The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17
TRAPPING A GRIZZLY
TT is MORE DANGEROUS WORK
THAN HUNTING HIM WITH RIFLE.
Narrow Escape of n sIan Who Lived
in the sierras and Roci&fes-Griz-
Ely as Vicious as an Apache.

DeTS now pursuing ms Nocdlioh do W
old in California. He is sixty-eight years
of age and has followed fierce, wild
life in the forests and among the Rockies
and Sierras for over forty years. He
has scars literally from the crown OF
his head to his feet as testimony or
terrific combats he has had with wild
beasts and perilous escapes from death
in mountain Businesses. His LETT arm
is somewhat crooked from the effect or
a black bears jaws there twenty years
ago: both his ears are torn from con-
tact with bear claws, his thigh is deep
~ SCARED from an unsupported attack
from a pair of mountain lions and his
neck and cheeks have been scratched
and torn open from the claws of smaller
but fiercer animals in the woods. But
William Ross is perfect specimen of
a true hunter. He is intelligent and
knows of the ways of civilization, but
nothing could tempt him from his lone
ly life. He says he would die If he had
to live '.cooped up in a city, with no
place to walk or turn about and no air
to breathe" He has been in the vicin-
ity of some of the greatest gold and sill
yer mining camps in the world: he has
seen many of his comrades of the forest
and mountain become millionaire pros
pectorS and miners, and he has had let
tiers from rich brother and sister In
Illinois begging him to come and live
with them in luxury and comfort. But
he would not even consider plan TO
leave his log cabin and his traps and
hunting dogs whenever Uncle Bill, as
he is known all over this part of Cali
fornia, comes down the trail from MS
hunting ground away up in Bear val
ley, in the San Bernardino mountains,
he
always has story to tell of his latest
adventure with some beasts, and his
latest knowledge of some habit or mode
of life of the animals in his hunting
field. He is an acknowledged authority
on any and all native wild beasts IN
this range of the Sierras.
1.-The grizzly BEAR" said Uncle Bill
Ross. as he sat on barrel In coun-
try grocery near this place the other
day, lis next to an Arizona Apache In
dian, the ugliest, crossest critter that
hunter or prospector has to deal with.
You don't have to depend on your cum
ming as hunter to insure yourself the
sight of one, for they are neither modest
nor scarce about putting themselves
in your way. AS a general thing, If
the hunter isn't experienced 1t will re-
quire more cunning and skill for him
to get out of the sight of a grizzly than
it will for him to come in sight of one.
Since came first across the Rockies in
1852 the Indian has been greatly awed
and tanned down. but the advance of
civilization has not added one iota of
sweetness to the grizzly bears temper
or tended to dull his claws or loosen his
teeth.
TRAPPING THE GRIZZLY.
"As far as danger is concerned, be-
lieve there is more in trapping the
grizzly than there is in chasing him
with rifle. Our traps are ponderous
iron implements, as heavy as three of
your black bear traps, and with jaws
so stiff that it requires two men using
lever to force them open so they can
be set. We attach a strong chain to
the trap the same as they do for small
fry game in the East, but our chains
are strong enough for log chains. At
the other end of the chain is attached
an iron ring or band six or eight inches
in diameter. This is forced by pound
ing it with maui over the end of a
log six feet long and big enough around
to make the iron band fit so tightly
around it that it can't be pulled off.
When grizzly steps on the pan Of one
of these great traps and the stiff jaws
close on his leg the heavy log serves as
hindrance to him as he drags it along
by the chain on his retreat to his haunts
in the tangly thicket he favorS. A great
deal of cunning has to be used in set
,, ting trap for a grizzly bear. for he is
almost as suspicious as fox, and will
ance of a good meal if he makes up his
mind that danger is lurking near. He
never hesitates to risk danger that he
may see positively confronting or chal-
longing him in the way of hunter, dog
or anything else, but a suspicious-look-
ing object, the nature of which he can
not understand, is enough to start him
off about his business, and to keep him
moving until he has placed a good ex-
tent of territory between him and the
mysterious cause of his fear.
And what do you suppose is the ia
vorite food of this hulking monster?
crickets. Once 1 trapped several days
| for a big grizzly that was providing
about a mining camp where was stay
| ing, but l failed in every attempt I
made to lead the willy beast into my
steel. I was about to give him up as a
bad job when 1 heard ground mouse
squealing near where the trap was SET
and made up my mind to give the bear
| one trial with few Of these little chaps
as lures. After a long and tedious
| search l caught dozen mice. and, COW
| ering up nv trap carelessly with some
| dead branches, tied half dozen of the
| mice by strings to pegs in the ground
around the trap. When / visited the
| trap an hour or so later I found Mr..
| Grizzly fast. with both of his paws in
| the trap. The mice had overcome his
| fears, and I put him out of his trouble
by loading him with q few rife balls.
| After that would never have used any,
| thing else but ground mice to tempt
| grizzlies to my traps, but they are not
| an easy thing to get hold of. and / had
| to do without them except on rare occa-
| sions. We set our bear traps miles back
| in the gloomy forests. where the grizzly
| bears love to have their lairs among the
| tangled, fallen timbers. over which no
one can pass except on foot. and then
| only with great difficulty. When I first
| came out in the grizzly's country-in
| 1852-there were no such things re-
| peating rifles, or even breech-loaders.
| All / had was a heavy single barreled
| rifle to do my hunting with for several
| years. To come upon an ugly grizzly
weighing half ton or so, and probably
| not only ready, but anxious for fight.
| was something that meant business to a
| man with single-barreled gun. Under
| such circumstances you can rather be-
| heve that a fellow had to make sure
| when he shot and be up to all the
| strategic points by which he hoped to
| get another load in his gun before the
| bear snatched him. In case he was
| burdened with a fifty-pound trap of
| course the pleasantness of the situation
| was greatly enhanced. But nowadays
| a Winchester rifle makes the meeting of
| a grizzly a more serious matter for the
| bear than it was in times that remem-