St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-03-23

carcass of an enormous black bear.
There were great many bear that
year, but they kept in the swamps
pretty close, and only a few were
killed. Along in August, however,
they began to get troublesome, invad-
ing fields of late corn and carrying of
great loads of roasting ears. There
was one big fellow who visited nearly
every plantation in the neishborhood.
Giles Overton watched for him one
night, and claimed next day that he
saw him gather an ariafrl of corn,
then balance a pumpkin on his head
and walk off on his hind feet. Giles
said the beast acted SO like man he
couldn't shoot him, by which l take
Giles story to be somewhat exag-
gerated, particularly as Squire Hesen
claims he saw Giles asleep on his stand
Just before day, the squire having rid
den by on his way to the lake to fish
for speclSled perch, which We're biting
freely. Icaught ninety-nine one morn
ing before breakfast and killed rat
tlesnake that
''What the naeion has that got to do
with the bear story?" interrupted a
man with tremulous hand who OBJ
jects to snakes.
The man from the bottoms groyyled
out something about not seeing the
sense OF interrupting gentleman who
was delivering instructions gratis, and
continued: 1--WE measured the tracks OF
the big bear several times, and they
Were eleven inches wide. The niggers
on my place saw the beast once or
twice, and said he was as big as
house. Everybody was too busy pick
ing cotton and settling with the hands
to hunt bear. besides the critters amt
any good until after hard frost. So
the big fellow lived high until about
the middle of December, by which time
he was rolling in fat. as we could tell
by his tracks. In track made by a
poor bear the claws leave a very deep
impression. whereas when the animal
is fat the ball Of the foot leaves a more
prominent impression. Finally we con-
cluded to have bear hunt and, it pos
sible. get the big fellow. We sent over
on the ridge and got old man Ferguson
and his bear dogs-tweuty-ni in the
pack and most of them well trained. A
bear dog is composite canine crea-
tion. He ought to have enough hound |
in him to make him a good trailer,
enough bull to make him gritty, and
enough fee or cur to make him eau |
tious. His business amt to go in and
pull down bear. 1t is to nip him on
the legs and bring him to a standstill, |
so the hunter can come up and shoot |
him
That's the kind old Ferguson's dogs |
were mostly, although there were few |
full blood deer or fox hounds and big |
brindle half nastiff and half grey |
hound, who weighed seventy or eighty |
pounds. and thought no more of
does of slaughtering rat. His name
was Bull, and he was the apple of old
Ferguson's eye.
I'VE started one morning just before
day, six of us, besides the dogs, all
mounted, and some carrying shotguns
and some rifles. / had a needle gun.
such as is used in the army. sweet
weapon for big game, but very wear
ing on man whose shoulder can't stand
q hard kick. We started bear about
seven o'clock, and after chase of half
an hour got mp with him and the dogs
1t was in piece of open woods. and it
wasn't much trouble to knock him
over He wasn't the big fellow, how
ever, and the horses and dogs being
fresh, we hung him to a sapling and