THE BEAR.
The bear family is a large one, and its members are found scattered
over the greater part of the globe, Australia and Africa being
excepted. They range through all latitudes, from the equator to the
poles. The following species have been described by naturalists:
Polar bear, grizzly bear, European Brown bear, American Black bear,
Alaskan Brown bear, Inland White bear, Glacier bear of Alaska,
Asiatic bear, Siberian bear, Spectacled bear of South America,
Thibetan bear, Bornean bear and Malay bear. The three latter are
called Sun bears, from their habit of basking in the rays of the
mid-day sun. They are the smallest members of the family and live
exclusively on vegetables.
Bears differ from each other in consequences of the differences of
climate, more than almost any other animal. Those that inhabit the
far north and such high, cold regions as the Rocky mountains, are
monsters, of great strength and ferocity, while those that inhabit
warm countries are small, feeble and inoffensive. The smallest of all
is the Bornean bear, while the Alaskan Brown bear is probably the
largest. The Grizzly or Silver Tip, and the Polar bears are very
large.
The American Black bear is probably the most numerous of the family,
and is one of most interest to the trappers. With the exception of
the prairie country, they are found scattered over almost all of the
United States, and a large part of Canada and Alaska. The Cinnamon is
only a color variety of the Black bear, differing only in color. Both
kinds are found in the same litter. In some sections, as for instance
in some of the northwestern states, and in Mexico, the Cinnamon bear
predominates, while in the east and north they are very rare. The
average weight of the Black bear, when full grown, is from two
hundred to three hundred pounds, but specimens have been killed
weighing far more than these figures. The fur is fine and soft and
usually of a jet black color.
Bears of all kinds, with the exception of the Sun bears and the Polar
bear, feed on both vegetable and animal food. The Polar bear lives
entirely on fish and flesh. Bears, with the exception of the Polar
species, hibernate in winter. They usually den in the ground or
rocks, but sometimes in a hollow log or tree.
The mating season is in July and August and the young, usually two,
are born in January, February and March. They remain with the mother
until fall, and sometimes longer.
In sections where they are found in fair numbers, they form trails
through passes in the mountains, along the bottoms of the cliffs,
around points of the lakes, and in other places of like nature. These
trails may be easily distinguished from the paths of other animals,
by the marks on the trees. At intervals, all along the trail, the
bear will stand on his hind feet, by the side of a tree, gnaw a
circle around the tree, about five feet above the ground. I am told
that this marking is done during the mating season. The trails are
traveled more in the spring and summer than in the fall.
Bears are very fond of fish, and in the north, when fish are in the
streams, spawning, the bears spend much of their time fishing, at the
foot of the falls. The sucker is the first fish to spawn, and as soon
as they are gone, the pike come, and the bears fare well for a couple
of weeks. After that they feed on the leaves of the poplar, insects,
berries and nuts, and whatever meat they can find. In some sections
they remain in the same locality during the entire year; in other
places they migrate on the approach of cold weather and do not return
until spring.
The bear becomes prime about the first to the fifteenth of November,
and remains in good condition until late in the spring. In northern
sections they do not commence shedding until June fifteenth, and
sometimes even later. The best time to trap them is in the spring
just after the snow is gone, but many are trapped in the fall.
The traps for black bears are the Nos. 5 and 15 and the Nos. 50 and
150 Newhouse. For larger bears the No. 6 is the trap to use, although
many grizzly bears are caught in the No. 5.
The most common method for trapping bears is the following: Make a
sort of enclosure of old logs, brush, etc., in the form of a V, about
eight feet long and two or three feet wide at the entrance. It should
be three feet high, behind, but it is not necessary to have it so
high in front. The bait should be fastened in the back of the pen,
and the trap set in the entrance.
Take a small, springy stick, about eight inches long, and spring it
under the pan of the trap, to prevent small animals from being
caught. To do this, stick one end firmly in the ground, and bend the
other end down, and hook it under the pan. The trap when set, should
support a weight of twenty-five pounds, but it is my opinion that
most trappers allow the trap to spring too easily.
Always turn the loose jaw up, and work from in under, for the sake of
safety. Now drive down a couple of stakes on each side of the trap,
so as to leave only a narrow passage; cover the trap with leaves or
moss. It is a good idea to put a good sized piece of moss over the
pan. To cause the bear to step in the center of the trap, some
trappers put sharp sticks around the outside of the jaws, others lay
a stick across the mouth of the pen, about six or eight inches high,
and close up to the jaws. In stepping over it, the bear is more
likely to put his foot in the trap. The trap should be fastened to a
heavy clog of hardwood. For the Black bear, the clog should be about
six or seven feet long, and just small enough to go through the ring
on the chain. The ring should be slipped on to the middle and
fastened with a spike. For the grizzly and other large bears, the
clog should be larger.
This is the best method, but if you nip a bear once, you will have to
try some other method, and it is not likely that you will catch him,
even then, as they become very cunning. Do not set the trap at the
same place, but find his trail, and make a blind set; preferably
where the trail leads through a pool of water. Of course you must be
sure that no person will travel on the trail. Some trappers prefer to
hang a bait about six feet above the trap and do not use any pen.
Bears may also be trapped successfully with snares and deadfalls but
the objection to these traps is that the animal is killed instantly
and if the traps are not visited daily, the skin is likely to spoil.
For bait, there is nothing better than fish, but pork, (either salt
or fresh), mutton, beef or any kind of large game is good. Even the
flesh of the bear makes fair bait. Beaver, otter or muskrat meat is
also good. Honey is very attractive.
There are a number of scents that are attractive to the bear, such as
fish oil, oil of anise and beaver castor. The scent recommended for
the raccoon is good for the bear.
The track of the bear is easily distinguished from that of other
animals, because of its large size. Ordinarily, the bear's mode of
locomotion is a shuffling walk. The footprints of a large black bear
will measure about eight inches in length.
[Illustration: The Raccoon.]