Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-06
BEARS BECOMING PLENTIFUL.
Good Sport Hunting Bruin in Pennsy1s
vsnia and New York.

Good Sport Hunting bruin In fennsyfs
vsnia and New York.
"Bears are getting thicker every year
in the Adirondacks, and in few years,
If the woods have proper care, there
ought to be good sport bear hunting
again." said one Of the guides at the
recent sportsman's show.
"The same is true of Pennsylvania"
he continued, land they are thickeIr-
there in the mountain country now
than they have been before in years"
How do you account for it," the
guide was asked.
"It'S mostly a matter of fires" he
replied. "Of late years there's been
special attention paid in Pennsylvania,
and up in the north woods, to pre-
venting any burning over of the
ground, whether it has been numbered
or not, and this is the best thing that
could happen for the bears.
There's nothing will put bears out
of business like forest fire, and some
years ago, when nobody cared much
whether the woods We're burned out or
not, these animals were mostly wiped
out.
"You sec, n fire can't be lodged nor
run away from once it gets a-going,
and when a she bear and couple of
cubs get caught in patch of woods
that's on fire. it's good-by Bruin. The
old one might have sense enough to
get to stream or lake If there's one
handy, and live through it, but the cubs
get dazed, and are as liable to run
straight into it as not. Bear cubs
don't have much sense, anyhow, and
some of the old ones, however much
cunning they have in some things, are
about the easiest fooled of any animal
alive.
when fire is coming an old bear
will sometimes make for a hollow log
or hole under a rock, and then, If it's
much of fire, the chances are that he
gets so suffocated with smoke that he
makes break for the open, only to
get singed and finally roasted. I've
seen bears fight a swarm of bees or q
big snake and get away with them,
but I've seen lots of bear carcases on
fresh-burned patches of woods
another thing. which goes to show
that bears amt real cute, is that they
have no end of curiosity, which is what
used to do for the deer when they had
jack hunting up in the North Woods.
You take long, square box, heavily
built, and drive spikes through into
one. end, which is left open, with the
spikes slanted downward somewhat,
and then fasten piece of meat in the
other end of the box, and you've got
first-class bear trap. Along comes old
Mr.. Bruin, who shifts the box and
pokes in his head as far as he can, one
end which is left open, with the spikes,
catch him in the neck, get tangled in
his hair, and all he can do is to waddse
and roll and go backward. If the box
is chained. he's 'in for life,' and it's
easy to go and finish him.
You'd be surprised how fast bear
will travel. Take it in the woods that
have been numbered, so there are opehi
spaces and plenty of room in the un-'
dergrowth, and an old bear will make
eight or ten miles an hour, while cub
will make six without painting a bit.
I've sighted bears when the first snow
came and chased them for two days,
they gaining all the time. OF course
when there's much snow they can't
make such good time
Il was out a few days in the Penn
sylvania woods and helped get an old
bear and two cubs this year / was
told that not less than fifty to seventy.
five had been killed in the northern line
of counties next to New York State
this year. If the fires can only be
prevented there ought to be as good
sport bear hunting in few years as
there ever was. They'll never get
back to the Adirondacks so thick as
they were forty years ago. There's
too many camps. s."-Philadelphia Times.