The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-20
KILL BEAR WITH
BOW AND ARROW
California Sportsmen Use In
dian Weapon Effectively
on $50 Pound Animal.

BAN Francisco, Cal, July lat may
seem unbelievable, nevertheless II Is
true, that Arthur Young and Saxton
Pope Of this city killed In Panther
Canyon. Humboldt county. this State,
a black bear with bow and arrow.
Strange as It may seem to Eastern
hunters, Young and Pope, with other
sportsmen Of San Francisco, have been
hunting with bow and arrow purely for
sport. "a powerful bow is an effective
weapon" says Mr.. Pope. but II takes
months of practice to be able to shoot
It we'll. Such a bow pulls seventy-fve
pounds"
Both these hunters have killed with
bow and arrow rabbits. quail. squirrel.
skunk, fox and even deer and bobcat
When Young and Pope mentioned GO
ing on hunt for bear armed only with
bow and arrow. friends were sceptical,
yet they knew that with these Indian
implements both men had killed deer
ard BOBCATS. These friends maintained
that an arrow would hardly 60 through
the hide of a bear.
Both men knew that bear Is a hard
animal to kill. even with a gun, but his
tory told them OF Indians killing bear
with bow and arrow. So the men de-
t.ded 10 go out on a bear hunt "juet to
ind out how much there was to the
anne"
Arrows Go Through Chest.
In discussing the bear hunt with bow
and arrow, Mr.. Pope says:
We got in communication with
! Thomas Murphy of Blocksburg, Hum
boldt county, who hunts bear as a busi-
ness. He has been at this sort Of thing
FOR thirty years and never fails to get
about a dozen bear every winter. So
we packed UP our strongest bows and
several dozen broadhead arrows, and
Arthur Young and 1 went up to Blocks
burg. a,s'sssa
Murphy was willing 20 let us shoot
at bear, but he insisted upon carrying
gun in case OF accidents. He said he
didn't want to lose a valuable dog over
the affair.
After four unsuccessful hunts, we at
last freed n good sized bear Up a tall
FIR. After securing the dogs. Mr. Young
and took our stand about thirty yards
from tie base OF the tree, on the sidehill
ana let drive two arrows at one time.
Goth shafts struck the bear in the chest.
going completely through. feathers and
all.
Quick as a fash the bear wheeled
about and began descending the tree
We ran up close and shot him again as
he neared the ground. and bounded
down the hill. Murphy turned the dogs
loose. and they ali went crashing
through the brush together.
Eight Arrows Find Mark,
Pretty soon We heard them bay him
again. and we rushed quarter of a mile
down the canyon to find him sitting on
the limb OF another Ar. holding on like
a man. We shot again and he dropped
to the ground, where the dogs heclAd
Kim and went flying past hanging on
to hind leg. The bear Immediately
mounted a nearby oak not over eight
inches In diameter and swung out OH a
| limb.
AT close range We shot arrow atlpt
arrow through his chest while he slipped
further out on the bending limb ana at
hast fell to the ground. rolling over and
over down the canyon. The dogs were
on him In second and by the time We
reached the creek bed the bear was
| dead.
Murphy performed the autopsy, CIV
| Ing the hounds the liver and lights
Eleven arrows had gone through tho
beast, seven OF these through the chest
The lungs were collapsed and pulmonary
| hemorrhage finished him. The first two
shots would have been enough il we
| had waited.
1t was three-year-old female black
bear, weighing about $50 pounds. That
| IL was no larger was no fault of ours
The arrows cut ribs in two at several
points and undoubtedly could have
penetrated any beast, with a hide less
resistant than a hippo or an eleuha nj {"