Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-02-28

N\yMM side By side.
81 r. \ Sometimes just
little ridge might have separated US.
where l could see, possibly the next
morning after, that he had been hav-
ing fine feast in a BURBERRY patch.
One night we We're little more so
ciable. I had just removed the pelt
from coyote, and had intended car
,ry1ng the carcass away from camp the
next day, but left 1t that night few
feet from my tent. During the night
my friend (who, by the way, always
reminds me of a good-natured boy
with fur overcoat on) !. came down
and saved me the trouble by carrying
1t away for me. did not hear him
arrive, for believe I was asleep. but
the telltale tracks were enough to
convince me In the morning. And so
by having lived with him in his own
home, watched, photographed, and
studied his ways, / can set down for
those who may be interested, some OF
his characteristics and habits.
The range OF the black bear ex
tends from Mexico to Alaska; and
they have been met with In nearly
every state and territory within the
United States: also Labrador, Province
Of Quebec, Alberta and Assiniboia,
British Columbia, and the Mackenzie
River basin. All black bears hibernate
during the winter months. There are,
however, woodsmen in the south who
disagree with me on this point, saying
they have seen their tracks during
every month Of the winter, and the
mild climate does not force them to
lay up in cave or den as 1t would IN
the more severe weather OF northern
latitudes. l have myself seen bear
tracks during the winter months. and
even In the deep snow Of the northern
state. u But this Is the exception, and
l. have no doubt that these bears are
simply shifting to another sleeping
place, having been driven out for one
reason or another. Their dens may
not have been well chosen, and they
possibly became leaky, or exposed to
the winds, or some hunter might pass
that way with a keen nose and an In
quisitive canine that would cause him
to roll out In a hurry. 1t is safe to
say all black bears den up both north
and south, sometime between Novem.
Der and January l, depending on
the altitude, weather and latitude.
They emerge In the spring, usually
from the first part of April to the mid
die of May, according to conditions,
the males often appearing some two
weeks before the females. It is at
this time In the spring, JUST after they
have left their winter quarters, that
bears pelt is in its prime. During
Information, as no food is laid up,
they, Of course, do not eat, nor do
they drink, unless they make use Of
the snow that has fallen about them.
Contrary to the general supposit1on,
they are not in a deep coma or hazy
condition, for they are easily aroused.
1t is true that they sleep, but are
quick to detect danger and fully equal
to the occasion Of making OF and
looking up other quarters If dis
turbed. ,$.s
The cunning little cubs (for what
deserves the name more than little
woolly, back cub p are brought forth.
during Information, usually between
February 1 and March l., and 1t is
several weeks before they are able to
leave the den with their mother. From
one to four cubs may be born--I
would say two or three is the aver:
age; four is rare, but three is often
met with, and a she-bear followed by
one cub does not always indicate that
the young hopeful had no brothers
or sisters. as they may not have sur
vived all the dangers Of cubdom. AT
birth they are ridiculously small, COM,
pared with the size Of the mother,
and weigh but few ounces. l have
never weighed one, but understand
that DR.. Hornaday, director of they
New York Geological park, has, and
their weight runs from 8 to 10 ounces,
depending on the number in the lit
ter Their eyes are closed-they have.
no teeth, nor have they their little
furry. jacket as yet. The reason ad-
vanced for bears being SO unusually
small at birth, is that the old bear
having remained all winter without
food, and not being able to forage for
some weeks after the young are born,
1t would naturally be a great drain
to nurse cubs that weighed several
pounds. So Nature has thus provided
In this way. +, 5.
Unlike the grizzly, the black bears
mate every year, or nearly so. Griz-
zlys may be put down for about every
other year. When the cubs are from
six to eight weeks old, they are able
to accompany their mother and do SO
all during that summer. It is usually
about berry time before the little fel-
lows develop a grown-up appetite and
commence to rustic for themselves.
Not very long after this the old bear
drives them OF to shift for them
selves. In some cases they have been
found denning the following fall with
their mother, but this is unusual.
Now a little bear knows exactly
what he wants, and what is good to
eat just as we'll as you do. He knows
every root, every bulb, every berry
that will make him fat and happy.
How does he know this? I cannot
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