Griggs courier., 1897-11-12
Indian r1lode Of @~
"a bunting Bear.
by Martin Hunter.

1NDESCRIRING the manner of taking
some of the fur-bearing animals Of
the Hudson Bay territory, the bear
comes first by its coat being earliest
prime of all other animals of the north
country.
The Indians, who, since the finishing
of their last years hunt in June have be-
come tired of q fish diet, are anxiously
looking forward to the 25th of Septem-
Der. On and after this date the bear
skins have market value with the
company, and the Indians go into berry
patches and swamps in quest of bruin,
who has for the past six weeks been fat
tening undisturbed.
Considerable bravery is shown by the
Indian in hunting these strong and fero-
cious animals at this time of year. Few
of them have other than a single-barrel,
muzzle-loading gun. aud if they miss q
fatal shot when firing, the result is to
them serious, if not death.
, cannot do better in these series of
hunting stories than to follow the foot
steps of Wa-Sa-Kcjic, who was one of
our most successful all-around hunters.
He had liking for the whites in general
and, from his kindness, for me in partic-
n!ar. At any time when it was conven-
lent for me to leave the post he well
coined my company on his shooting and
trapping tours. Still, hunting the bear
in fiat and dry berry patch requires
the greatest care and precaution to
make it a day of profit. Wa-Sa- -Kejic
lands from his canoe on the leeward
side of the patch he is going to recon-
noiter and ascends large mountain,
whose wooded southern side runs to the
river shore; from the top of this he
scars the burned lands beneath him
with great minuteness for several Sec
onds. At last his face lights up with
satisfaction, for his eye rests ON large
black bear feeding to the windward of
a clump of alders. Before starting to
stalk the game, he notes the direction
OF the wind, the lay of the country and
the number of points of concealments
between him and his quarry. All these
essentials mentally impressed on his
memory. he loads his gun carefully and
descends the mountain. Wa-Sa-Keiic
makes his way swiftly from the base for
about quarter of Q mile; after that
NE goes with greater care. At last there
is only one intervening stack of willows
between him and the bear. From my
vantage point of view I.notice all his
movements and also that of the bear,
which is lazily feeding on the ripe, full
berries.
AT the extreme left-hand point of the
clupp stands an immense rock, brought
there, no doubt, at the glacier period;
toward this the Indian is sometimes
crawling, at others crouching; at last
ne' is safe in its shelter, with heart
: beating with excitement.
When he left the mountain ton. the
bear was feeding toward this very rock.
and had so continued. With gun on the
full cock, Wa-Sa-Kejic carefully. ad-
vances his head around the base; in an
Instant it is brought back to cover, for
he has caught sight of bruin not 80
feet away and busy eating the luscious
6luit still toward the rock.
Wa-Sa-Kejic waits five minutes longer
ut appears hours to me as watch). and
then, with belt-ax we'll in front and
gun seized firmly in his hands, steps
boldly out from his hiding place. As
usual with bears when surprised at
close quarters, the animal assumes an
erect position, and at the same moment
the gun belches forth its death-dealing
bullet, and the monster falls pierced
through the heart.
That night the Indians squaw and
children feast on berry-ed bear meat,
and the growing boys listen breathless-
" to their fathers description Of how
he killed "Mus-Kwa."
The foregoing is one way of hunting
bear, and the other is by trapping
either deadfall or steel traps. This mode
of trapping is only practiced in the
spring. Shortly after the bears come
out of their dens they resort to creeks
and small rivers. where carp and small