The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-10-30
Frontiersmen Found Old Bruin an Unpredictable Fighter
Tho Usually Loser in End, the Bear Often Left Lasting
Marks, If Not Unsightly Wounds Upon His Attackers

Early-day Montana history teens
with "bear' stories. some good,
some bad, some Indifferent. They
range from the kind that Jim
Rocky mountain guides, scouts and
trappers, used to tell, which left
nothing whatever to the imagina-
ton of his listeners n were cas-
lily attributed to his penchant for
drawing the long bow" to real
adventures which most frequently
ended in the death of the bear, but
which at times brought serious
and permanent injury to bruins
victims.
Two of the most interesting stories
about Montana pioneers who had mar
row escapes in encounters with mighty
grizzlies, concern Joe Deschon, a full
blooded Chippewa Indian. known also
a. Joe BuShaw and Joe Bush, and Bill
Weaver, an old-time hunter OF cen.
trail and northern Montana, who left
the country many years ago to trap
along the lower reaches OF the Mis-
SisSippi river in Louisiana.
Weaver came through his experience,
which consisted in being chased by
seven bears, with no more damage
than losing considerably more than
half of his clothing.
Returns for His Pipe
Deschon wa less fortunate. He lost
his lower left jawbone and came near
losing his life. Even with such a serious
injury, however, he was out OF bed
again in 25 days and his first move
was to return to the scene of his bat
tie with the bear to hunt his pipe,
which he had lost in the fray. He
found it close by where one of his
five teeth still adhering to it just as
the bears teeth had torn it away from
his head.
Deschon, at the time, nearly 60 years
ago, was working for James Fergus, as
a stock hand, and was camped with two
of his uncles and several white men
on Armells creek between the North
Moccasin and Judith mountains, be-
tween which ranges and the bahamas
of the Missouri river, Fergus, n OF
the first cattlemen in central Mon
lana. was ranging 1000 head of stock.
Joe, then a youth of II, along with
the others, was engaged in cutting
timber.
For three successive mornings young
Deschon had found that his ak was
not where he had left it the night be.
fore, but had been carried or knocked
some distance away. The third morn
ing he discovered bear tracks and fol-
lowed them. He had ridden only a snort
distance when he came upon the pear.
HE NdC d SlA-SllOolCl AZ $4,000
was afraid to tackle the animal with
so light a weapon and returned to camp
for his rifle, a 45-70 Sharp's single
shot. He told the others where ne was
going and one of his uncles n Dlck
Dean. a white man with the outfit,
went back with him.
Bear Turns and Charges
Reaching the spot where Joe mad
seer the bear, they found that the I'M
-.z1 lal o~{arol fhioH hr11Sh TheV leIG
horses to follow it. Deschon, IN
the laad. came upon the bear first and
shot and wounded it. 1t plunged ahead
in the brush with Joe after 1t, reload
ing his rifle. He shot and again M
ed The animal. This time the bear
turned and charged him as he was Try.
ing to reload. The shell stuck.
The bear knocked him several yards
two different times with swings OF us
paWs and the second time bit ana
ciaWed him before he could regain MS
feet and get out of the way. He dropped
his rifle and grabbed the beast by the
ears, trying to hold its head way so
that it couldn't bite him. Inc pear
was too much for him. 1t tore away
his lower Jaw with its teeth and bit
him other places in the head. Then
the Indian thought of the six-shooter
at his belt. He drew it and fired i've
shots into the body of the grlzzly' KILL
ing it,, To-, n;nned be-
meath until his companions, guloeo Dy
his shots, reached the scene ~
dragged it off him. They bound up nus
wolinds as best they could and earned
him to camp. From there he was load,
ed into a lumber wagon n nauleo
az miles to Fort Maginnis, an army
post, for medical attention.
Deschon lived to a ripe old age aha
was for many years a resloenI u 'ne
Blackfeet reservation. Il
Weaver Uses Strategy
weayer,s experience with bears was
moi; so narrowing. It occurred during
the early seventies when he was stay
ING with John La Mott, who had a
cabin at the mouth OF Eagle creek on
the north side of the Missouri river
near the Bears Paw mountains. WINE
hunting one day he ran on to a group
of seven grizzly bears. Weaver a
plenty of nerve, but he was also eau
tio,Is and seven bears were more than
he cared to tackle alone.
The bears, however, seemed TO p
preciate their advantage, and chased
Weaver. AS the hunter ran ne discard
ed his wearing apparel, a piece al
time. AS the foremost bear would stop
to sniff and claw the garment, Weaver
would turn and shoot it. In this way
he dropped six of the bears. :,
The Seventh was close upon him and
gaining rapidly. Weaver had no more
clothing that he could discard without
stopping. He always asserted that ne
resorted to strategy at the finish py
allowing the peal to overtake him. AT
any rate when the bear was almost
upon him he turned, thrust the muz-
zie of the rifle into the animals mouth
and shot and killed it.
Weaver went home, arriving there
nearly naked. He told the story OF his
adventures, and mex day. accompanied
by La Mott and another man n was
staying with them, returned to skin
the bears.
found where it had fallen, but where
Weaver had downed the other six, were
found only pools of blood, with trails
leading off into the brush.
Weaver wanted to follow the !
IT. L,,A = Mott opd tho other man