Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1916-09-14
Hunting Experience Of Harrison Mdrldge.
BY L. d. LOWE.

worK anu SeGulng ready lot his
fall hunting, Harrison arose ear
)y one morning and started out
on his journey across the noun
tains, carrying his flint-lock ri
tle, tomahawk and dirk, with
ample bread and salt for himself
and dogs, and trusting his luck
for a supply Of wild meat from
the hunt in the mountains.
The day was warm, and after
crossing the numerous ridges
and as many ravines, he halted
near the crest OF a ridge to take
a rest: and as his two dogs had
not had the excitement of a chase
during the day, and had only ac-
companied their master in a leis-
urely way, they dropped down
nearby and were soon fast asleep,
but Harrison, with his ver-
watchful eye, was looking across
the cove to the top of a ridge a
halfmile away, where he discov-
cred q dark object moving ar
ound through the weeds. He
could see that the animal would
go a short distance, then stop,
and then move on a few yards
and stop again; and from obser-
vations made in the forests be.
fore, he concluded it was a bear.
So be called to his dogs and fan.
ked around a knob for the pur-
pose of approaching the bear
from the opposite side OF t h e
ridge. After gauging the dis
tance as nearly as he could he be.
gan to ascend to the top of the
ridge, making as little noise as
possible and keeping his dogs be.
hind him. When he reached the
top of the ridge he looked down
into the fiat below and found the
Old bear tearing rotten logs to
plec6s and two cubs by her side
Ricking up bugs and other in.
sects.
When Harrison discovered the
mother bear and her cubs he
knew that trouble would begin as
soon rs the dogs attacked them.
He discovered a rock ledge about
fifteen feet in height and climbed
to the top of that and told the
dogs to go. Upon the approach
of the dogs the old bear began
to pop her teeth together a n d
chase first one dog and then an
other, while the cubs would run
after their mother, and in turn
ing from one of the dogs to the
other she found that she was too
much handicapped by her chill
dren; then she began to slap and
box the cubs, like a mother would
chastise a child for some frivo-
lons offense, until she made them
understand that their presence
was not needed in this engage
ment, and the cubs ascended
trees out Of reach of the dogs.
When the mother saw this was
accomplished and her cubs were
out OF her way, she again turned
on the dogs and while she would
be chasing one the other would
be swapping her from behind,
while Harrison would look on
with intense interest, fearing that
his dogs would be killed, a n d
would often be tempted to de-
scend from his perch and engage
in the conflict, but he knew that
this would be risky IN case he
came in close quarters and his
gln should fail to fire.
Occasionally the bear would
reach out with one OF his great
paws and brush one of the dogs,
and, in the meantime, Harrison
was trying to get a shot. Soon
one Of the dogs ran towards a
large log which was lying across
some other logs with an open
4 space between the log and the
ground, and as the dog was pass
ing under the log the bear at
tempted to cross over it; while in