250 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 14, 1887. 



BEAR STALKING IN CANADA.— II. 



THE next day, Oct. 16, we set out on our way to our 

 own hunting ground, which, we reached, after a 

 difficult journey, on the 21st. Here we went into camp 

 to remain for some days. After dinner Ave started for an 

 afternoon's hunt, the Colonel going up the river some dis- 

 tance and I crossing directly opposite our camp. Charles 

 led the way toward the first range of hills over a flat 

 tableland, divided by several steep ridges. While mak- 

 ing our way along one of these, Charles suddenly stopped, 

 and pointing to a ridge opposite crouched down behind a 

 bush, and following his example I saw a large bear 

 500yds. off, feeding and not showing any signs of having 

 detected ora presence. Here was an unexpected piece of 

 good fortune. The bear had wandered down from the 

 mountains and was feeding along the river, the wind was 

 favorable and we were in a capital position to stalk in 

 upon him. Charles retraced bis steps 100yds. and then 

 plunged down the sharp declivity, bearing away a little 

 to the south: then up the side of the ridge, and then we 

 werfi directly in a line with our game and to leeward of 

 it. Waiting" only a .moment for me to throw my coat to 

 Joseph and change my rifle, we advanced directly toward 

 the bear, stepping cautiously but quickly. In a very 

 short time Charles stopped, and stepping to one side 

 silently raised his arm and pointed ahead; and there, a 

 little to my left, stood the bear, 70yds. off. as I made the 

 distance. Charles stood like a statue, his gun in its case 

 under his arm. Joseph, close behind, whispered to me 

 to shoot. 



The bear was quietly feeding, the forward part of his 

 body covered by the bushes. Sighting as near his fore- 

 shoulder as I could, I pulled the trigger. A fierce jump, 

 and the bear went directly away from us with a rush. I 

 fired again and once more on his trail. Charles had al- 

 idad sprung forward in pursuit, at a pace I could not pre- 

 tend to rival, and was soon out of sight. Handing my 

 rifle to Joseph I followed as quickly as possible. I soon 

 heard the loud report of Charles's gun, and when I came 

 up to him, Joseph told me that he had seen the bear a 

 long distance ahead, Ms pace reduced to a walk, and had 

 taken a long shot at him but had missed. Charles took 

 up the trail again, and when we came to where he had 

 walked along a dead tree, the blood stains showed that he 

 was badly hit, and Charles declared that he could not go 

 far. On and on we followed, but the trail soon led us up 

 the side of the mountain in the most impracticable ground, 

 among rocks and fallen trees; but still the marks were 

 there. I soon found that I must leave the trailing to 

 Charley and make my way along the side of the moun- 

 tain, keeping Joseph with me. We proceeded thus about 

 half a mile, when it being after sundown and the trail 

 still leading up the mountain, Charles returned, and we 

 were obliged to give it up for the night. On the way to 

 camp we met the Colonel coming down the river. He 

 had seen a bear just north of camp, and had landed and 

 stalked him, but the animal had become alarmed and 

 made off. We had supper, talked over our adventure 

 and turned in with orders to have breakfast ready at day- 

 light the next morning. 



Wednesday, 22d.— When we turned out this morning 

 we found that ice had made in the night, iin. thick, in 

 the pan of water in our tent. The weather was clear and 

 bitterly cold. Breakfast over we started again, the 

 Colonel up the river and I crossing with Charles and 

 Edouard this time, to take up the trail of the wounded 

 bear. The Indians took up the tracking where Charles 

 had stopped, and followed it up until about eleven o'clock, 

 when finding that it led them still straight up the moun- 

 tain, without any sign of stopping, and that by proceed- 

 ing further then, the wind would carry then- scent to any 

 bears that might be on the mountain to the northward, 

 where we expected to find them, we turned back and 

 made our way to the top of a mountain to the nort h, and 

 from there watched tlie mountain to the west of us. We 

 were then about 1,000ft. up. At the foot of the mountain 

 was a valley with a stream running through it, and on 

 the other side of this a much higher range of mountains. 

 From oui' outlook we could see the country for miles 

 around, and Charles soon discovered two bears on the 

 side of the mountain directly opposite.. This time I was 

 perfectly satisfied to accompany my Indians back to our 

 canoe and then to the camp for dinner. 



