The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-02
BEARS IN CALIFORNIA.
Still Abundant in Some Regions and
 Destructive to Livestock.


 In my intercourse with western men l have met many who had killed their bar in their day, and none but at tested to its bravery and ferocity' The man who has fought his bear is nero. Indeed, in this country-in northeastern California, writes William Fitzmuggins in Forest and Stream, it is generally deemed foolhardy for a person to att tack a bear single handed. or unassist- ed by dogs. no matter how well armed.
 4 bear will stand a great deal of punishment and large amount Of lead before he will succumb, unless struck in the beginning of the attack in Vi- tai spot. Bruin has been known to continue a fight for some considerable time after his heart had been shot to pieces. As a rule, he is of wonderful vitality, strength, activity and quick ness. Some species of bears are less aggressive than others, and there are those who will run to hiding at the sight of man, but even these when brought to bay are dangerous game to the hunter. Hunting bear with fire arms is at all times precarious adven- ture.
 Ii is said in California that even tho grizzly is, changing his character; that he has lost his aggressiveness, and will seek cover on the approach of man, whereas formerly he would voluntarily give battle, and at times had been known to charge a company of men when he had not been even provoked to battle.
 Grizzlies are not as plentiful as they once were in the Sierra Nevada Noun tains. The few that are met with now adays are shy of man. Instinct has taught them that man with modern rife is an invincible foe. Nevertheless, hunters are very chary of the grizzly and will seldom attack him unless with the aid of good dogs or with compan- ion who also has courage and is en- dowed with coolness.
 Bears are yet very abundant in this region of California-embracing the mountainous portion of Sierra, Plumas, Butte, Tuba and Nevada counties. l hear they are plentiful also in other portions of the Sierra Nevada Noun tains, but I speak now of the region in the five counties of which I have per sonal knowledge, and which have traversed in the past eighteen months, only trips have led me among the high lava tipped ridges and to the volcanic peaks which attain attitudes of seven to eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, and whose slopes are GOV cred with a dense growth of pine, fir and spruce The deep ravines between .1.. 11I AotN FnY Bruin, and I have ample evidence that the latter exists in great numbers. The bears of hareabouts are mostly black and brown. They make great havoc with the young stock of the isolated mountain ranches, and some of the farmers have to wage constant warfare against bears.
 The creatures seem to have an unap- peasable appetite for pork on the hoof, and hang about the ranches at all times of the year, except when they are in Information, ready to bounce upon and carry off any pig that Is not too heavy and bulky. They will also go so far as to enter sty when pressed by hunger and select any choice little porker that they may fancy. >.
 A bear or full-grown SOW will not hesitate to fight a bear, but the bear will avoid encouters with such and re- sort to cunning to gain his prey. The depredations of bears upon some of the ranches are a constant loss to the ranchmen. There is but little or no corn raised, and 1t is too expensive to haul in for feed, so the swine are turned into a meadow to feed on grass and later into thte woods to fatten on acorns. It is then that Bruin gets af- ter piggy with success.
 In this region the ridges and ravines are so thickly covered with nlanzanita, chaparral and a variety of other brush that it is almost physical impossibil- ity for man to go through the same, it being necessary even constantly to keep pruning shears at work to keep trails and wagon roads open, brush growing almost spontaneously. This brush makes perfect cover for bear and other like ''varmint." It gives irnmu- nity to Bruin from the two legged hum ter with a gun. The ranchmen have recourse mostly to the New house steel trap Bruin when caught, is ignomin- iously knocked in the head with an axe and his carcass thrown to the very hogs he himself would have devoured. know many ranchmen who number their bear killings by the score. Nor does Bruin stop in his raids on domestic stock at pigs-calves and colts often fall prey to him. And he just dotes on sheep. Flock masters find it necessary every year, in some of the summer mountain ranges, to hire pro- fessional bear hunters to clean out the varmint. The grizzly Is especially fond of mutton and will in fortnight do much havoc to a flock. Furthermore he will, for change of diet, help him. self to full grown COW or steer when he can't get pig, calf or colt.
 The lonely prospector has difficulty, too, in keeping his pack and riding ami, mals with him in the mountain soli- ! tudes when bear are around As soon as burros, mules or horses get sight or scent of Bruin they will start for the valleys unless kept tethered close to \ the prospector's camp, and even that l is no safeguard, as the bear will fre- quently raid the prospsctor's camp and | loot his cache, larder, meat safe or smokehouse, whichever it may be, that
 he has his provisions stored in. Bears are really so numerous and troublesome | in this part of California that they are