The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-11-20
HUNTING THE BLACK BEAR.
By THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

not able to learn the particulars in the las
case, but the raftSman came too close Il
bear that was at bay, and it broke
through the dogs, rushed at and Overthrew
him, then lying OH him, it bit him deepl!
in the thigh, through the femoral artery
so that he speedily bled to death.
AT CLOSE QUARTERS.
But a black bear is not usually formid
able opponent, and though lie will some
times charge home he is much more APT
to buster and bully than actually to com,
10 close quarters. l myself have but one,
seen Il man who had been hurt by one o:
these bears. This was an Indian. He
had come on the beast close up i'll thics
wood, and had mortaliy wounded it with hi,
gun; it had then closed with him, knocking
the gun out of his hand, so that he was
forced to use his knife. 1t charged him
OH all tours, but in the grapple, when i,
had failed 10 throw him down, it raised
itself on its hind legs, ciasping him across
the shoulders with its fore-pawS. Ap.
parently il had no intention of huCging,
but merely sought to draw him within
reach of his jaws. He fought desperate
~ against this, using the knife freely, and
striving TO keep its head back; and the flow
of blood weakened the animal, so that
it finally fell exhausted, before being able
bitten his left arm very severely, and its
claws had made long gashes on his should
erS.
Black bears, like grislies, vary greatly
in their modes of attack. Sometimes they
rush in. and bite; and again they strike
with their fore-pawS. Two of my cow
boys were originally from Maine, where
knew them well. There they were fond
of trapping bears, and caught a good
many. The huge steel gins, attached by
chains to heavy clogs, prevented the trap
ped beasts from going far; and when
found they were always tied tight round
some tree or bush, and usually nearly ex-
hausted. The men killed them either with
IA little 32-caliber pistol or a Ratchet. But
once did they meet with any difficulty. On
this occasion one of them incautiously ap-
preached a captured bear to knock it on
the head with his Ratchet, but the animal
managed to partially untwist itself, and
with its free forearm made a rapid sweep
at him; he jumped back just in time, the
bears claws tearing his clothes-after
which he shot it.
Bears are shy and have very keen noses;
they are therefore hard to kill by fair
hunting, living, as they generally do, in
dense forests or thick brush. They are
easily enough to trap, however. Thus,
these two men, though they trapped so
many, never but once killed them in any
other way. On this occasion one of them,
in the Winter, found in great hollow log
a den where she and two well-grOwn
cubs had taken up their abode, and shot
all three with his rifle as they burst out.
THE PRESIDENTS OWN EXPERIENCES.
Where they are much hunted, bear be-
come purely nocturnal; but in the wilder
forests l have seen them abroad at all
hours, though they dc not much relish the
intense heat of noon. They are rather
comical animals to watch feeding and 60
ing about the ordinary business of their
lives. Once l spent half an hour lying at
the edge of a wood and looking at black
bear some 800 yards off across an open
glade. 1t was in good stalking country,
but the wind was unfavOrable and waited
for it to shift-waited too long as it
proved, for something frightened the beast
and he made off before l could get shot
at him. When l first saw him he was
along and roofing in the ground,
so that he looked like a great pig. Then
he began to turn over the stones and logs
to hunt for insects, small reptiles, and the
like.
A moderate-sized stone he would turn
over with a single clap of his paw, and
then plunge his nose down into the hol
low to gobble up the small creatures be-
meath while still dazed by the light. The
big logs and rocks he would tug and
worry at with both paws; once, over-ex
erting his clumsy strength, he lost his grip
and rolled clean on his back
Under some of the logs he evidently
found mice and chipmunks; then, as soon
as the log was overturned, he would be
seen jumping about with grotesque agility,
and making quick dabs here and there, as
the little, scurrying rodent turned and
until at last he put his paw on it
and scooped it up into his mouth. Some
times, probably when he smelt the mice
he would cautiously turn the
log over with one paw, holding the other
lifted and ready to strike. Now and then
he would halt and sniff the air in every
direction, and it WIS after one of these
halts that lie suddenly shuffled off into the
woods.
Black bear generally feed on berries, nuts,
insects, carriOn, and the like; but at times
they take to killing very large animals. In
fact, they are curiously irregular in their
food. They will kill deer if they can get
at them; but generally the deer are too
quick. Sheep and hogs are their favorte
prey, especially the later, for bears seem
to have a special relish for pork. Twice
/ have nown a black bear to kill cattle.
mired, and which the bear deliberately pro-
ceeded to eat alive, needless of the bellows
of the unfortunate beast. On the other oc-
casion. a COW was surprised and slain
among some bushes at the edge of re-
mote pasture.
In the Spring, soon after the long Win
ter sleep, they are very hungry, and are
especially apt to attack large beasts at
this time; although during the very first
days of their appearance, when they are
just breaking their fast, they eat rather
sparingly, and by preference the tender
shoots of green grass and other herbs, or
frogs and crayfish; it is not for a week
or two that they seem to be overcome by
lean. ravenous hunger. They will even at
tack and master that formidable fighter the
moose, springing at it from an ambush as
it passes-for bull moose would surely
be an Overmatch for one of them if fronted
fairly in the open.
STORIES OF THE BLACK BEAR
An old hunter, whom could trust, told
me that he had seen in the snow in early
Spring the place where a bear had sprung
at two moose which were trotting to-
gether; he missed his spring, and the
moose got off, their strides after they
settled down into their pace being tremen-
d0us, and showing how thoroughly they
were frightened. Another time he saw
a bear chase a moose into a lake, where
it waded out little distance, and then
turned to bay, bidding defiance to his pur-
suer, the latter not daring to approach in
the water.
have been told-but cannot yeuch for
it that instances have been known where
the bear. maddened by hunger, has gone in
on a moose thus standing at bay, only to
be beaten down under the water by the
terrible forehoofs of the quarry, and TO