American Big Game in Its Haunts - Various
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My friend decided to shoot the mother, while I was to reserve my fire
until after his shot. I expected that at the report of his rifle the
bear I had chosen would pause a moment in surprise, and thus offer a
good standing shot. As my friend's rifle cracked, the bear I had
selected made a sudden dash for the woods, and I had to take him on the
run. At my first shot he turned a complete somersault, and then, quickly
springing up, again made a dash for cover. I fired a second time, and
rolled him over for good and all. Stereke was instantly slipped, and
made at once for my bear. By the time we had run up he was shaking and
biting his hindquarters in a most approved style. We at once put him
after the larger bear, which Blake had wounded, and his bark in the
thick alders told us he had located her. We all followed in and found
that the bear, although down, was still alive. Blake gave her a final
shot through the lungs.
The third bear got away, but I believe it was wounded by Nikolai. The
one that Blake had killed was the largest female we got on the
Peninsula, measuring 6 feet 6 feet 6-1/2 inches along the vertebrae.
It is interesting to note that the two yearlings differed greatly in
color. One was a grizzled brown, like the mother, while the other was
very much lighter, of a light dirty yellowish color.
We had watched these bears for some hours in the morning, and I feel
positive that the mother had no cubs of this spring with her; yet on
examination milk was found in her breasts. My natives told me that
frequently yearling cubs continue to suckle, and surely we had positive
proof of this with the large female bear.
On our way back to camp that night we saw two more bears on the other
side of the marsh, but they did not stay in the open sufficiently long
to allow us to come up.
The mosquitoes had by this time become almost unbearable, and it was
late before they permitted us to get to sleep. About 3 A.M. it began to
rain, but I was so tired that I slept on, although my pillow and
blankets were soon well soaked. As the rain continued, we finally put up
our small tent; but everything had become thoroughly wet, and we passed
a most uncomfortable day.
In the afternoon a black bear appeared not far from our camping
place. My friend went after this with his hunter, who made a most
wonderful stalk. The bear was in an almost unapproachable position, and
the two men appeared to be going directly down wind; but Ivan insisted
that there was a slight eddy in the breeze, and in this he must have
been correct, for he brought Blake up to within sixty yards, when my
friend killed the bear with a bullet through the brain.
I think it is interesting to note that our shooting grounds were the
extreme western range of the black bear. A few years ago they were not
found in this locality, but it is quite evident that they are each year
working further and further to the westward.
The next day the heavy rain still continued. The meadow was now one
vast bog, and the small lagoons were swollen into deep and rapid
streams. Everything was wet, and we passed an uncomfortable day. Our
two hunters were camped about fifty yards off under a big rock, and I
think must have had a pretty hard time of it, but all the while they
kept a sharp lookout.
About one o'clock the men reported that a large bear had been seen some
distance off, but that it had remained in sight only a short time. We
expected this bear would again make his appearance in the afternoon, and
in this surmise we were correct, for he came out into the open three
hours later, when Nikolai and I with Stereke made the stalk. We circled
well to leeward, fording the many rapid streams with great
difficulty. The rain had melted the snow on the hills, and we frequently
had to wade almost up to our shoulders in this icy water.
In crossing one of the lagoons Stereke was carried under some fallen
trees, and for a while I very much feared that my dog would be
drowned. The same thing almost happened to myself, for the swift current
twice carried me off my feet.
