The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-02-03
CATCHING BEAR CUES.
Amusing Methods That Are Adopted
by Hunters in the Yellow
stone Park.


supplied with many animals from the
Yellowstone national park, where they
are caught young. The park abounds
with all kinds of wild animals and birds,
from the hated and deteSted English
sparrow to the sly and cunning noun
lain lion, but it is unlawful to hunt or
modest them, excepting when those del
egated with authority capture bears,
ELK, deer or swan, or other gayly feath-
cred birds for the zoo in the nations
capital. The capture of the bears is
attended with much excitement. The
methods adopted are so peculiar that
they will cause many to stop and think
twice before they believe what they
read.
The cubs caught are always found
up some comparatively small tree, sleep
ing or resting on the branches with
their mother. When espied by the
.n.unters, who are unarmed, excepting
for large AK, couple of leather col
lars and several pieces of rope, the
first thing done is to get rid of the moth
er bear, who scented the hunters long
before they saw her or her little ones.
That is not a difficult nor dangerous
task, but very ludicrous one, full of
fun and excitement. AS a usual thing,
one of the hunters climbs nearby tree,
and armed with long pole, which was
cut by his companions while he climbs
the tree, proceeds to dislodge the moth
er. This he does by prodding her in
the sides with the pole, which is cut
long enough to reach from one tree to
tn other. The first punch or two usu-
ally causes the old bear to hug the limb
of the tree upon which she rests all the
tighter, and during the time she rends
the air by a peculiar grunt, made by
protruding the lower lip several inches
and forcing the air from her lungs
through the half-open mouth. The cubs
are not long in seeming danger, and
they, too, grunt and gTowl, rolling their
bead-like eyes from side to side in ter
ror, launching their soft backs in their
andeavors to cling to the tree all the
more securely.
A few vigorough punches in the sides
soon causes the mother to shift her po-
sition from limb to limb, grunting and
snarling at the time at a great rate.
1t is often the case that she will seek
refuge on the opposite side of the tree,
beyond the reach of the man with the
pole. That necessitates his companion
cutting a pole for himself and climbing
another tree on the opposite side, from
| which position of vantage he continues
the jabbing process. The bear is be-
tween 'the devil and the high sea-" and
after climbing from limb to limb, only
to receive vigorous prods in the ribs
| and back, soon gives up the unequal
fight, and, with a grunt, evidently sig
nal to her young to retreat, she slides
down the trunk, scraping off the loose
| bark in the descent, until almost to
the bottom, when she gives leap, strik-
ing the ground with thud and grunt
and goes scampering off in the forest,
| probably never to return, leaving her
young up the tree, which at her de-
parture rend the air with their peculiar
and heart-appealing cries.
Then comes the difficult and no less
amusing task of capturing the young.
This takes time, often consuming an
hour or more, but always with the same
result. The men arm themselves with
| long ropes, with a slipnOOse at one end,
and climb neighboring trees. The cap
ture by this time has resolved itself
down to the ability of the men to throw
| the moose over the heads of the crying
cubs. After the disappearance Of their
mother the little fellows curl them
selves up in a ball, placing, their heads
between their front paws. 1t is i'm
possible to do anything until the silence
o. the forest gives them a feeling OF
reinsurance, and they poke out their
| heads to view the situation. 1t is then
that the hunter quietly and dexterous-
Iy drops the moose over the unsuspect-
ing projecting head and with a quick
jerk draws it tightly around his neck.
The other end of the rope is quickly
drawn over limb, and poor Mr.. Cub
is drawn from his perch, the Tightening
moose shutting off his wind. He is
drawn up sufficiently to clear the limb
upon which he rested, and then he is
lowered to the ground. kicking and
| 5quirming in midair, uttering gurgling
sounds from his wide-open mouth. The
man on the ground soon has stout
| leather collar around his neck, and in
a jiffy he is tied to neighboring tree,
where he RECEIVERS his breath and yells
| all the louder during the repetition of
the scene attendant upon the capture of
| his mate.
Sometimes during this apparently
barbarous but harmless mode of cap
ture, the mother bear, attracted by the
cries of her young, will return and
view the captors from distance, look
| ing at the men and her cubs through
a clump of bushes, and answering the
cries of her young, as only bear knows
| how, but never venturing very close,
being easily scared away by the waving
of the arms of the hunters and a shout
or two.
| In some instances, where the tree is
small, it is cut off close to the ground
after the mother bear has been fright