The Glenwood post., 1910-01-08


in search of deer or moose
the hunter comes upon an
other animal the sight of
which makes his heart beat faster
than did ever the sight of antlered
game and causes him to bring his rifle
into speedy action. More often it is
the farmer living in an isolated re-
Eion who comes upon this brute, the
Maine black bear, as the big fellow
makes off with one of his lambs. In
either case, be it sportsman or farm
er who sees the bear, the view he
gets is likely to be short unless he
brings the animal down, for this big
brute with all his strength and for
midable teeth and claws is no fighter
and prefers running to fighting on al
most all occasions.
Black bears are found in Maine in
every county in the state with the
exception of the most southerly coun-
ties west of Penobscot bay. but are of
course most numerous where the deer
and moose are also found in greatest
numbers, in northern Hancock, Wash
ington, Penobscot, Franklin and Som
erset counties and the vast region
embraced by Piscataquis and Aroos-
took counties, most of which is heav-
lily timbered.
Years ago black bears were COM
mon in the regions named, but the
advance of civilization has made far
greater inroads on their numbers than
on the deer and moose. The animals
were hunted for their fur and for the
bounty placed upon them by the state
legislature.
The bears had no friend. They
were killed at any and every time of
year, for even in the summer months
when their fur was of no value the
bounty made hunting them worth
while. This indiscriminate hunting of
course speedily thinned out the ranks
of Bruin.
A few years ago the bounty of
five dollars was removed, and since
then the hunters have lost most of
their fervor. Beers are killed now
wherever they are found by the
ordinary hunters, but the men who
made business of trapping and hunt
ing them have gone out of the busi
ness except for few months in the
year when the fur is in prime condi-
ton.
The Maine black bear is queer
animal. In his makeup there seems
to be combination of the character
istics of the hnman, the cat, the hog
the raccoon, the squirrel and several
other animals. Though his natural
method of loN)motion is on all fours,
he can walk upright almost as easily
and steadily MS a man, and there is
something laughably human in the
way one Of these big brutes will sit
up on his launches and reach a fat
forepaw around to scratch his ribs.
At many times the bear displays al
most human intelligence in the man
ner In which he evades traps and
deadfalls set for his destruction.
No member OF the cat family could
be quicker with stroke of its fore
paw than ia 4 black bear, and the
bear has his paws armed with claws
which a tiger or lion might envy.
With his forepaws the bear can strike
q blow, with the swiftness and skill OF
a trained boxer, and many are the
woodsmen who have found this out to
their cost when they have tried to
kill one of these animals with the
stroke Of an ak. One stroke of that
great paw will ward of violent blow
and another may send the wielder Of
the ak spinning 20 feet away. A black
bear will ascend a tree with the agil-
ity of cat and does so frequently to
get the various nuts which form q
choice bit of his diet.
| In general, appearance the black
bear resembles the hog more than
any other animal. The head with its
round skull. sharp snout. short point
ed ears and bright beady eyes is like
'Aat Of hog. while the bear will eat