The bear had fed well into the open, and it was impossible, even by the
most careful stalking, to get nearer than a small patch of tall grass
about 175 yards away. I put up my rifle to shoot, but found that the
front sight was most unsteady, for I was wet to the skin and shaking all
over with cold. Half expecting to miss, I pressed the trigger, and was
not greatly surprised to see my bullet splash in the marsh just over the
bear's head. He saw the bullet strike on the other side, and now came in
our direction, but Stereke, breaking loose from Nikolai, turned him. He
now raced across our front at about 125 yards, with the dog in close
pursuit. This gave me an excellent chance, and I fired three more
shots. At my last, I saw the bear bite for his shoulder, showing that my
bullet was well placed. He continued to dash ahead, when Nikolai fired,
also hitting him in the shoulder with the heavy rifle. He dropped, but
gamely tried to rise and face Stereke, who savagely attacked his
quarters. Nikolai now fired again, his bullet going in at the chest,
raking him the entire length, and lodging under the skin at the hind
knee joint. Unfortunately this bear fell in so much water that it was
impossible to take any other accurate measurement than the one along his
back. This was the largest bear we shot on the mainland, and the one
measurement that I was able to take was 6 feet 10 inches along the
vertebrae.
[Illustration: THE HUNTER AND HIS HOME]
On examining the internal effects of his wounds, I found that my bullet
had struck the shoulder blade and penetrated one lung, but had gone to
pieces on coming in contact with the bone. Although it would have
eventually proved a mortal wound, the shock at the time was not
sufficient to knock the bear off his feet.
The next morning the storm broke, and we started back to our camp behind
the rocks, for the skins we had recently shot needed to be cleaned and
dried. We reached camp that afternoon, where I found my old hunter,
Fedor, who was now better, and had come to join us. He had arrived the
night before, and reported that he had seen three bears on the marsh. He
said he had watched them all the evening, and that the next morning two
more had made their appearance. He could no longer withstand this
temptation, and just before we had arrived had shot a small black bear
with an excellent skin.
Two days after, a bear was reported in the meadow, and as it was my
friend's turn to shoot, he started with his hunter to make the stalk. It
was raining at the time, and I was almost tempted to lie among my
blankets; but my love of sport was too strong, and, armed with powerful
glasses, I joined the men on the rocks to watch the hunters.
The bear had fed well out into the meadow not far from a small clump of
trees. In order to reach this clump of trees, Blake and Ivan were
obliged to wade quite a deep stream, and had removed their
clothes. Unfortunately my friend carelessly left his coat, in the pocket
of which were all the extra cartridges for his and Ivan's rifles.
I saw them reach the clump of trees, and then turned the glasses on the
bear. At the first shot he sprang back in surprise, while Blake's bullet
went high. The bear now located the shot, and began a quick retreat to
the woods, when one of my friend's bullets struck him, rolling him over.
He instantly regained his feet, and continued making for cover, walking
slowly and looking back over his shoulder all the while. Blake now fired
another shot, and again the bear was apparently badly hit. He moved at
such a slow pace that I thought he had surely received a mortal wound.
Entirely against orders, Ivan now shot three times in quick succession,
hitting the bear with one shot in the hind leg, his other two shots
being misses. Blake now rushed after the bear with his hunter following
some fifty yards behind, and approached to within ten steps, when he
fired his last cartridge, hitting the bear hard. The beast fell upon its
head, but once more regaining its feet, continued toward the woods. At
this point Ivan fired his last cartridge, but missed. The bear continued
for several steps, while the two hunters stood with empty rifles
watching. Suddenly, quick as a flash, he swung round upon his hind legs
and gave one spring after Blake, who, not understanding his Aleut's
shouts not to run, started across the marsh, with the bear in close
pursuit. At every step the bear was gaining, and Ivan, appreciating that
unless the bear's attention was distracted, my friend would soon be
pulled down, began waving his arms and shouting at the top of his voice,
in order to attract the bear's attention from Blake. The latter saw
that his hunter was standing firm, and, taking in the situation,
suddenly stopped. The bear charged to within a few feet of the two men;
but, when he saw their determined stand, paused, and, swinging his head
from side to side, watched them for some seconds, apparently undecided
whether to charge home or leave them. Then he turned, and, looking back
over his shoulder, made slowly for the woods.
