Trail and Camp-Fire 



going bully of half a century ago, the hunter 

 has now to find and outwit the most timid of 

 nocturnal animals ; a beast which clings to 

 secluded recesses of wooded mountains, and 

 can be tempted from its lair before nightfall 

 only by the most alluring appeals to its ap- 

 petite. In the course of nine trips to the 

 Rocky Mountains, each of which was spent 

 in a country where bears were fairly plenti- 

 ful, hunting with the utmost care and patience 

 of which I was capable, I have, without the 

 aid of bait, seen them but twice. 



In the northeastern provinces of Canada, 

 on the other hand, where the bears in the 

 season live mainly upon blueberries, and 

 where forest shelter is always close by, I 

 should say that though equally timid, they 

 were much more given to feeding by day- 

 light, and the hunter can often have the finest 

 kind of fair stalking. 



But in spite of its shortcomings, hunting 

 with bait has features which make it a very 

 absorbing sport. The careful watcher has 

 unusual opportunities for studying the habits 

 and actions of his game ; though the tactics 

 of his sport are simple, he will need all the 



patient, thoughtful strategy he can muster ; 



238 



