256 THE BEAR FAMILY 



caught in a trap or deadfall of some kind before they 

 are despatched. The sportsmen who have killed a bear 

 are comparatively few in number, and the game has 

 usually been killed unexpectedly when the shooter was 

 in the woods after other game. Bear-hunting is more 

 common in the South and West than in the northern 

 and eastern parts of the country. But few bears re- 

 main in the mountains and forests of the Northern and 

 Eastern States. Those that are found in New England, 

 New York, and Pennsylvania are the common black 

 bears, and in most places they have been much pur- 

 sued and have become so wise and cunning as to be 

 seldom seen. 



The traps used for taking bears are the steel traps 

 and deadfalls. I have recently seen it stated that many 

 are taken in a trap made of a keg with nails driven 

 through from the outside at an angle, the points down- 

 ward or toward the bottom of the keg. This is usu- 

 ally baited with honey or molasses, and the bear who 

 puts his head in is caught by the nails when he at- 

 tempts to withdraw it. Sportsmen, however, are not 

 interested in traps except to destroy them. A bear 

 killed after it is trapped is not recognized by the Boone 

 and Crockett Club as being killed in "fair chase," but, 

 as Mr. George Cahoon says : " To the bear the trap is 

 more fatal than the rifle." 