After dinner I started again with Charles and Joseph, 

 and back we went straight to our watching station, where 

 we arrived at about 8 o'clock. We had been on the look- 

 out only a very short time when I saw a bear come out 

 of the woods on the slope of the opposite mountain, about 

 half way up, and make his way across the clearing toward 

 the opposite side. I could see him distinctly as he picked 

 his way along the fallen trees, appearing and disappear- 

 ing at intervals, and Charles, through Joseph, said at 

 once that we would certainly find him feeding on the 

 edge of the woods, toward which he had been making his 

 way. There was no hesitation now, and in a moment we 

 were off down the mountain side, bearing off again well 

 to the south. The wind was blowing hah' a gale from the 

 northwest, and this was favorable to us, and we could 

 not have had a better day, nor been in a more favorable 

 position for a successful stalk. We soon reached the 

 valley; and here the walking was again terrible, but I 

 pushed on and soon arrived at the stream. After we had 

 crossed came the real tug of war, for we had to scale the 

 mountain in front of us, and this was no child's play — 

 some 1,500ft. to climb, straight up. Stopping occasionally 

 to get my wind, up and up I toiled, and I was very glad 

 when Charles at last, inclining his steps to the north, 

 stopped at the edge of the woods and announced that we 

 were above the bear and ought to find him not far below. 

 A moment to get our breath and charge my rifle, a 

 caution from Joseph to make ho noise and to travel in 

 Charles's footsteps, and we moved on right out into the 

 open part of the mountain and downward. This part of 

 the mountain was cleared of trees, but there were a good 

 many bushes, which gave us some shelter, and behind 

 these we made our advance, Charles stepping surely and 

 noiselessly as usual, I following and Joseph bringing up the 

 rear. We proceeded thus about fifty yards when again 

 Charles stepped on one side and pointed down the moun- 

 tain. There was the bear we had seen, feeding quietly, 

 broadside on, but forty yards off, with his head in a blue- 

 berry bush. Without a pause, I covered him just behind 

 the fore-shoulder, and pulled the trigger; at the crack of 

 the rifle he rolled over, and then started off, crossing 

 diagonally in front of us, but twenty-five yards away. 

 He must have seen us, but on he went. I fired'twice as he 



passed me and a fourth time on his trail, as he dashed into 

 some thick bushes. Charles led off again in pursuit, and 

 Joseph this time, in his excitement, followed Mm, leav- 

 ing me to bring up the rear. I soon came in sight of 

 them going across and up the mountain, and when they 

 had gone about two hundred yards, I saw Charles sud- 

 denly stop and Joseph waving his hand frantically. 



When I got up to them there lay the bear in a ravine 

 unable to go any further. I was about descending when 

 Charles stopped me and Joseph said that he was still 

 dangerous. I gave him a final shot from where I stood, 

 he stretched liimself out and the hunt was over. I was 

 a happy man and the Indians were happy, too; even 

 Charles smiled with pleasure, and as for Joseph, he was 

 fairly triumphant. Charles had very good reason to be 

 proud. We had been an hour and a half in moving from 

 our watching station to the point where we had begun to 

 stalk the bear without alarming him, and that without 

 having once seen him after we had lost sight of him 

 until Charles pointed him out to me. He had given 

 me the chance I had come so far to get, trusting entirely 

 on his representations, and I had killed— and here was 

 enough to please us all. Here were a skin for me to take 

 home, bear meat, bear soup and bear tid-bits for the 

 camp and a goodly supply of bear's grease, which the 

 Indians highly prize for their own use. 



We descended to where the bear was lying, and the 

 Indians immediately began to make a pack of him so as 

 to carry him to the canoe, three miles distant. This bear 

 was not nearly so large as the one I had wounded, and 

 yet he made a very respectable weight for one man. I 

 could not have carried him 1,0ft., hut the Indians will 

 carry enormous loads on then backs when properly 

 arranged. They first tied the ends of a cord round the 

 hindlegs, and then bringing the parts round the front- 

 legs, made a loop which they then passed across their 

 foreheads, with a strip of bark, to prevent the cord from 

 cutting the skin. Then stooping down Charles soon had 

 the bear suspended on his shoulders, and walked off with 

 him without any apparent difficulty. Our road home was 

 nearly all down hill, and when Charles was tired Joseph 

 would take up the load, and so spelling each other in 

 about an hour we arrived at the canoes. It was after 

 sundown and we were soon in camp, where I found the 

 Colonel, who had not seen anything. I was glad to turn 

 in early that evening, as I had had a double tramp and 

 was thoroughly tired out. 



Thursday was a clear and warm morning. Feeling 

 rather tired after yesterday's hard work I gave myself a 

 holiday, sending Charles and Joseph off again to follow 

 the trail of the wounded bear. The morning was passed 

 in watching the Indians skinning the bear and stretching 

 the skin on a square frame of poles to dry, and in read- 

 ing and sleeping. We had bear steaks for dinner and 

 found them capital eating; the bear was a young one, 

 which doubtless improved then flavor. Black flies are 

 here in swarms to-day, and it is a curious fact that we 

 have found them all over, on the tops of the mountains 

 as well as in the lowlands, along the river, and that, too, 

 after such freezing weather as we have had. On the 

 Saguenay, toward the end of July, they begin to disap- 

 pear, and in August are almost entirely gone, while here 

 we have had them in swarms in October. 



