The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-03-12
HUNTING BEAR WITH SPEARS.
One of the Methods of Killing Bruin
I'm Northern Europe.

had the satisfaction Of killing fair
number of bears. the biggest and
perhaps the most interesting game
OF Northern Europe, and have stud
led the ways Of these animals both in
Sweden and in Finnish and Russian
Karalia, where / have come across
thirty-six bears all together, and
have myself killed or caught twenty
three, including six young ones. Ny
Russian and Finnish bear hunting has
always taken place in winter, but
II has been done In various ways.
The one which has afforded me the
greatest amount OF enjoyment Is
hunting the bear on skis, and will
first relate my experiences in that
direction.
1 have twice hunted a bear with
the spear; on one occasion the lair
was in a boggy country. and We soon
found the entrance. outside Of which
I took up my position, armed with
my bear spear. which Is a strong ash
pole rather more than six feet long
with steel point Of about twelve
inches; in order to project it against
the teeth Of the bear the lower part
Of the pole Is covered with copper.
The moment the bear appeared
tried to hit him In the throat, but
he parried with his paw and my
spear miscarried. The bear came
further out and I managed to thrust
my spear we'll into his chest, he got
furious and bit viciously at the cop
per coating, at the same time trying
to knock the spear out of my hand
with his paw.
He used his teeth with such force
that they almost penetrated the cop
per. and higher up the pole he tore
out great splinters of wood. 1t took
me all my time to hold my own
against him. but by degrees he tired
and lay down at the entrance to the
liar. 1 drew out the spear to let the
blood flow more freely. but the bear
still had strength enough to snap at
the point of the spear with such vio-
lence that ne made some big marks
on the metal with his teeth. My
friend now came up and gave him
the coup de grace with his spear.
The fight lasted about five minu-
tes
To tackle bear with a spear in
the summer time when the ground
Is bare Is a serious business. although
I have heard Of Laps doing it; but
the bear Is as 1.-THE as a cat and uses
his paws with surprising rapidity and
force. Even in winter, when snow
somewhat hinders his movements,
one needs a cool head and strong
arm. e
A we'll known Norwegian bear
hunter. commenting upon the use of
the spear when bear hunting. either
when rousng a bear from his lair or
when IN pursuit of a wounded bear,
recommends in the latter case that
the spear should be so carried that it
trails on the ground with the bottom
end and the point little behind ones
body. When the bear rushes at the
hunter the latter steps back one step
and the bear spits itself on the spear
which with its other end finds support
on the ground.
1t Is more especially in northern
Norway that the spear is used at bear
hunts, and such spears are often
handed down from father to son
through several generations, the same
spear often having been the
death OF many a bear. It's handling
requires both great GOODNESS and
adroitness and now that both maga-
zine rifle and revolver are used in
bear hunting the use Of the spear is
less frequent than formerly. mem
Der of the recent Danish Literary
Greenland expedition relates how the
polar Eskimo hunts the ice bear with
spear. considering ii below the dig
nifty OF bear hunter to use firearms
oil