This bear while charging had his head stretched forward, ears flat, and
teeth clinched, with his lips drawn well back, and his eyes glaring. I
am convinced that it was only Ivan's great presence of mind which
prevented a most serious accident.
It is a strange fact that a well placed bullet will knock the fight out
of such game; but if they are once thoroughly aroused it takes much more
lead to kill them. When they had got more cartridges my friend with two
natives proceeded to follow this bear up; but though they tracked him
some miles, he was never recovered.
The Aleuts when they follow up a wounded bear in thick cover, strip to
the skin, for they claim in this way they are able to move with greater
freedom, and at the same time there are no clothes to catch in the brush
and make noise. They go slowly and are most cautious, for frequently
when a bear is wounded, if he thinks that he is being pursued, he will
swing around on his own trail and spring out from the side upon the
hunters.
The next day I started with my two natives to visit a meadow well up the
bay.
As we had but a day or two left before the schooner would come to take
us away, we headed in the only direction in which the wind was
favorable. We left camp about three o'clock in the afternoon, following
the shore with the wind quartering in our faces. We had gone but a mile
from camp when I caught an indistinct outline of a bear feeding on the
grass at the edge of the timber, about 125 yards away. I quickly fired,
missing through sheer carelessness.
At the report the bear jumped sideways, unable to locate the sound, and
my next bullet struck just above his tail and ranged forward into the
lungs. Fedor now fired, missing, while I ran up with Nikolai, firing
another shot as I ran, which knocked the bear over. Stereke savagely
attacked the bear, biting and shaking him, and seeing that he was
breathing his last, I refrained from firing again, as the skin was
excellent.
This bear had had an encounter with a porcupine. One of his paws was
filled with quills, and in skinning him we found that some quills had
worked well up the leg and lodged by the ankle joint, making a most
loathsome wound.
This bear was almost as large as the one I had last shot at the head of
the bay, and his pelt made a grand trophy. I was much disgusted with
myself that afternoon for missing my first shot. It is not enough simply
to get your bear, but one should always endeavor to kill with the first
shot, otherwise much game will be lost, for the first is almost always
the easiest shot, hence one should kill or mortally wound at that
chance.
This was the last bear that we shot on the Alaska Peninsula. I had been
fortunate in killing seven brown bears, while Blake had killed three
brown and one black, and our natives had killed one brown and one black
bear, making a total of thirteen between the 7th and 28th of June.
The skulls of these brown bears we sent to Dr. Merriam, Chief of the
Biological Survey, at Washington, and they proved to be most interesting
from a scientific point of view, for from them the classification of the
bears of the Alaska Peninsula has been entirely changed, and it seems
that we were fortunate enough to bring out material enough to establish
a new species as well as a new sub-species.
The teeth of these two kinds of bears show a marked and uniform
difference, proving conclusively that there is no interbreeding between
the species. I was told by Dr. Merriam that the idea which is so
commonly believed, that different species of bears interbreed like dogs,
is entirely wrong.
III.
MY BIG BEAR OF SHUYAK
As I had been fortunate in shooting bears upon the Island of Kadiak and
the Alaska Peninsula, nothing remained but for me to obtain a specimen
from one of the outlying islands of the Kadiak group, to render my trip
in every way successful.
I therefore determined to take my two natives and hunt from a baidarka
the deep bays of the Island of Afognak, while Blake, not yet having
obtained his bear from Kadiak, went back to hunt there.
He had been extremely good to his men, and in settling with them on his
return from the Alaska Peninsula had good-naturedly paid the excessive
demands they made. The result was that his kindness was mistaken for
weakness, and just as he was about to leave his hunters struck for an
increase of pay. He sent them to the right-about, and fortunately
succeeded in filling their places.
A sportsman in going into a new country owes it to those who follow to
resist firmly exorbitant demands and at the same time to be fair and
just in all his dealings.
I have already described bear hunting in the spring, when we stalked our
game upon the snowy hillsides, and again on the Alaska Peninsula, where
we hunted across the open on foot, and also in the baidarka. I will now
speak of another form.
