Memories of a Bear Hunter 



drumming was the more rapid, the crop seemed to 

 be swelled out, and the bird's contortions were very 

 odd. I was sure that the wings did not touch the 

 log, and that the tips of the wings were not used in 

 the drumming. During this drumming, his tail 

 was spread like that of a turkey gobbler. I walked 

 up to within ten feet of him, examined him closely 

 and satisfied myself that he was the same bird I 

 had so often seen in Minnesota, and had known as 

 ruffed grouse. 



Later in the day Catlin killed three elk with an 

 8o-228-grain hollow ball. Each was killed by a 

 single shot at about a hundred yards. The ball 

 went through the first animal near the heart, two 

 splinters of lead being found in the heart. A 

 second was shot through the heart, and another 

 yearling bull was shot through the back of the 

 heart and lungs. The experiment with the hollow 

 ball and American powder with the proportion of 

 only i to 3.6, was very satisfactory. 



The bear cub killed the night before had a full 

 set of teeth and could not have been a spring cub. 

 He must have been a year old. 54 



May 1 6 we went out to look about. The day was 

 blustery, windy and disagreeable. We saw an old 

 bear track, but nothing more, but approached three 

 elk, which we did not disturb because they proved 



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