The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16
HUNTING JOKE
SOME CALIFORNTANs WHO TRIED 1T
FOUND 1T HARD WORK.
Caught a Big Cinnamon Beast
and Had "a Serious Time Holding
the Infuriated Animal.

is content when stalking bruin IL from
some safe standpoint he is able 10 take the
life Of one of those fierce animals with a
well-directed bullet or a dozen of them.
He takes no shame to himself, nor. indeed,
Is IL any disgrace, that prior TO firing he
first selects some coign of vantage which
shall be nearly or entirely inaccessible to
his quarry should the shots fail of their
mark Few care 10 beard old ursus in his
native lair and undertake his capture
with no other weapons than logs and ropes.
There are altogether too many chances
that the hunter may become hunted, and
that what was undertaken in sport may
develop into a tragedy.
The funny part of the subjoined bear
story, which is a narrative of actual expert
ence in Kern county this summer. is that
there really was no intention or expecta-
ton on the part of any one that a real live
bear hunt was to occur. 1t all grew out
of a sort of 'snipe hunting proposition
which certain fun-loving citizens of the
mountains some thirty-hve or forty miles
eastward OF Bakersfield put up on a job
old Breckenridge, as the lofty ridge
OF the Sierra referred to is
these tenderfeet, it was decided by the
mountaineers to get as much fun out of
them as possible, and various plans were
laid, so that the visitors should not go
away without having had a real nice
time So an old log bear trap down in
the bottom of one of the ruggedest of the
many rugged canyons in that locality was
baited with a chunk of meat two or three
days before the expected advent of the
party with unindurated pedal integuments,
and without going near 1t again they de-
cided to tell the visitors Immediately upon
arrival that a live bear had been captured
for their especial benefit and pleasure. The
VlSlfnrS uara fhon m no sfniln6f nVar IN
the trap-a wearisOme climb over rocks
and through brush of two or three miles
and down a precipitous, rocky gorge of
1000 or 5000 feet or so. Having thus ''tolled'
the innocent tenderfeet TO what the toll
ers" believed themselves was only an
empty trap. it was designed to leave them
there in the dark and let them find their
own way back to camp-"all the same
snipe hunt"
THE HUNTERS SURPRISED.
The scheme did not work very well, how
ever. There were several in the party
who had the good luck not to nave been
born yesterday, and the eagerness of the
mountaineers to have the visit made to
the bear trap without a moments delay
aroused their suspicious, and all the eager
descriptions Of the great sport that await
ed them did not avail to induce them to
take the trip for some time. Finally, how
ever, a visit was paid to the trap by some
of the visitors and half a dozen of the
'jobbers." and no one was more aston
ished than those who had set the snare
for the visitors when they approached the
pen to find that the door was sprung.
Deep groans from within told them that
there was a sure-enough bear inside.
AT first some of the party were for
shooting the bear then and there, as had
been done with one of the tribe that
dressed 600 pounds. and which had been
caught In a similar trap a dozen mics
away a few days previously. Others, how
ever, suggested that an effort be made 70
take him alive; and. after discussing WAYS
and means. 1t was at last determined TO
uhuertake the apparently ridiculous, not
TO say impossible, task of getting him TO
camp without shooting him.. So a detail
was sent back to headquarters for the
necessary ropes, chains and straDs. and
whiie 1t was absent the time was passed
In endeavoring to scrape acquaintance
with his bearship. Most of the scraping
very surly humor. and whenever any one
approached the log prison closely he made
vicious dabs at him through the inter-
stceS between the logs, and in one case
narrowly missed taking the whole foot off
one daring hunter VINO had climbed on
Top OF the trap to get a better view of the
captive. This trap. il should be explained
was built of pine and oak logs, was about
twelve feet long by five feet wide. and five
hign, and was OF the figure 4 type, with
a heavy sliding door fitting between stills
and jambS of oak.
When the detail returned with the vari-
GUS articles needed for the capture the fun
began. one man climbed on top of the log
cage and let the moose of a stout rawhide
RATA down through a crevice. while 9th
ers from each side took tree limbs and
tried to slip the moose over bruins head.
Inc nrst appearance of the rope set his
bearship wild. He began to growl and
snap. at 1t. and plunged about the narrow
cell In a way that would nave been any,
thing but assuring had the log walls not
been of the most solid and substantial
character. Finally. after long vancouver
Ing, there was a lucky pass. the moose was
siipped over the long hoglike snout and
back over the ears, and. in reply to a
quick order, 1t was tightened like a flash
ana drawn taut by two men, who exerted
all their strength i'm the maneuver.
Ills bearshiD's head was drawn as close
the moose cut deep into the skin and the
flesh or his neck. How he did roar and
iignt' to be sure. All four of his great
.claw-armed legs were thrashed about in
every direction, the sharp spurs cIattering
on the logs. tearing splinters from them
and giving a vivid earnest of what he was
both able and willing to do could he but
get at his tormentors. BY twisting his
great. ugly tusk-flled mouth around he
vas able TO get the RATA between his teeth.
and he chewed on il f~iercely. but TO no
avail. Even his sharp fangs could make
no impression on the tough material of
which it was composed. He kept up a
ana roars. which echoed far and wide
through the canyons and gorges. and could
DE neard Tor miles, All this time another
moose was being let down into the trap.
and close watch was kept to seize a fav-
orable moment to catch one of his fore
AT last the desired instant came
after many trials. and. with a deft twist
guided In the same manner as had been
the RATA, the moose was slipped over the
left paw. and with lightninglike rapiditv
drawn taut, and the paw then pulled
through the same crevic1 through which
the nose had been passed. The men face
tiously shook the bears paw and made
merry over its nervousness the while
measuring it and feeling of the sharp claws
that were attached thereto. The nav
about eight inches across. and
was a very nice thing 20 see when tied go
that IL could infiict no damage.
THE BEARS WRATH.
And now the bear was mad. All his
struggles heretofore had been as child's |
play. He bit and chewed and clawed at
the ropes. He threw himself from side 10
side. and struggled in vain to free him.
self. He swung his great body free from
the ground. and depended his full weight
from the ropes to which he was tied
head and foot. He kept IN a continual
as though calling upon his breth-
rem OF the mountain Businesses to rally
to his relief-a contingency. by the way.
was not impossible, but was well
guarded against. 1t was a long time be- |
fore he became quiet enough even for a
second TO allow any further progress to be