This is a good place to say a word about the best foot- 

 gear for the woods. The moccasins, as made by the In- 

 dians, either from the skin of the caribou or moose, are 

 decidedly the best of all wear, being light and noiseless. 

 Next to these come the Canadian boots; made of leather, 

 cut out like the moccasin without hair, soles or heels, and 

 with tops coming up to just below the knee and secured 

 there either by straps or leather thongs. These boots are 

 heavier than the moccasins, but for fishing or walking on 

 rocks are the safest tilings a man can wear, as they rarely 

 or never shp on stones; they are apt to slip on soft 

 ground, it is true, when descending a steep hill, but then 

 there is little danger, while a slip from the rocks, when 

 salmon fishing, might be a very serious matter. Heavy 

 boots or any kind, of walking shoes, especially those 

 abominations with nails in the soles, are entirely out of 

 place in the woods or on a salmon river. 



The Colonel went off in the afternoon for a hunt, and 

 returned about sundown. He had seen a bear and had got 

 within about two hundred yards from him, when his 

 Indians, from the nature of the ground, had urged him to 

 try a long shot, but the Colonel, fearing only to wound 

 him at that distance,had decided to attempt getting nearer, 

 but the bear scented or heard them and made off. The 

 men returned a little later and reported that they had 

 followed the trail a long distance, straight away over the 

 mountains, and that in all probability the wound was not 

 after all a mortal one, so we had to give it up. 



Friday, Oct 24. — It was raining when we turned out, 

 with a warm south wind. Weather squally all day. 

 Caught eighteen trout, two quite large. After dinner 

 we both went off for a hunt and returned without having 

 seen anything. We have determined to move oui camp 

 about ten miles further up, and change our ground, as it 

 is probable that the bears here have become alarmed and 

 left for the feeding grounds. 



Saturday, 25th. — Very cold night, at three, finding it im- 

 possible to sleep, we started a fire in our stove. We 

 started about eight o'clock and went into camp again at 

 twelve; took a light lunch and went off for a hunt, but 

 neither of us saw anything. The day was very warm and 

 pleasant with a southerly wind. Sunday it rained hard 

 most of the day. Our dinner consisted of hare soup, bear 

 steaks and partridge — quite a feast. The hare was caught 

 in a trap, and the partridge killed by the Indians with 

 stones. They are quite expert at this, and as the part- 

 ridges here are very tame and will fly up into a tree close 

 to you, the Indians do not waste powder on them, but 

 knock them over with a stone or a club, and in this way 

 they have furnished our table with some half dozen of 

 these birds. Black flies are still on hand, the tent full of 

 them. 



Monday came in with northeast wind and rain. In 

 camp all the morning. After dinner, as the weather 

 showed signs of clearing, I started off with my men. We 

 had a long and hard climb, and when we got to the top 

 a heavy fog came rolling down upon us, and we returned 

 to camp, changed wet clothes and made myself comfort- 

 able. The Colonel wisely staid quietly at home. 



Tuesday, 28th.— Still 'raining hard, with northeast 

 wind. Provisions giving out, and we must leave soon. 

 No signs of clearing, and looks like equinoctial storm. 



Wednesday, 29th. — Clearing, with northwest wind. 

 Started after breakfast with my men, and after we had 



scaled a high mountain the weather changed, coming out 

 bitterly cold, with a gale of wind and snow squalls. 

 Could not stand it, and returned to camp about 6 o'clock 

 without having seen anything. The Colonel went a long- 

 distance up the river to where we had intended to hunt, 

 but saw nothing. 



Thursday, 30th. — A very cold night and morning, with 

 heavy frost. Broke camp and went down the river to 

 our old camp for a last hunt. Arrived about 11 o'clock, 

 and after a light lunch started out. I went to my old 

 lookout and the Colonel this time went down the river. 

 I came back about sundown, having seen not hin g. The 

 Colonel saw one bear, but did not get a shot. Start for 

 home to-morrow. 



