The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-11
BEAR HUNT IN TEXAS.
ONE OFTHE FEW PLACES WHERE
 BRUIN MAY BE FOUND.

The Good Luck of TenderfOOt- Passing of Big Game In the South as the Forests Go. The Big Thicket of Texas is known throughout the south wherever there is mar who enjoys the chase of big game. It is now recognized as one O. the few refuges for the black bear and its dense thickets and open glades fur nish places and feeding grounds fer the white tail deer. Tnsre are also wild turkeys and bob cats to be found within its depths. but when any one speaks of the thicket now i: Is always associated with bear.
 The black bear of the Big ThicEet is the ordinery black bear of North America. Sometimes a small full grown bear is killed weighing as ;ittle as two hundred pounds, and octIsion- ally one that will tilt the scales at six hundrel, but the average Hbout three hundred.
 In order to understand thoroughly how the bear in the Big Thleket are hunted and killed, writes a correspon- dent of the Topeka State Journal, it is necessary to consider the two master hunters, Henry (Bud) Hooks and his brother Ben. In this particular hunt another important factor was Ben V. Lilly of Louisiana, who Is engaged in hunting specimens for the United States Biological Museum and who on this occasion killed his one hundred and eighteenth bear and let it be known that he has never had to climb a tree and has never had any hair breadth escapes Ben Hooks is the master of the hunt. He manages the dogs and can come nearer to keeping up with them than any one. He is a little less than forty years old, 1.-the as q greyhound and with the endurance of we'll trained athlete. Bud, his younger brother, is heavier on his feet. He has monstrous head covered with iron gray hair and is just as persistent in the chase of Bruin as his older brother, but Is probably less often in at the death, These two men have lived in Hardin county all their live and if they are your friends one of the most difficult problems of bear hunting Is solved. They do not hunt for money and they would much rather give you the shot than take it themselves,
 The bear pack Is composed of Dandy, the start dog, and Ramsey, Buck, Ttlng, Drag, Aleck Big Foot and Jacg. Dan- dy is nine years old, entirely deaf, slow of motion, but still the head, the most important dog in the pack. He is a monster hound, probably containing a strain of cur. He is utterly obIivious to every track but that of a bear. He has an unfailng scent and once he strikes trail he never quits until the bear is dead or leaves the country.
 The dogs are fastened together, two Hatffd two, but Dandy is allowed to roai2 s~at will. The others might chase off af- ter deer or bobcat, but the old dog can be tusted to get what the party is hunting for. As soon as the bear leaves his bed upon the approach of the dog the rest of the pack Is unleashed and away they all go, bear and dogs leaving Dandy far behind, still persls- tent, with his nose close to the ground loudly paying and following as fast as his heavy legs will carry him,
 While the writer was in the thicket there were two bears killed. The first one was shot by Mir Lilly in the frst days hunt after a chase of only about half an hour. The second was killed within one day of a week later As this one more closely concerns the wri. ter, the manner of his chase and deatf will be told in detail.
 The hunting party on this occasion was composed of ten people and eigh dogs Leaving camp at half-past ven en in the morning, the middle trail fol the bear grounds-about two miles eoutheast-was taken. A trail in tht Big Thicket is a path cut through tht forests and tangle of underbrush ant usually marked by blazed trees. It ii easy enough to follow in the denst jungles, because there Is no place elst that will permit the free passage of { human being, but in the open forests
 
 find, and once off the trail tenderfoo Is htlpless.
 Ben Hooks and MT. Lilly were il charge of the drive The other mem bers of the party were posted wher the bear might cross the trails. Tn drivers, with the aid of Dandy, wer supposed to find the bear and start tn aAo al fp were mounted and the rest were ol foot. A horse can be ridden on tn trails If the rider does not object t having his knees and shins bumped b, trees, but in the thicket horse is nex to useless to one little used to riding The men who are stationed to watcl for the bear are called stndeers, an this time they were scattered along tn middle trail with two exceptions.
 Bud Hooks was stationed near tn Gum Stick Pond on the Lightning road and John Salter, who had a horse, wa sent to Black Creek four miles to tn south. The writer was given a posi- tion on the middle trail on the sout side of the Hurricane" The Hurri cane is the hiding place of the bear A some remote date a tornado had broke down all the heavy timber for abou half a mile in width and two miles i length. A dense undergrowth tlok tn place of the timber, and a bear ma pass within ten feet of a hunter with out being seen. The hunt always be gins at the Hurricane, and on this oc co eg,,, Pop HoOlys Mir illV and th