Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-04-01
HUNTING BEAR WITH SPEARS
One of the Methods of Killing Bruia IN
Northern Europe

During the la@ few years | have hal
the satisfaction Of killing fair nuu
Der of bears. the biggest and perhaDs
the most interesting game of nortbprl,
Europe. and have studied the WAYS nj
rheSs animals both in Sweden and in
Finnish and Russian karelia where I
have come across thirty-Six bears alto
getheT, and have myself killed or caught
twenty-threc. including six young one,
Ny Russian and Finnish bear hunting
has always taken place IL winter bur
ii has been done in various ways The
one which has afforded me the Creates
amount of enjoyment is hunting the
bear ON skis. and | will first reiate nav
experiences III that direction.
| have twice hunted the beaF with
the spear. on one occasions the lair
was in boggy country, ana we soou
found the entrance, outside which |
took mp my position, armed with my
spear. which is strong ash pole Father
more than feet long, with Il steel point
of about II inches; in order to pro
tect it against the teeth of the bpay.
the lower part Of the pole is covered
with copper. The moment the bear APP
peared | tried to hit him in the throat.
but he parried with his paw and nv
spear miseaFried. The bear came fur
Their out and | managed to thrust nv
spear well into his chest. he got furi-
ous and bit vicousiS at the copper coat
ing at the same time trying to knock
the spear out of nay hand with his paw.
He used his teeth with such force that
they almost penetrated the copper 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 bv
degrees he tired and lay down at the
entrance to the lair. drew out the spear
to, lei the blood flow more freely but
~ h.,.l .srsD }, Ii
to snap at the point of the spear with
such violence that he made some biz
marks in the metal with his teeth. My
friend now came up and gave him, the
coup de grace with his spear. The Elht
lasted about five minutes.
To tackle II bear with a spear in the
summer time when the ground is bare
is serious business although | have
heard of laps doing it: but the bear is
as 1.-the as a eat and uses his paws with
surprising rapidity and force. Even in
winter, when snow somewhat binders his
movements, one needs a cool head and
q strong arm.
A well-known Norwegian bear hunter
commenting upon the use of the spear
when bear hunting, either when rousing
II bear from his lair or when i'll pursuiC
of woG..ded bear, recommends in the
latter case that the spear should be 50
carried that it trail on the ground with
the bottom end and the point held a lit
tie 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 sup
port on the ground,
1t is more especially in northern Nor
way that the spear is used at bear hunts
and such spears are often handed down
from father to son through several gen
erations, the same spear often having
been the death of many a bear. Its
handling requires both great GOODNESS and
adroitneSs and now that both magazine
rifle and revolver are used in bear hunt
ing the use Of the spear is less frequent
| than formerly. a member of the recent
| Danish Literary Greenland expedition
relates how the polar Eskimo hunts the
! ice bear with spear. considering it be
| low the dignity of bear hunter to use
] firearms.