The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1908-10-16


Within the last few years | have
enjoyed any amount of experience in
bear hunting, mainly throughout Fin
nish and Russian Kareen, where l
have accounted for over a score or
more of these fascinating beasts. My
hunting in Finland and Russia has al
ways been in winter time The most
pleasrTable hunting trip that l can
recall was one carried out on ski. The
starting-point for this. as for most of
my expeditions, was the little village
OF Snojarvi situated on the lake of
the same name, IA Swedish (S4 Eng
/ lish) miles to the east of Wartsila,
in Finnish Karelen. A bear had been.
ringed within four miles of this vii
lage, and my friend Herr Siogren.
who had purchased the ring kindly
invited me. in company with the cele-
brated hunter, Capt. Bjorkenstam. to
take part in the hunt. Herr C. Bro
berg, a nephew of Finlands foremost
bear hunter, Capt. Hook, offered to be
my interpreter, and have had every
reason to congratulate myself on the
association thus begun with this in
trepid hunter.
At dawn We left the village and
traversed the greater part of the dis
tanee in sledges. Then on ski we
came to a dense thicket wherein our
bear was surmised to have slowed
| himself away for his long winters
nap. 1t had been ascertained that he
had taken up his quarters on BRAT"
II. e., above ground, on a bed made
of moss and twigs with the trunk
of fallen tree to roof him. Capt
Bjorkenstam and volunteered to
make our way into the dense brush
wood and have look round. ! was
a few yards ahead of my friend. when
my eye was arrested by the sight of
| some dark object protrudng from
beneath the shadow of Il pine.
grasped the fact with some tumultu-
GUS humping of the heart-for was
serving my novitiate-that there
snuggled, unaware and unsuspecting
the object of our call. ! halted; our
visit was unexpected, unprepared for,
and the gentle soul might shyly de-
camp. Hastily | took aim and fired
My bear as hastily vanished. melting
away with phantasmal precipitancy
into space. I ran to the charmed spot
where he had lain and searched eager
ly for CORY traces that might show
my bullet had not been msspent.
No trace was visible, but a plowed
furrow through the snow indicated
the direction he had taken. The long
fur of his coat had been my undoing
| and my bullet had flown too high.
followed hotly in pursuit with Bro
berg at my heels. and mcmorably
exciting race followed. At last, on
Il more sparsely wooded tract, where
we could increase our speed con
siderably, we sighted the broad back
of the runaway some yards ahead of
us. A grand spectacle he presented,
this great black furry object, fioun
dering with heavy tread through the
pure white snow, against the vast
shadowy background of stately pines
in their wintry dress. | opened fire;
the beast growled savagely shook
himself painfully, yet doggedly pro
ceeded on his course of retreat: then
my second bullet laid him prone His
chase had lasted just three-quarters
of an hour.
Another bear had lodged himself
for the winter in cave made by
himself in the bowels of mother earth
and under cover of a huge PROSTATE
pine. After locating him, | gave my
foresters the order to halt, and pro
ceeded alone. Advancing cautiously,
so as not to disturb his slumbcrs.
hesiiated some moments over the fall
en- tree trunk. for round and about
it's roots noticed the snow w:.s dis
co!ored and of bruwnish hue. !
guessed this TO be the ventlator and
the entrance to the den. ! announced
my coming by repeated shouts, but its
occupant made no sign. | thereupon
called one of my men and baie him
fell young tree. and use 1t as a stake
to stir up the sluggard. A formidable
roar was the immediate result OF
these tactics; out rushed the land
lord of the besieged premises with an
expression of countenance that spoke
of .ospitable intentions of the warm
est description. l judged fit not to
await this welcome. and he straight