Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-08-22
The End of Big Foot.

The old guide, a man sixty-eight years
old, lean and drawn, but with a step like
that OF prancing coyote and an eye that
shone like boys, told this story OF griz-
zly-hunting in the Bitter Root Mountains
TO Mr.. Charles Askins, who tells it over
again in the pages OF Recreation.
Gradually the guide, mellowed by the
rest and the fire and the ease of the mo-
ment, began to tell of some of the events
in which he had borne part in the days
when the world was younger and the
woods more menacing in respect to the
foes they held. II thus came about that
he told the story of the killing ofthe great
grizzly, Big Foot,
Old Big Foot had become the biggest
nuisance in the Bitter Roots, and some
body just had to kill him. He had lost
his taste for berries and bugs and fish;
nothing less than calves, cattle and horses
would do for him. II took lot of them
to last him a year, and nobody could get
shot at him except when he was hunt
ing for them, and that is bad time to
kill grizzly bear.
A man generally has an idea that if he
were pushed to it he could just about
hold his own in foot-race with bear,
and that he is perfectly safe on horse.
That's where he fools himself. If a bear
like Big Foot gets within fifty feet of your
horse before your pony starts TO run,
you're gone. He comes at you like some
thing that has been fired out of a cannon.
Two of the range boys tried TO get old
Big Foot once, and only one Of them got
away. They tied their horses ,and follow
ed him into rough place. After the
scrap tle one that got away looked back
just once from the next hill. What he
saw he never liked to talk about.
That caused a reward to be offered for
Big Foot, and the first snow that fell, my
brother and went after him on horse
back. We struck his trail in the morning,
and followed it until along in the after
noon. The last three hours we went
pretty careful, for we could tell by the
trail that he knew we were after him.
He was making for rough ground, and
likely TO get into the mountains, where
horses could not follow. The trail led
into a little clump OF jack-pines not over
a half-acre, but thick. We separated,
going one to each side, so as TO strike
the trail quicker.
Before | had gone my way twenty
yards | heard behind me great growl
that was half cough and half roar. !
turned in time to see Big Foot break COW
er and rush at my brother. Bill tried to
shoot, but his horse pivoted on his hind
legs and swung about too quick for him.
The bear had only forty feet to go. The
first twenty he seemed to cover at a
bound. He lighted on his hind legs and
jumped from them like kangaroo. He
jumped again In just the same way, lung
ing forward as he struck the ground, and
bringing one big paw down on the pony's
back, raking blow that fell just behind
the saddle. The horse pitched forward
and fell on his side, with his back broken.
Bill was underneath.
The bear had lost his balance, and
Strengthened up to see where to place the
next blow. Of course had been trying
to get sight all the time, but knew il
must be head shot or nothing. When
he Strengthened up ! fired at his head
and he went down with hardly kick.
My brother was laughing and kicking
at the horse when got to him. He was
still laughing when pulled him out, and
not hurt a bit. Yet he was the worst
scared man ever saw. You cannot tell
what man will do when he is scared,
whether he will laugh or cry or run, but
generally he will fight.