94 



RECREATION 



Probably the meanest trick of which a 

 bear is guilty, is that of breaking into 

 caches of miners and trappers, and mak- 

 ing havoc of their supplies. Sacks of flour 

 are ripped open, blankets and tents torn 

 to shreds, and cooking utensils and canned 

 goods hammered to atoms. Then the un- 

 fortunate owner is compelled to live on 

 short rations during the remainder of his 

 stay in the mountains. 



Up to the first of June bear skins are 

 prime, but after that date the hair begins 

 to shed and they are then worthless, al- 

 though individuals in good pelage are some- 

 times killed as late as July 10. By the 

 middle of September they are covered with 

 a layer of fat, often 4 or 5 inches thick 

 on the rump and shoulders, and their coat 

 has then attained its full growth. About 

 2 weeks later, the time being governed 

 somewhat by season and locality, they have 

 selected a suitable den in which to hiber- 

 nate. This is usually a cave in the rocks, 

 or hollow under the roots of an upturned 

 tree. As the season advances they do not 

 wander far, and with the first severe 

 weather take to the den for the winter, 

 although should there be a warm spell they 

 may come out a short time. Again, if 

 water chances to drip into the den, they will 

 hunt more favorable quarters. A bedding 

 of leaves and dried grass is usually found 

 in a den with bears having cubs. 



The Indians sometimes hunt them with 

 dogs during the winter. They locate a 

 den and after breaking into it, shoot or 

 spear the occupants. Although the animals' 

 are supposed to be in a state of torpidity, 

 they are lively enough to put up a strong 

 objection. In fact they move about in the 

 den so much during the winter that the 

 majority of skins from adult animals are 

 more or less damaged by being chafed on 

 protuberances in the den. 



While hunting singly, unless accompa- 

 ned by dogs, most Alaskan Indians are 

 loth to attack full grown brown bears, par- 

 ticularly if they have cubs, and should a 

 bear visit a native's cache during his ab- 

 sence, he superstitiously considers it a bad 

 omen. 



That bears often battle with each other is 

 proven by the number of skins brought to 

 the traders, which have missing claws and 

 large gashes about their bodies. Such 

 scars are sometimes marked by a twisted 

 growth of hair, while on others it refuses 

 to grow at all. 



These animals are extremely difficult to 

 stalk, for at the first intimation of danger 

 they usually light out at once, and will not 

 return to the same locality for weeks. 

 Sometimes they cross a range of mountains 

 and seek new feeding grounds. Their keen 

 hearing and acute sense of smell render 

 it absolutely necessary for the hunter to 



approach from the leeward. A person may 

 travel months in a country where bears are 

 common, he may see fresh tracks in abun- 

 dance, some made but a few minutes be- 

 fore, but he may seldom see a bear. Their 

 eyesight is poor. I have been within plain 

 view of 2 brown bears not more than 100 

 feet distant for half an hour and they 

 failed to detect me. If unable to see the 

 hunter, when fired at they are as apt to run 

 forward as away from him, and since the 

 use^ of smokeless powder this danger is 

 increased. 



Their wrath is quick and spasmodic. 

 Cubs in captivity when enraged will rush 

 on a person, seize his trousers' leg between 

 their teeth and give it several vigorous 

 shakes, then go prowling about as un- 

 concerned as though nothing had hap- 

 pened. Just so with the old ones, only 

 more so. I know of several cases where 

 bears, when surprised at close range, have 

 attacked persons, and after knocking them 

 down and biting them, have deliberately 

 walked away. When enraged, instead of 

 squeezing their victim as is generally sup- 

 posed, they rush on him, and when within 

 a short distance rise on their hind feet 

 and strike him down with a blow from their 

 powerful paw. One blow well aimed is 

 sufficient to break a man's neck, or tear 

 away 'the side of his face. In addition to 

 this they -may bite him a few times as he 

 lies prostrate on the ground. While this 

 is their usual mode of attack, there are ex- 

 ceptions. 



There is not much doubt that in many 

 cases a cool headed person with nerve 

 could stop the charge of an infuriated bear. 

 During the summer of 1901, 2 Eastern 

 hunters were after brown bear in the vi- 

 cinity of Chitina bay, Cook inlet. One, 

 afternoon they saw a bear feeding on a 

 mountainside near camp. A native and 

 one of the hunters stalked the animal and 

 wounded it. In his anxiety to secure the 

 specimen, the- sportsman ventured close and 

 fired his last cartridge, but unnerved by 

 running, his bullet went wild of the mark 

 and the infuriated beast charged. The 

 native shouted to him not to run, but the 

 words were misunderstood, and he natu- 

 rally took to his heels, closely pursued. 

 The native, however, stood his ground un ; 

 til the animal was dangerously near, then 

 gesticulating wildly, he jumped into the air 

 and let out a series of yells that would 

 have stunned the nerves of the evil one 

 himself. The surprised bear advanced but 

 a few feet farther, then turned and fled. 

 The native explained that he had stopped 

 charging bears in that manner before, and 

 argued that his shouts and actions dis- 

 tracted the bear's mind and turned his fury 

 to fear. Such nerve is seldom found, either 

 in white men or Indians. 



