TRACKS AND TRACKING 



recognized, and actually passed many, regard- 

 ing- them as cougar tracks. I have since noticed 

 that many hunters, born and reared in a bear 

 country, make the same mistake. Of course in 

 mud or snow a bear track is easily identified, but 

 in the vastness of mountains and forests snow 

 and mud are not always present ; in fact, they are 

 of little service. There, the heel of the foot is 

 practically never seen in the track during snow- 

 less times, and as the shape of the fore part of 

 the foot conforms with that of the mountain 

 lion, a mistake is easily possible if the imprints 

 of the five toes of the bear are not all visible. 

 The trailer in these districts and under these cir- 

 cumstances is generally lucky if he can discern 

 here and there the part of a track of a bear's 

 foot. A couple of years ago a party of old deer 

 hunters told me of the great number of lion 

 tracks they had seen as they came into camp, 

 and at my query if they saw any bear tracks, they 

 answered, " No " ; yet I had camped there over 

 two months, knew absolutely that no lion was in 

 those parts, that bears were abundant, and that 

 the hunters could have seen only their tracks. So 



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