Toward the end of June the red salmon begin to run. These go up only the
streams that have their sources in lakes. After the red salmon, come the
humpbacks, and after the humpbacks, the dog salmon. Both of these latter
in great numbers force their way up all the streams, and are the
favorite food of the bears, which come down from the mountains by deep,
well-defined trails to catch the fish in the shallow streams. When the
salmon have begun to run, the only practical way of hunting these bears
is by watching some likely spot on the bank of a stream.
Early in July Blake and I parted, intending to meet again two weeks
later. My friend sailed away in a small schooner, while I left with my
two natives in the baidarka. In Fedor's place I had engaged a native by
the name of Lofka. We three paddled with a will, as we were anxious to
reach a deep bay on the north side of the Island of Afognak as soon as
possible.
This was all familiar country to me, for I had spent over a month in
this locality the year before, and as we camped for the night I could
hardly realize that twelve months had gone by since I left this
beautiful spot. For the Island of Afognak, with its giant cliffs and
deep bays, is to my mind one of the most picturesque regions I have ever
seen.
The next morning the wind was unfavorable, but in the afternoon we were
able to visit one of the salmon streams. The red salmon had come, but it
would be another week or more before the humpbacks would begin their
run. It was a bleak day, with the rain driving in our faces. We forced
our way up the banks of a stream for some miles, following well-defined
bear trails through the tall grass. Some large tracks were seen, but we
sighted no game. We returned to camp after ten o'clock that night, wet
to the skin and chilled through. The following day was a repetition of
this, only under worse weather conditions, if that were possible.
I now decided to push on to a large bay on the northeast side of the
island. This is locally known as Seal Bay, and is supposed to be without
question the best hunting ground on Afognak.
Unfortunately a heavy wind detained us in Paramonoff Bay for two
days. The morning after the storm broke we made a four o'clock start.
There was a strong favoring breeze, and we made a sail of one of the
blankets. The baidarka fairly flew, but it was rather ticklish work, as
the sea was quite rough. Early that afternoon we turned into the narrow
straits which lie between the islands of Afognak and Shuyak. Shuyak is
uninhabited, but some natives have hunting barabaras there. Formerly
this island contained great numbers of silver gray foxes. A few years
ago some white trappers visited it and put out poison. The result was
the extermination of all the foxes upon the island, for not only the
foxes that ate the poison died, but the others which ate the poisoned
carcasses. The hunters obtained but one skin, as the foxes died in
their holes or in the woods, and were not found until their pelts were
spoiled. This is a fair example of the great need for Alaskan game laws.
At the present time Shuyak is rich in bear and in land otter, and I can
imagine no better place for a national game preserve. It has lakes and
salmon streams, and would be an ideal place to stock.
The straits between Shuyak and Afognak are extremely dangerous, for the
great tides from Cook Inlet draw through this narrow passage. My nerve
was tested a bit as the baidarka swept by the shore, for had it once got
well started we should have been drawn into the rapids and then into a
long line of angry breakers beyond. At one point it seemed as if we were
heading right into these dangerous waters, and then abruptly turning at
a sharp angle, we glided around a point into a shallow bay. Circling
this shore we successfully passed inside the line of breakers and soon
met the long ground swell of the Pacific, while Seal Bay stretched for
many miles inland on the other side.
It had been a long day, but as the wind was favorable we stopped only
for a cup of tea and then pushed on to the very head of the bay. Here,
at the mouth of a salmon stream, we came upon many fresh bear tracks,
and passed the night watching. As we had seen nothing by four o'clock in
the morning, we cautiously withdrew, and, going some distance down the
shore, camped in an old hunting barabara. It had been rather a long
stretch, when one considers that we had breakfasted a little over
twenty-four hours before. Watching a salmon stream by night is poor
sport, but it is the only kind of hunting that one can do at this time
of the year.
