The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-05-31
y. +. Drew Demollshes Names
Cherished TRADITIONS

Gall this talk about foxes and bears
being enemies to hens and chickens
Is nonsense; nothing else" asserts
Edward r. Drew, proprietor of Bod
fish Valley Sporting Ranch. He is a
student OF natural history, has spent
many years in the, great woods OF
Maine, and at times has been q, close
observer of the habits Of wild life. He
ought to speak with some degree Of
authority.
"We'ye never lost chick or hen
by either bears or foxes" says Mr..
Drew by way of emphasizing his
claim.
81 always have from 200 to 300 of
them. and they run wild" he goes on.
at is not more than three rods from
my hen house to the big woods, which
stretch away for hundred miles
without q break Bears in those
woods? Certainly. sir, lots of 'em;
and foxes, too They leave my flock
alone. I've seen good many times,
fox playing around among the chick
ems and the hens, but I've never
known them to touch one. Why is
this? My explanation is that the
taste for chicken Is an acquired one
by these animals; that naturally they
have no liking for them, 1t is not
until forced by hunger to kill a chick
en- that they learn to like them. Once
this has come to be, they're bad; I've
got to admit that The same holds
true OF the bears.
"Over In York county, when l used
to live there, it was different. We
knew of lots of hens and chickens
killed by foxes. They had acquired
the taste and II was Transmitted down
to the younger animals. There is
no other way to account for it, Is
the view of Mr.. Drew.
"A fox" he says, "in its natural
wild state lives on small animals,
bats. snakes and birds. Those con-
stitute food enough for them. so that
Il is not until. by some chance or
other. they get taste of poultry
that they become menace to he
locks of domestlcated fowl
BEARS ARE MORE PLENTIFUL
What Is true of the desire for poul-
try, on part of foxes also holds true
with regard to sheep. and this ap-
niles to bears as well. Their taste
for mutton is an acquired, not a
natural one. 1t Is equally true, he
saws. of bears as of foxes that once
thew have tasted lamb they go wild
for It and will slaughter in the most
ruthless manner
But Mr.. Drew isn't doing much wor-
rying about this problem, anyway.
He says lot of claims made to the
State for pay for hens and lambs
killed by deer and foxes never ought
to be paid, but that is for someone
else to look after. The thing which
IL interesting him is the fact that
bears and deer are increasing In this
region. This, says he, Is not guess
work, but demonstrable fact. All that
Is needed Is to travel the woods OF
the section during year. III the
traveller Is one who was here Id or
20 years ago. he will know for pos
five fact that there Is more big game
than back in those other years.
Bears, he says, are becoming more
and more plentiful every year. They
will continue to do SO, in his opinion.
Each winter he picks up few bear
pelts but that Is not the fact upon
which he bases his conclusion that
these animals are increasing. He Is
quite positive that If he were to make
regular business of trapping bears.
he could make good winters work
each year. "If | were to lay out
line of traps up the valleys between
Boarstone and Barrel Mountains and
Barrel and Bear Bluff, I'd get big
CATCH" says he. There Is no ques-
ton on this point That would be
the scientific way to go about trapping
hears in this section. That Is the
way, my wife's grandfather Bodhsh,
who settled this farm in 1897, under