Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-07-11
ALASKA'S BIG BEARS.
GOOD FISHERMEN, ROADMAKERS AND
FIERCE FIGHTERS.
whnt Hunters Who Have Met the Grizzly
Have to Say Of His Alaska Cousin They
DO Not Fear Man and VIII Fight While
MortalIy Wounded.

Mortally Wounded.
A traveller who recently returned from
Alaska says: "The Alaskan brown bear
is huge, shaggy animal, varying in
length from to 10 feet and weighing
from 500 to 1900 pounds, I found him
to be an expert fisher, and during 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 go. After the salmon run is
| over the animal retreats into the recesses
| of the hills, where berries and small
| game are plentiful Among other things
| he does besides fishing and occasionally
| chewing up hunter, he is a 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. 4"
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 q startling
experience for me, and have always
thought equally so for the bear. We had
been working up against 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 I climbed the bluff to
get 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 q few feet through
1t. Ahead of me q cluster of rocks offer
ed temporary place to sit down and
enjoy the view, and made for it. Just
as reached the nearest rock tremen-
dous shaggy animal arose apparently
from under my feet, and 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 motionsI made the
bear reared ON his launches and was so
formidable looking that 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 tours,
and with wonderful quickness turned
and sprang out of sight in the dense
underground. When l returned to camp
and related my experience, Tah-tah-rok,
my native guide, assured me that the
bear must recently have concluded
heavy meal, or'otherwise he would have
attacked me.
Some officers from some of the YES
sells of the Boring sea fleet went ashore
at Herendeen bay during the summer of
1891 ON a 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 fired
at the animal
1.-THE shot went wide of the mark, but
at the report of the gun the bear started
for the hunter ON dead run. His charge
was met with shower of bullets from
the officer repeater; but, although bad
ly wounded, the Infatuated animal did
not hesitate an instant and rushed
straight at his enemy. When within
! about 10 feet of the hunter, the bear
rose ON his launches and prepared to
close. Blood was pouring in streams
down his body. One bullet had shattered
his upper jaw, but he was so full of fight
that the final outcome of the struggle
would have been extremely doubtful had
not another of the party arrived and
ended the fight by shooting the brute
through the brain. An examination of
the bears body showed that he had been
struck six times. Three Of the shots
were in parts of the body ordinarily con-
sidered vital and would doubtless have
caused death, but the vitality of these
animals is almost incredible. Instances
are cited of their running over 100 yards
after being shot through the heart.
Last summer, while was at Sand
Point, two hunters came in, after an alb
sence of over a month in the vicinity of
Portage bay, and reported having killed
33 bears. One day they killed seven. In
order to show that they were not spin
ming hunters yarns they brought the
skins with them, and sold them at a
trading post at Sand Point. During the
summer of 1891 two prospectors were
looking for coal lands near Port Moller,
and about mile from the shore they
came upon an immense brown bear en-
gagged in catching salmon in a small
stream. One of the prospectors immedi-
ately opened fire, and evidently wound
ed the brute badly, but he got out of
sight in the thick brush. Being anxious
to secure the skin the two men started
to follow the wounded animal. They
had not gone dozen steps before the
enraged and wounded brute turned on
them, and before either one could fire a
shot he seized one man by the leg and
bit it nearly off, and then sprang upon
his companion and knocked him sense
| ~ 4 L. T.