THE BLACK BEAR OF PENNSYLVANIA 65 



shot brought him down. He weighed about 200 

 pounds. 



"We shot two bears in Cowbell Hollow in the lower 

 end of White Deer Valley. These were black bears* 

 Of course, I helped get others but I don't remember 

 anything special about them except the Red Bear I 

 shot on the Buffalo Path. This one I saw while 

 standing on a deer crossing. I shot him through the 

 heart with a .38 caliber and he went about 300 yards. 

 Then a party from Mazeppa (Boyersville) Union 

 County, put his hand on him and claimed first posses- 

 sion. Of course, the bear was dead, and I should 

 have fought a low rascal like that. He was one of 

 the finest specimens of bears I ever saw. His fur 

 was reddish and about three inches long. Our party 

 ought to have had the bear if the common honest 

 custom had been followed of letting the man shooting 

 the first shot take the hide, etc. I am glad that you 

 bought it and will preserve it. 



"Those interested further can look up the story in 

 your book, 'Stories of Great Pennsylvania Hunters.' 

 A common method of trapping bears is building pens 

 for them. They build them of logs and bait them, 

 and after the bear goes in regularly the trap is set and 

 they are caught. Some used to be caught in large 

 steel traps under a bait of sheep's heads, etc. 



Embighs used to catdh many bears that way. Old 

 Charlie Engle shot the biggest bear that I know of 

 in this valley. It was a big ! black one weighing, 

 dressed about 500 pounds. He used to be good 



