Memories of a Bear Hunter 



The result of the meeting was that Bowles killed 

 two of the men, scattered the balance and brought 

 his wife back with him, and when we reached the 

 neighborhood she was living quietly at home. 



These instances are suggestive of acts of some of 

 the pioneers of those days. Major Reed stood 

 high as a fearless man, and the fact that he was 

 swift to punish, even by death, an Indian that had 

 deprived him of his property did not injure his 

 standing in the community as a good citizen, and 

 gave the Indians a wholesome respect for him. 



Our camp at the head of Cottonwood Creek, 

 established October i, was delightful. Grizzly 

 bears were fairly abundant, about as much so as 

 anywhere on the frontier that I have been. White- 

 tailed deer were extremely abundant. It was not 

 uncommon- for different members of the party to 

 report having seen in one day twenty, thirty, forty 

 or even fifty deer. Some of these reports may have 

 been more or less exaggerated. In the immediate 

 vicinity there was a large band of elk, then in the 

 midst of the rutting season. The flesh of the bulls 

 was useless, except as bear bait. 42 



The numerous willow thickets which extended 

 for miles down the stream from the foothills made 

 splendid cover for the white-tailed deer and grizzly 

 bears. Higher up on the hills the alternate gulches 



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