; 



Bear Traits 



you can usually force your bear to approach 

 from below, and you can generally count on 

 his following the cover afforded by ravines 

 and watercourses. 



As regards the wind, one must constantly 

 bear in mind the fact, which every hunter in a 

 hilly or mountainous country must have no- 

 ticed, namely, that in the absence of a very 

 strong prevailing wind, the air regularly draws 

 up a valley or gulch during the daytime only 

 to chop around and draw down directly the 

 sun has set. As your watching period must 

 cover the time both just before and after sun- 

 set, your watch point must be so arranged 

 that the bear will not get your scent with the 

 wind in either of those directions. Add to 

 this changeable nature of the breeze, the well- 

 known fact that a wary bear will usually take 

 a quiet circle through the woods all around 

 the bait before going to it, and the complex 

 elements of the problem become apparent. 



To solve it, some people recommend watch- 

 ing from a tree. This probably would be 

 effective in removing your scent, but it would 

 also go far toward removing the last vestige 

 of manliness from the sport, and though I 



have sometimes compromised on a steep slope 



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