The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-01-04
NO MOOSE EVER
Tired" A MAN
Old Maine Guide Declares AMI
mails Never Attack a HUI
man Being
ExPLODES POPULAR FABLES
Takes Little Stock in Birch-Bark Horn
calls-ln Mating Season Bulls
Will Respond to Any
Noise.

Bangor, Me.-According to old Ben
York, famous hunter and guide in
Maine for 60 years, no moose ever was
known to stree" q man in the sense in
which the term is generally under
stood, numerous reports to the con-
trary being fables or at best exaggera-
tons.
"In my day." said Ben York, IT have
seen thousands of moose and killed
hundreds of them. / have followed
them days and nights, at all seasons. l
have watched them for days at time
to learn their tricks; have kept them
in fenced Enclosures near my camp for
years at time, and have tanned and
driven them to harness all along the
West Branch. More than all this, /
have questioned reliable hunters and
wOOdsmen who were alive and active
when there were as many moose in
Maine as there are hedgehogs now,
and I have never known or learned
from any reliable sources of single
instance of a human being being
Act Strangely at Times.
During the mating season." says
York, ''the bulls act very strangely at
times, rushing about in an aimless
manner, climbing steep hills, swim
ming furious streams and placing
themselves i'll peril of their lives in
many ways. While the fury for COM
bat is on an old bull he will crash
through the woods, running his head
against rocks and trees and often in
Turing himself seriously. If a man
should get in the bulls way at such
time, why, very likely he would be-
come a candidate for the hospital. At
such a time the bull never stops to
note how much damage he has done.
He keeps racing right along at top
speed until he gets all tagged out or
meets a rival for the object of his af-
fectiOns.
"The stories that some guides tell"
said York, "abOut moose driving
hunters into trees and standing guard
over them all night, paving the
ground and believing with rage, are
inventions of nature takers to awe
greenhornS. I am convinced that no
moose ever deliberately attacked a
human being, unless wounded and
crazed with pain, in which condition
the meekest of animals often become
dangerous and whoever tells of be-
ing freed by a moose at any time or
under any circumstances is drawing
upon his imagination.
II have seen two bull moose fight"
he says, "while l stood within a few
rods of them, and keep up the battle
for half an hour without becoming
aware of my presence. At other times
have padded up to mother moose
when she was feeding on the roots OF
pond lilies with her head under water,
and drawn off half pint of her milk
without alarming her. 1 have seen
moose fight with wolves and bears,
and have observed their extreme So
licitude for their young; but never
yet have 1 seen or known of moose
freeing a human being.
No Use for Moosehorn.
"While I'm talking about moose"
York said, Il want to say that l take
no stock in the so-called moosehorn
for calling bulls to their destruction
in the mating season. The COW moose,
whose cry is said to be closely imi-
tated by the birch-bark horn, utters
a long and dolorous wall at times,
whatever the time of year. / have
stood close by several times while
COW moose were making such cries,
but never knew a bull to respond, al
though 1 have waited for hours. All
through the mating season the bulls