New-York tribune., 1911-10-11
BEARS EVADE HEPBURN
Banker Back Empty Handed
from Canadian Wi|dS.
ALL GAME SCARED AWAY
Not Shot in Five Weeks
Puts Blame on Noise Made
by Surveying Party.

A. Barton Hepburn, chairman ~ the
board ~ directors Of the Chase National
Bank. returned Yesterday from an unsuc-
cessful hunting trip after grizzly bears in
! the willis OF British Columbia. along the
banks ~ the Frazer and Bear rivers
He was away hve weeks and travelled
moro than seven thousand miles going 70
/ and coming from the hunting grounds. but
did not succeed in even seeing a bear, much
less getting shot at one Some Of his
Wall Street associates. when they heard
of mis- non-success, said that II he had
remained right here in the Street hs would
| have found the hears not only plentiful but
vorscious and could have had exciting
sport hunting them down.
Mr.. Hepburn. however. was not after the
Wall Street species ~ the bruin family on
this trip. What he wanted was a grizzly
bear. the most dangerous animal 10 hunt
on the North American continent It's skin
would make fine rug for his Office in the
Chase National Bank and he made up his
mind before he started that nothing less
than a grizzly pelt would satisfy him.
7 started out 70 get a grizzly tear,' said
Mr.. HEPBURN IN speaking of his trip yes
terdav, and should probably have sue
cesdod as I had made nv plans with great
care n f. had NOT been for a party Of
British Columbia government surveyors
who reached m. hunting grounds the same
night dld.
Scared the Bears Away
"Thsy we're looking for coal lands and not
for hear but they succeeded IN frightening
away all the game for miles around Their
SURVEYS extended seventv-hve miles down
the Bear River from Bear Lake. and in
order 70 bring up supplies they whipsswed
lumber along the lake 10 build a fiotllla or
boats. and the noise thev made chopping
down trees end hammering drove the hears
all away from the river, where 7 had ex-
pected n shoot them when they came after
Ga lmon."
Tho nanker ucnt IN 70 explain that the
salmon 60 up the Frazier and Bear rivers
10 spawn The Chinook salmon. he said.
spawn IN the rapids below Bear Lake, while
the sock eve salmon. which are smaller. GO
through the lake and spawn in the rapids
above After spawning the fish die and
many Of them foat up on the sandbars in
the rivers where their odor soon attacts the
grizzly hears. who are very partlal 10 sal
mon. Mr.. Hepburn SAID particularly when
they have been dead for several days In
fact he said. the bears usually cache the
sa mon they find on the sandhars. unless
they happen TO be unusually hungry. and
leave them until they have reached Just
the stage AZ which they fnd them most ap-
petizing
Knowing If this predlsction on the part
Of the grizzly for dead salmon and also that
the Frazier and Bear rivers in the vicinity
Of Bear Lake we're the favorte spawning
grounds of the fish, Mr. Hepburn selected
this spot as the most likely place in which
10 bag his game His plan was TO hunt
around the turns Of the two rivers and
shoot br1Iin as he was busy caching a FISH
OF eating one that he had previously
cached on the dav that he reached the
hunting grounds, Mr.. Hepburn said. his
guides found fresh signs Of bear and he was