Bear Hunting in the Far West

Manawatu Herald, Issue III, 4 February 1890, Page 3

Bear Hunting in the Far West

„. » An Old G'dide's Story Ok Ai»vrxtube. ■iq be continued. 44 Pretty soon we heard the buying of tiie coyotes, an I we knew they had S^und the trail. They came down the soent the elk had made from every direction and completely surrounded the carcass. The cowardly little

Tf helps barked and yelped at v, but fi ding it really dead they pitched in, And -were making a good square wtnlwhen the heavy baying up the -rails told us that the grey wolves were coming down. The c yotes made off &3 fast as they could go They have a mortal terror of tbe bife grey mountain wolves aud are coraiallv dydikfcsdbv^bem. The grey $offlss«jfigflhe ,|bg&ui£:?fii{d \fx\r gorged themselves wheii 'tho^ppcu'liar cry of the wolverine, or maneater, of the Booky Mountains, startled them.from their f«mst. This hideous and ferobious beast^ is the Ishmaelite of the Plains, and we 1 he «le3«rves his name* j-Hf-jvill attack anythiug, from a buffalo 1 ' of grizzly bepr, tfown to a pbipuiunk, and is not the least afraid ot a man. Pretty soon fjje^gly b.e^st, with his roached n«ck ana pigsDeftd,' tnade hU appearance, and all the other beasts ran away. !£»• \v\A been quite a ■while fpastinpr himself on elk. when we heard a crackling of the brush near the cabin, and a h ge grizz'y j beav canm out on the . ttail. He went directly to the carca i, and the wolverine, looking more than ev«r lhe a hya>na f aftor showing fight for a moment tucked his stumpy tail between his legs and mad* off through the forest. "The bear did not seem to care for elk meat, but after smtlling around for a while, got a taste of the honey. He licked it up careful'y, arid fellowin&&a trail «oon came to the tree. Each J^anjf&jcore.anj goo.e ravenous and wjien^ie fpuns .tli* det psit in th« hole s deemed perfectly wild. Standing on his hind legs, he tried to thrast hi* no c e in the h<-«le. The stone interfering with his opprationi, he give it a fling with his great paw nnd Bnt it far ouA T'«»n he thrust his no^ifit^fei hole and Beemed to be enjoying kitn^tlf when tha stone returning with tremendous forco bit him squar ly on ihj^pif^ kvpfl; dJiial down. He rolled 6r*'^ w^ ge^inii up looked abou in 4 daW Jiorfc of wav. Not being able to.findr- any. enemv, he . again approaelie} t\h tree and tried f to get at the honey. The s*one kag in interferiig, he fl.mg it ■behind luo^ an4 had ju>t put ■ptafir-orafla tool mm oh ' the back the head wi«h *ueh f >rce »s tn Mrive his npse into the^tr^e np to the Feyes. With a scraara rf pnm, »1. r most resembling the cry oJ a human f being he fa 1 to the ground, and ' when he <?ot up tbe blood was str -aming from his nnseand mo ith. Soaring furiously, he rushed at th« s'ome and hegan a »att e which could ha™ but one ending - his ignominious d«. feat. Again a- -d again he hit the stone, only to have it tefcnrn at^d batter him mercilessly. He was presently coniplet Uv used up, and ns he Bat on th; gr>un<l eyein? 'i* senseless antagonist hi- head looked worse than a prize fighter's after a hard battle in the r'<vg fife could hardlv see, and while he was consideringwhflfcmprj|^e could do no cft^t^^M^ea^^,nd 'begn to*; Bd <m MTOui^ni^'ciircftw of the elk. Wi boat paying the.,lea4 attention to i\mr wouoded br/t'ier, they soon got on the trai' of the honey and maie a rash for the tr.~e. B^b se'med equally anxious to get at the deposit a'd they jostled each other in their anxiety to pet tleir notes in tbe hob*. Finally, «n > hit the stone Mid swung ' t out of the wa*. When it returned it hit him in the neck and stunned him. Ho <s^nv.-d to think hiß<nmrade bod hit him or at least hal ■imething to do with it, for as soon as h* rWd pet his breath ho jump d on the smaFor bear and mad the for fly. Atvit they wnt, hittin? biting, scratch ; ng and clawing each other, urjtii.tbfpe seemed to f • but oi« bear. The air was fiiH of hair, one sich ye'ls and screams I never h-'aT"* before. " Well, tnose bearj rolled over and over, and fought and fought', untl we thought thev would kill each oth t. The old fellow sat off and 'ooked on a* sort of unv ire. and we could heir him grunting, as much «s to say • Go in, boys, and fight it out ; for somebody's to hlame, and if you don't think so, just look at me..' 11 While they yi&re .fighting up came two n*w be|rs ..: Thejr vent' straight for the honey. Ooe o f tliem was a black, bear, a species now Kefdo^a aee^ im flie Ebcljy Mountaksj and v thie b'her a cinn»moa grizzly. They were soon busy with the honey, lost ling each o her over tiiQ ? hpie, whipti would not admit two ' nos*a* at' v thii sainW tim» By-and-by they called in the stone to settle the dispute, and the black bear gave it a great flin» out to the right with his paw. It cnme back and tpok h'm^ on tJie jaw. kttedfin^ foim downand o\>er acfairi t the other bear Who'h rhe thought the othtr bear had hit him or not, I tlmH l#nc#, bttHhdy nt oncff clinched a»d ' *gm tlfbafrt: ». Tl • Vwrt no^jr rdfl^unil^d, mirh the cries of ' the atnigi-Jav bcastsr and tho. sight 'of f^fh'-a^B fighting was toi mu«b for >'13 P^'e-, srocljhe bji^ari to dance. stifl.'iud Camp,', r n4 let tVni^btHdut ; Ifth«'/lmr von i t'ie will Win. ofr r Th s adtnonivhart ; rid Vein quieted down, and tlu- j fi«?"t wpnt o«j. It lasted forovsr half {'' autifcW^fmdthfD uli the b> arse^enjed [ pi».V«KI out and n»ed Aib « ioep 1 , the bW**»i->; •> ■' .-*' ' ■■•' Jj i,S4 »;J.;'.<i ■**. ;■•--, ' .* \" .;