The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-25
BEaR HUNTING worm wUUr
fnases Tnrouxh Nississippi Bra&r-, Win =,
tI,eiy fight at the Fini,h.

-
'n h,s opinion NO hear hunting that w..
really such hal been talkcd about vs,
II you want bear hunting To talk ,h.,-,
go down and hunt Mississippi bears ,r..,
Then you'll get it,
-MiSsis-Ippl bears are not onlv nuD,.,
aus but they are bug. FAT. wary. tough 40,
full Of fight. Ii Their" IL any wild -.
that requires courage. endurance ,,,
nerve tn enjoy 1t tn the full it - the cb,.,
or "A Mississippi bear through the e. r,,n,,r,
covers and over the devious and ,,pc,.
tain ground where that capahI. r.
must be hunted.
1T IL the acorns. the hickory NUT. ,,g
IN" pecan nuts OF the Nlississippi r,rs.,,
that make those forests "a par,,ii.. g
bears and fit them for superiority IN H.
chase and in edible qualities. IN. -
loves the sweet. RI h. nutritious rnea,s
III these nuts and ras'. He waIs. O.,
on them and they make his flesh sx.o,
juicy, tender and deliciously aHvo,aI
Also they brace him up and put vim -,
him.
The hears of the Mississippi forest.
and canebrake grow to an ,r,.r..
size. 5Oo pounds being u common weigh,
for one in IN. h.efall They do no, h,har
nate and are always ready IL no, e,r.
for fight.
The Mississippi bear hunter trains nj.
horses as we'll as his dogs to hunt tho bin
shaggy game. The man who can 81, !,
horse well cannot have more rhrillir-
sport IL he doesn't mind tho risk Of h.,n-
hanged 10y some pendant vine or knocked
on the head by some low tree limb ,s hs
- borne along through the tangled MACS
~ Mississippi bear hunt in tho wake ~
a vclpinE. determined. keen nosst nar.
of bear dogs.
Tho Mississippi bear dogs are u.uaIIv
meek, Respondent looking Toy hound.
out Of which all scent or knowI.tys -
any OF her game than hears has been broA
or whipped On" Of those dogs fl fc,
no cha-" through forrest bayou and braLe
will b" obliVious 20 de'r. fov. wylIc,, =,
what oyer o. her Wild boasts NAV confirm,
him or cross his path. IND h. will know
ONLY the track Of he bear he il suIloS,n,
-rh" dogs ar" hunted II, packs bat only
one or two are turned into the thicks,
a first These favored ones ar. selected
dogs of tried nose and eSted couraro
They go in q find the bear rack When
they give tongue the hunters know tho
gam. il started. Then the ,esr Of tho
pack il unleasheh and it scurr - to ION
the pioneers Of The chase
The bear viii oft en- lead the hunt miles
through the tangled timber cover and
then suddenly fetch IL up against the
face of bordering canebrake into which
IN. wary hrut" has forced entrance and
il smashing his way along. followed by
the dogs. which find easy thoroughfars
into the unknown depths of il. Horses
must be- abandoned when the hunt en.
count ers n diversion such as this and the
hunter. more than likely already torn
and bleeding from contact with hriers
and vines. must take TO the dense and
seemingly impcnetrable brake or give
up tn" game
Imagine il YOU can wheat field miles
in extent. each straw rising to a height
nI from IS tn ~ feet and standing close
ranked a. wheat itself. mich OF thu Il.
ganric growth fallen and lodged at all
sorts of angles. among thorny vines tina,
drop from the trees that have conquered
foothold in TN. thick.t. and you may
have some idea OF what taxing To thu
brak. means in ths course Of Mis-
sisSippi bear hunt.
Usually bear that has taken to the
brakes v III come To bay or GO I'D n tree
n cypress. generally. before he goes a
great way He will rarely go mon, than
4 ruIs sometimes the dogs will over.
take IN. bear before ha has gon" far into
IN" brake and then Their. vi Ill bs a run
ning fight between the pack and the bear.
The tumult and coinmotion Of such
fient viii Frequently keep along the aig"
81 the brake. 80 near that the waving II
IN" great canes mad" by the struggling
bear and N" dogs NAV he seen hr thu
hunters follow ing IN" face of tn. brake.
hu' moi her dogs nor the hear can ha seen
IN instances Of this X ind IN. bear soma
TUNES at last max 80 a dash for tho or.n
forest again II the dogs are pressing him
too hard
This il the moment the hunters ara
watching for. Az the bear bursts from
IA" canes into the timber border A riAa
bullet NAV bring th.. hunt to u succ,.ssf,Il
ending. If not II - tn horse again. and
run of twelve miles is not tn" unoommon
segue' Of such renewal Of th. chase
before Bruin is again brought % bay bT
tn. pack
But il the bear keeps on into the depths
Of the brake and out Of sound or sign that
makes his presence known 10 the hunter.
he hunter must enter and crawl lahnT-
ou@lv through that tan gled maze. and the
progress - - slow that II will often take
hours for him 10 put a mile or 40 NJ the
nainp'rlng brakes ana 'rtanEung vines
behind hun and come to the spot wherr
the dogs nav. brought the bear To hav
II" NAV find that IN. bear has backed
up against a cypress tree and engaged
the dogs ia combat i'm the d.ns" cane
brake Tn" dogs never heSliatlnG n
accept bears challenge. ~ will bs an ~.
crption fo all Mississippi bear hunts u
from on. to half a dozen dogs are not
stretched hf.le-s abou, the 'r"" where
they have fallen beneath III" '"rrihc
blows of tn" bears sweeping forepaws
Sometime. n hug" bear will b" hidden
from sight beneath an aValanCh" IT does
whom the pack ~ large, buf ~ vi.
~. only moment befor" he hl- sent
enough 81 them hying through IA" AR 70
uncover himself is n target for III" NUM-.
ers gun. And ~ invariably requires
more than one bullet 10 end RI" fight
A Mississippi bear in combat win
pack Of dogs paws no attention 30 tnr
hunters that come uDon tn" scene. nor 20
the missiles they ar" pouring Info ni-
tough bodv IL" fights the dogs W "
his laEi gasp and his last gasp fr"1usn'N
brings the last gasp also - SOM oSs'-
confident or unwi-clv v.ngefnl dog M
Mississippi bear hunt is surely full ~ WI
and vigor II IL bear hunting worm
talking about