Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-02-09

81 set my traps the latter part of
September Mr.. Robinson went ON,
'and visit them twice week until
the season ends, which is after deep
snow and cold weather come. The
bears hibernate then and | spring the
traps and leave them.
For bait | use most anything. They
like salt salmon, but more depends on
common sense in setting the traps than
ON the bait. They have certain places
where they cross the mountains, and
if you can find those places you are
likely to have good luck. I have
trapped many years, but / never had
much luck until the past seven years
The bear business has helped me out
better than 800 the past fall.
"Thcre is bounty of $40 on each
bear. and the pelts are worth SIS or
more. There ism t much demand for
bear skins in the fur market, though,
but you can usually find somebody who
use as rug. The meat / can dispose
of at home.
In the summer time the bears eat
berries, nuts and roots, and occasion
ally they make a raid on some sheep
pasture. Only last fall they killed sew
cral sheep in an East Dover pasture "
The bears which Mr. Robinson has
shot have ranged in weight from 175
to 270 pounds, but specimens weighing
more than 400 pounds have been shot
a short distance from West Wardsboro
in Stratton. Not all of his trophies
| have been taken in traps.
He carries rife on his trips, but a
short time ago he happened to be in
the neighborhood of one of his traps q
day earlier than usual and on visiting
4 them found that one was holding a
| prize. lie borrowed n shotgun and
went up within 90 feet of Bruin before
firing. Most bears in traps act like
| whipped dogs declared Mr.. Robinson,
"but this one hadn' been caught long
enough to take the sand out of him and
was pretty scrappy. He rose up on
his launches and tried to put up n
fight, but the drag held so he couldn t
do any harm. -
Being blacksmith, Mr.. Robinson
makes his own traps, and when setting
them he attaches them to drags, which
are heavy sticks or pieces of log
When the bear jumps after the trap is
sprung the drag yields n little. Other
wise the bear might tear himself free
before the jaws of the trap got firm
| hold.
owe We got little band in West
| Wardsboro that four of my boys and
play in, - Mr.. Robinson volunteered
~ play the bass drum, Dorian and Adj
dis play comets, Travis plays the b fla
bass and Gregory plays trombone
We've had quite lot of jobs. Adds
who is ., can make the cornct talk
Mr., Robinson was born in Yves
Wardaboro Oct. IA, 1876. son of Ma
hum and Catherine (Vaile) Robinson
He always has lived in that part o
the town. For II years he has don,
blacksmithing, most of the time in thu
village, but his shop is now on his farm
and most of the work he does in tina
line now is to accommodate the neigh
bors.
While working in the Waterbury
VT, asylum Mr.. Robinson met Mis-
Margaret Curran Of Poughkeepsic, n
Y, and they were married Dee. 81
1900. They have eight children: Do
rian ID, Travis ID, Gregory 10, Paul 4
Adds Q, John 3, Catherine s, and Hen
ry |.
lie has three brothers, Fred, Almol
and Eden, all of West Wardsboro anC
four sisters, Hila, wife of Frank +,
Ray of Wilmington, Avis, of Brattle
boro, widow of Henry Waite, Clara
wife of William r. Nash of Chicope,
Falls, Mass, and Nora. wife of Lut,
Kendall of West Wardsboro.