Friday, Oct. 1. — Broke camp early and started down 

 the river. On the way down we fell in with a wildcat 

 and I killed him with a bullet through his head. He was 

 a large and powerful animal, with long muscular legs and 

 very gaunt, which at this season of the year was very 

 singular, as hares and partridges are abundant. Leon skin- 

 ned, the cat, and the Colonel took the very handsome skin 

 to Quebec to be made into a cap and gloves for his winter 

 hunt. Edouard asked us if we would like to taste the meat, 

 but we draw the line at wildcat meat, and they saved the 

 carcass for the Indians whom we had passed on the way 

 up. At one point we passed an Indian post office. Asl 

 was half dreaming in the canoe I noticed that my men 

 were racing toward the shore with the baggage canoe, 

 and supposing that they had seen something in the way 

 of game, I seized my rifle, but as the two canoes ran in 

 on the beach I was surprised at seeing my Joseph, who 

 was in the other canoe, spring on shore and seize a piece 

 of bark inserted in a slit in a pole, driven into the ground 

 on the bank. The pole was the post office and the bark 

 was the letter. It was soon read, and passing from hand 

 to hand, at last it came to me. I found Indian characters 

 scratched with some sharp instrument, and Joseph ex- 

 plained to me that it was a notice left there by the old In- 

 dian and his son (with whom we had made our treaty), say- 

 ing that on such a day they had left the river here bound 

 on a trapping expedition and that at that time all was well 

 with them. This news the Indians would take to their 

 friends below and at home. On the other side of the river 

 and some distance below we passed a similar sign post, 

 and below that stopped at an encampment, where we 

 found the wife of the old hunter with a young boy, who 

 would wait there entirely alone iintil the father should 

 return, though that might be a month or more. Here 

 we left the cat, which was thankfully received. Running 

 a river is perfectly charming in fine weather; it is all 

 down hill; the speed, especially in the rapids, is exhilara- 

 ting beyond description. The canoes are now close to- 

 gether, side by side, then they separate as each pilot takes 

 a different channel, then there will be a scrub race. It is 

 like coasting down a steep and smooth hill, while ascend- 

 ing is like dragging your sled up the same hill. We were 

 two days corning down the same distance which it had 

 taken us five days to go up; and one of our Indians told 

 us that one spring when the river was high he had started 

 from our furthest camp, and had arrived at the mill be- 

 fore dark. 



Sunday, Oct. 3. — To-day was lovely, like one of our own 

 October days, with a bright blue sky and southwest wind. 

 After dinner the Colonel and myself took a long walk up 

 the mountain , and I showed him our watching place and 

 where I had seen the bears; but nothing was in sight this 

 time. This is our last night in camp, and to-morrow 

 evening we expect to be on board our cutter. Yesterday 

 afternoon we tried our rifles for penetration. At 50yds. 

 the express sent a bullet entirely through a tree certainty 

 lOin. in diameter, shattering the back part of the tree 

 badly, while my bullet was found to have penetrated only 

 about two-thirds in the same tree. Several trials gave 

 the same result, and this convinced me that my first bear 

 never would have escaped had I had an express, and my 

 second bear would never have gone the distance he did. 

 aud probably would have been killed dead at the first 

 shot; for we found afterward that three bullets had struck 

 him, one just back of the foreshoulder, one not far from 

 it and a third in the flank ranging forward; and yet he 

 had run at least 400yds. before giving up. My rifle was 

 very effective for deer and small game, but entirely un- 

 fitted for heavy work. 



Monday, 4th. — Broke camp and going merrily down the 

 river arrived at the lumber mill, just in time for dinner 

 with our hospitable friend; embarked and were soon on 

 board our boat, which we found at anchor at the mouth 

 of the river. The next night found us at the St. Louis 

 Hotel in Quebec, and there I slept in a bed for the first 

 time since leaving the mill on the Port Neuf. Thus ended 

 one of the most successful and enjoyable trips I ever 

 made — full of excitement and novelty and without an 

 accident or a mishap. Both of lis returned in splendid 

 health. When I come to look back, however, at the ex- 

 posure we went through and the weather we encountered 

 I am surprised that we escaped so well. The great danger 

 comes when you have arrived at your watching station. 

 You are then thoroughly heated and you must remain 

 there for several hours without any shelter; you cannot 

 have a fire, but you may get under the lee of a rock, or 

 under the crest of the mountain and there you can get a 

 quarter-deck walk, but it is bitterly cold work when the 

 •wind is blowing a gale, and the risk of taking cold is 

 very great. But either from the dryness of the mountain 

 air or from the precautions we took in having something 

 warm to put on when in the mountains, we neither of us 

 suffered in any way from the exposure. We experienced 

 very bad weather during this trip and were entirely dis- 

 appointed in that respect. September in Canada is gen- 

 erally more like our October, and fine clear weather may 

 be expected, although so far north as we were much 

 colder weather is to be looked for. This month, how- 

 ever, was an exceptional one, and as the Indians declared 

 worse than anything they had experienced for years, yet 

 this trip will be long remembered by both of us as one of 

 the most novel and exciting events in our hunting 

 experiences. N. P. R. 



Oneida County Sportsmen's Association.— Utica, N. 

 Y., April 8.— The following are the officers: President, 

 Dr. W. H. Booth; Vice-President, M. M. Brunner; Secre- 

 tary, H. L. Gates; Treasurer, O. A. Wheeler. The annual 

 tournament of the N. Y. S. A. for the Protection of Fish 

 and Game will be held here under the auspices of the O. 

 C. S. A., commencing June 6 and closing June 11. Prizes 

 aggregating over $4,000 will be offered. — H. L. Gates, 

 Sec'y. 



