Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-11-29

tain Harvey peddam. the most famous
veteran trappc. and hunter in Califor-
MIA nowadays, sis that they are the
most fcrociouS beasts on foot in Amer
lea. The fact is that Il grizzly is about
the most pcaccable of critters. l have
killed over 200 of them, and thousands
of smaller wild game, in my forty
years in the Sicrras. Now. grizzly
never picks Il quarrel. and never at
tacks anybody. except when it is
wounded, and l have even known Il
grizzly smarting with n rifle ball TO
get up and run away. However when
Il wounded grizzly charges straight at
ing thing in furs and claws. Imagine,
If you can, the sensations which Il lone
hunter has when he is charged upon
by Il half-ton beast that comes bound
ing straight at him. with swaying head
and open mouth, uttering a deep roar
at every bound. Consider how the
hunter feels when he knows that Il
ball must instantly be planted in a
very vital spot in the bears anatomy
If he would save himself from being
torn into shreds by the infuriatcd
beast.
"rherc are very few grizzly bears in
Southern California. l have not seen
one in this region for dozen years,
but, taken as whole. there are about
as many black and grizzly bears
l,n Sinpro. IA
Mountains as there were twenty-five
years ago. The beasts have retired
further back among the canons and up
on tho mountain sides. 1t seems like
Il foolish statement, but the clearing Of
timber from the mountains has helped
the increase Of the bruin tribe. When
the timber was thick the bears were
compelled to skirmish more for food,
and had to depend to great degree
on roots and bark and on the rather
scanty supplies which the pigpens and
sheepfolds Of the scattered ranches
afforded them. The clearing Of the
woods has been followed by the ap-
pearance OF all kinds Of berry bushes,
the fruit of which forms the favorite
food of the bears. At the same time
the cutting of the timber has not dis
turbed the character Of the dense
chaparrals, in the confines of which
the bears find safe places for breed
Ing. The rocky ledgcs. with their IA
vines and caverns, still remain al
most unvisitcd by man, and there the
shaggy critters find winter lairs as Sc
cure and comfortable as when the
forest grew above them.
SIZE OF THE GRIZZLY.
"How big are grizzly bears? The size
carics according to the length of the
summer season and abundance of food
in the locality in which they are found.
l believe the largest grizzlies are those
in California, where long Information Is
bear food any month the year round.
Now, the Rocky Mountain grizzlies in
Montana and Idaho are generally POO
and 300 pounds lighter than their Cali
fornia cousins. The Montana and
Idaho grizzlies hibernate at least four
ltCl W CChS, anu " lltll llt'N 'ollIV out III
the spring they have TO rustic over
hundreds of square miles for food amid
the melting SHOWS. So they soon be-
come skin and bones. 1t is a heavy
setback every year for the beasts, espe
ciaiiy the cubs. Now. the California
and Arizona grizzlles don't have any
such climatic conditions to fight. The
average weight of full-grown Cali
f0rnia grizzly is 900 pounds. have
killed few that went even to 1900
pounds. I have read stories of 1000
pound grizzlies, but there are no such
beasts. When you consider that an
ordinary milch COW weighs 700 pounds.
YOU see that 900 pounds OF bear, when
that bear is maddcned, roaring and
clawng, is a mighty awing creature to
face. because grizzly, for all of its
clumsy appearance. is as quick as a cat,
and is the most powerful of American
wild animals.
ADVICE FOR HUNTERS.
"NIy advice to the hunter who wants
to add the pelt of great American
monarch of wild beasts to his collection
of sportsmanlike trophies, is to seek his
game in the early summer months.
On the Pacific Coast a grizzlys skin
is the best in June. In Rocky Noun
tain regions it is best Il month later.
In the autumn, even up to the time
they retire for the winter, their fur is
not prime, and, again, having become
rolling fat by gorging themselves on
berries, they move about very little,
and that mostly ut night, so that a
hunter might be in n good locality for
them for weeks and never see more of
them than their tracks. But in the
spring, the minute a bear leaves his
winter quarters he begins a ccaseless
tramp for food. Then the wise hunter
will procure three of four old crippled
horses and kill them in some fAvoritc
places among the foothills, where bruin
is likely to travel. If one has three
bats, they should be placed about
five miles apart, and camp made with
in n mile or two Of the middle one.
Early in the morning. and again at
evening, lHe ueaTeSt Dult cdu De NlSlteu
afoot, and the other bats can be
watched on alternate days, tcn-mile
horseback ride being just good exercise
for the very weakest tenderfoot. Great
care should be taken in placing the
horse bats. If possible, find small
hill entirely bare of timber or brush,
which slopes steeply down to the west,
at the foot of which IS some heavy pine
timber and brush, also water. Kill
the horse so that he will lie about fifty
yards below the brow of the hill, and,
If you wish. cut three or four stunted
pines and stick them side by side on
the brow Of the hill so that they will
afford good screen when approaching
the bait, or when sitting and watching
for the bear to appear. AS on this
east slope Of the Sierras the wind is
always blowing from the west, and as
the bear, once having found the bait,
will put in his time between gorges