ahead of me a cluster of rocks offer
ed temporary place to sit down and
enjoy the view, and l made for it. Just
as | reached the nearest rock tremen-
dous shaggy animal arose apparently
from under my feet, and l Immediately
recognized in him the brown bear Of
whose fierceness the natives had been
telling me for weeks. My first instinct
was to shoot, and probably would have
done so had my gun been in my right
hand, but the first motion l made the
bear reared on his launches and was so
formidable looking that I concluded to
wait and see what he intended doing.
After a moments hesitation, during
which he turned his head from side to
side and licked his chops in a most sug-
gestive fashion, he dropped ON all fours,
and with wonderful quickness turned
and sprang out of sight in the dense
underground. When / returned to camp
and related my experience, Tah-tah-rok,
my native guide, assured me that the
bear must recently have concluded a
heavy meal, or otherwise he would have
attacked me-
Some officers from some of the YES
sells of the Boring sea feet went ashore
! at Herendeen bay during the summer Of
1891 on deer hunt, and one of the
party saw bear about 100 yards distant
eating berries. Without thought Of the
consequences, he raised his gun and fireC
at the animal
The shot went wide of the mark, bu
at the report of the gun the bear started
for the hunter ON dead run. His charg
! was met with shower bf bullets from
the officers repeater; but, although bad
ly wounded, the Infatuated animal die
not hesitate an instant and rushe'
straight at his enemy. When withii
about 10 feet of the hunter, the bea
, rose on his launches and prepared I
; close Blood was pouring in stream
down his body. One bullet had shattere
his upper jaw, but he was so full of figh
that the final outcome of the struggl
would have been extremely doubtful ha
not another Of the party arrived an
ended the fight by shooting the brut
through the brain. An examination {
the bears body showed that he had bee
= struck six times. Three of the shot
> were IN parts of the body ordinarily col
0 sidered vital and would doubtless hay
$ caused death, but the vitality of the:
I animals is almost incredible. Instanc'
- eANAA over lOO liAA
after being shot through the heart.
Last summer, while l was at Sar
$ Point, two hunters came in, after an a
sence OF over month in the vicinity
Portage bay, and reported having kilt
80 bears. One day they killed seven.
I order TO show that they were not sp:
Q ming hunters yarns they brought Il
o skins with them. and sold them at
: trading post at Sand Point. During q
summer of 1891 two prospectors we
Q looking for coal lands near Port Mole
d and about mile from the shore tn
r came upon an immense brown bear c
: gagged In catching salmon in SIN,
y stream. One of the prospectors imme,
S ately opened fire, and evidently woun
ed the brute badly, but he got out
c sight In the thick brush. Being anxio
to secure the skin the two men start
to follow the wounded animal. Tn
had not gone dozen steps before {
+ enraged and wounded brute turned
G them. and before either one could fir,
o shot he seized one man by the leg a
> bit 1t nearly Off, and then sprang mp
.aaW 80.