The sun., 1902-11-23
ERRORS ABOUT GRIZZLIES.
Don't Attack Man. Says IN Old Hunter
Mountain Sheen Hunting.

QUEBEC. Nov. PA good many popular
theories about the habits Of big game in
| British Columbia ara exploded by the
stories told by the well know guide, W. q.
Manson. "a son Of the former Hudson Bay
! factor at Lilooet The blood cf many CEN
/ turies of 1ncian hunters runs in Manson's
I veins and ~ hc j. a man of educat ion a. well
as of keen insight, and has been a hunter
since he was 10 years old, his stories Of the
grizzlies and mountain sheep and goats
Of the Pacific province are entitled to credit.
II was in the company Of +. y Boden
that Manson recently had a remarkable
experience with "A huge grizzly. probably
one of the largest ever killed When dis
covered. the big brute was quietly stand
ing on his hind legs, biting a tender branch
from tree far above a mans reach.
He did not attempt TO tackle the hunters
nor yet to run away, but gave his immediate
attention TO two valuable dogs. Tom and
Jerry, which were used by Manson for hunt
ing mountain sheep. They both paid with
their lives the penalty of venturing too
near the dying grizzly after he had been
brought TO the ground by the bullets Of
the hunters.
They were literally torn to pieces by
Bruins big five-inch claws during his death
struggles. Til. particular grizzly mca,-
ured l0l, feet in length and had a reach
Of II feet
Manson was never threatened bv a grizzly
but once in his expeIiancr Of thirty years
and therefore does not believe that thi,
animal Is likely 10 attack a man. On the
contrary, the grizzly makes every EFFORT
to avoid man, and To the hunters Il becomes
a question If stalking him.
After camping al night on the side of n
hill in the Rocky Mountains. with Fnglish
hIt nj Manson has fr,S,nApt1,-
ont the bears browsing in full view, when
his party had risen for breakfast in the
morning. II then, Of course. became a
problem how to approach near enough 10
get shot, Grizzlies are always ready
to show fight to dogs and usually succeed
in killing them, il they get into anything
like close quarters with them.
Another popular impression respecting
b 'ars which Manson would have discredited
il that they live all winter upon the fat
which they put on during the summer.
and come out Of their sleep ing caves gaunt
and hungry in the spring
This iS all wrong" says the famous
hunter. Bears crawl into their retreats
in Noyem Der These sleeping chambers
are nothing more than big cracks in the
rocks. SO far "a the grizzlies Of British COL
nmbia are concerned and ara generally
from ten 10 twenty feet deep.
Il have often seen them and examined
them. They are usually at the top Of the
by snow and landsldes.
The bear makes bed Of grass in this
retreat and after feeding himself up as FAT
as Yorkshire hog, he crawls into his cave
and sleeps for six months coming out.
however, in April as ia, as he went in
Mans n says he has killed bears unmedi-
atey after they have wakened out Of six
months sleep and has taken as much IA
lao pounds of fat from one carcass He
l. positive that bars are alwavs in a fine
ftt condition immediitely after their long
slnop and b liaves that most Of the functions
Of their bodies cease through IT,
IS enp,' saws Mr. Manson, "are rare
sport 10 the true sportsman. one mountain
ram being worth two grizzlies, while the
amateur who can bring him down has
reason 10 be proud of himself
Another popular blu is that noun
tain goats are bard 70 shoot or 70 catch
alive. IL one professional hunter In British
Columbia wishes 70 speak dispara ginglv Of
In recent trip With Mr.. Burton, an
enthus'as' IL Young English hunter, came
upon herd ofthree hundred goats and Mr.
Burton charged them with bluigeon
driving then, right and lef, Numbers of
them could have been killed with a spear.
last year I saw ninety rams together.
though this II n rare sight II is curious,
however. that the killing Of sheep and
goats is prohibited hv the law IN july and
August. when they are 80 wild that Won
cannot get near them. and II is next 10 i'm
possible TO kill them IN anv case, and that
YOU are permitted to kill them AZ other sea
sons when thev are so tame that they can
be knocked over with a stick The noun
tain ram leads the hunter perilous cha so
along the side Of rrecrices and over chasms
which are sheer drops 10 certain deaths