The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1920-11-04
Adventurous Hunting Trip

Capt. C. French Smith and Edward
N. Snow. both of Skowhegen, now
residing In Montreal, had a short but
very interesting hunting trip over the
weekend of October 18th.
Canadian Thanksgiving which came
on October IS, made a very fine week
end for q pleasure trip. Smith and
Snow with two other fellows, Wooten
and Morudge OF Montreal went to
NORM Heights on the previous Satur-
day this town being a mountain pleas
fifty miles north of Montreal.
Smith carried only his army As
Colt automatic revolver while the 9TH
er had rifles. The bush was found
to be too noisy to have any chance
with deer 80 they devoted their time
to partridge and rabbits but hoped to
have a shot at deer. Smith was
especially lucky with his Colt secur-
Ing two cartridges and two rabbits.
One afternoon Wooten and Snow
we're very late In starting for home as
they had been trying to catch sight OF
a large buck which snorted and
stamped his defiance from thick
cluster of bushes AS they took to
the rough mountain trail home they
passed along the side of a ravine.
Here they could hear animals tramp
ing about the bush. one OF which was
only few yards away at one time. 1t
became 30 dark that it was impossi-
BILE to see any object over twenty feet
away, 30 after a fruitless effort to
see what the animals were they
started for home leaving what they
supposed to be deer behind them
feeding. Little did they know that If
they had suddenly come upon their
game that they might have been more
tightly squeezed than they ever were
before unless they had been very
quick with their game.
The next day after several hours Of
hunting Wooten stopped at the head
of the trail to look for deer while
Snow proceeded down the trail a
short distance from the place the an
imals were the evening before. Sew
eral hundred yards away he saw the
bushes move very violently on the OPP
posite mountain top and a dark OBJ
ject came into view followed by two
others. Snow Immediately recogniz-
ed them as three black bears and
evidently the animals that they had
heard the previous evening. He
quickly opened fire, but 1t was not
until after six shots that the bears re-
treated over the mountain, evidently
unhurt. Shows rife was only
sighted for two hundred yards and
not being a powerful one did not
carry the distance accurately.
With only three cartridges left
Snow took after the bears and search
ed the mountain for their trail but 1t
was lost among the rocky slopes. They
had disappeared as quickly as they
had appeared.
The other hunters hearing the rapid
firing came running to the spot but
too late to take part in the shooting,
Smith was very anxious to try out his
Colt Automatic on larger game after
being 80 successful on the smaller
variety.
Wooten decided on the spot that had
the three bears suddenly appeared In
the dark the previous evening that he
would have followed the cow over the
moon rather than be Rugged by a
mother bear with two husky cubs
They still have hopes Of meeting the
bears again this fall at closer range
but they have decided that in all
events they will be careful who they
let by them in the dark.
E. N. SNOW.