The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-21
ARKANSAS BEAR LORE.
An Old Hunter Tells How Bruin Gets
 on From Year to Year,


 on From Year to Year,
 Captain Bill Wylie, the noted bear hunter of this region, stands six feet and has muscles of iron. He is afraid of nothing but the extra large black and gray timber wolves of these noun tains He told us that two years be- fore a pack had driven him and com panion upon a towering rock, and they had given up the battle only after the men had emptied their magazines Of their Winchesters three times in the dim light from their nearby camp fire, leaving thirty-one dead wolves upon the field of battle. Since that night Captain Bill said, Init hain't no use tp deny hit, hain't no use for and hain't ashamed to deny I'm ashamed of the cussed varmints."
 The geologist asked. DO you know all the bears in this region?"
 "Pritty well, sum-at There's an old she and two cubs on this West Han nah; she and one cub and two- year-old he on East Hannah; three year-old he on East Sugar Tree, and a big old he that I can't git acquainted with I don't know whether he sleeps on Eagle and feeds on Fodder, or whether he feeds on Eagle and sleeps on Fodder, but soon's he begins to git in good order, he's my meat"
 How can you tell when he gets i.l good order?" asked the geologist, to be met with such look of disgust, sur prise and comn1iseration as the bear hunter looked at him for moment, and then walked to the fire, where he applied a live coal to his pipe, puffei st moment, came back and sat down, re- plying, Wall, I'll be. gol-darncd. I thought you knowed sumthin. Why, when bar gifts in good order he pulls his acorns When he's poor he's like a hungry hog; he eats them hulls and all. But just as soon as he begins to git fat he takes time and bites the shucks off, and only eats the kernels"
 How can you tell whether it's a two- year-old or a three-year- old he hear on Sugar Tree mountain or the Hannah mountain" I asked
 Wall. you lawyers don't know eve rything, but you can beat the devil aX- 1 in questions. I'll tell you all about bars if you'll just let me alone When a he one gets to be two years old ne begins to think he's somethin of b ar, and about once a day he's got to meas ure how he's growed, by reachin up and gnawing and scratching big tree, leavin' his mark. He gifts more sense when he's three years old, and has had some tussles with other hes and he's mighty careful about his mark and only makes hit about once week.
 What does a bear live on in spring and early summer?'' I asked at the same time offering my tobacco pouch to Captain Bill for a fresh fill.
 When he's got cleaned out of the mountains by spring, he's mighty fat, and can stand poor picking for a tiale, and hits mighty poor picking he gifts, bugs, grubs, once in a while a pig or shote, till suckers runs, and then he goes grubbing, standing in the rifles of the big creeks and rivers, and glubs lots of suckers out of the lot crowdin' up stream, throwin' them on the bank with one swipe of his paw. Then he thinks he's grabbed all he can eat, fe makes his meal unless a bigger one comes along; and then, mister he don't make any fuss, but lights out for an- other sfioal
 After the suckers are gone he gifts some crayfish, but has mighty poor living till huckleberries git ripe, and then he camps in the patch and eats and sleeps till dewberries are ripe; and then it's dewberries and huckleberr.es all through May The high blacNher- ries git ripe in June, and 'arly in July the white washitaws are ripe, and he has a picnic till fox grapes are fit, and by the time they're gone acons and chinquapins are gittin' fit to eat and when you see by the trees that he's be- 1 gin lappaing he's fat enough to make mighty good eating; and you see he lives about as we'll the year round as most folks Forest and Stream.