I slept until seven o'clock, when the men called me, and after a cup of
tea we started for the salmon stream, which we followed up beyond where
we had watched it the night previous. We were very careful to wade so as
not to give our scent to any bears which might approach the stream from
below. There were many tracks and deep, well-used trails leading in all
directions, while every few yards we came upon places where the tall
grass was trampled down, showing where bears had been fishing. These
bear trails are quite a feature of the Alaskan country, and some of them
are two feet wide and over a foot deep, showing that they have been in
constant use for many years.
That night we heard a bear pass within ten yards of us, but could not
see it. We returned to camp next morning at five o'clock, and I wrote up
my journal, for this night work is extremely confusing, and one
completely loses track of the days unless careful.
My men came to me after their mid-day sleep with very cheerful
countenances, and assured me that there was no doubt but that I should
surely soon meet with success, for the palm of Nikolai's hand had been
itching, and he had dreamed of blood and a big dog fighting, while
Lofka's eyelid trembled. My hunters told me in all seriousness that
these signs never failed.
In the afternoon we decided to watch a new place. We carried the
baidarka up a small stream and launched it in quite a large and
picturesque lake. We slowly paddled along the shores and watched near
the mouths of several salmon streams. By twelve o'clock we had not even
seen a track, so I decided to return to camp and get some much needed
sleep. The natives were to call me early the next morning, for I had
decided to return to Paramonoff Bay.
I think this was the only time in my hunting life that I was
deliberately lazy; but, although my natives called me several times, I
slept right on until nine o'clock. I was strongly tempted when we got
under way to start back by continuing around the Island of Afognak; but
Nikolai was anxious to have me give Paramonoff Bay another trial. He
thought the run of the humpback salmon might have begun since we left,
and if this was so, we were likely to find some large bears near the
streams we had watched the week before. I had great confidence in his
judgment, and therefore decided to retrace our steps.
We made a start about ten o'clock, but after a couple of hours'
paddling, when we had met a fair tide to help us on, I lit my pipe and
allowed my men to do all the work, while I lay back among my rugs half
dreaming in the charm of my surroundings. Myriads of gulls flew
overhead, uttering their shrill cries, while now and then the black
oyster-catchers with their long red bills would circle swiftly around
the baidarka, filling the air with their sharp whistles, and seemingly
much annoyed at our intrusion. Many different kinds of ducks rose before
us, and the ever-present eagles watched us from the lofty rocks. We soon
turned the rugged headland and were once more in the swift tide of
Shuyak Straits, where the water boiled and eddied about us as we sped
quickly on.
Nikolai now pointed out one of his favorite hunting grounds for seals,
and asked if he might not try for one; so we turned into a big bay, and
he soon had the glasses in use. He at once sighted several lying on some
rocks, and we had just started in their direction when Nikolai suddenly
stopped paddling, again seized the glasses, and looked excitedly across
the straits to the Shuyak shore. Following the direction of his gaze I
saw upon the beach a black speck which my native at once pronounced to
be a bear. He was nosing around among some seaweed and turning over the
rocks in search of food. Each one of us now put all his strength into
every stroke in order to reach the other side before the bear could
wander off. We cautiously landed behind some big rocks, and quickly
removing our boots my hunter and I were soon on shore and noiselessly
peering through the brush to the place where we had last seen the bear;
but he had disappeared.
The wind was favorable, and we knew that he had not been alarmed. It
took us some time to hit off his trail, for he had wandered in all
directions before leaving this place; but after it was once found, his
footprints in the thick moss made tracking easy, and we moved rapidly
on. We had not expected a long stalk, and our feet were badly punished
by the devil clubs which were here most abundant. We could see by the
tracks that the bear had not been alarmed, and knew that we should soon
come up with him. After a mile or so the trail led in the direction of a
low marsh where the coast line makes a big bend inward, so apparently we
had crossed a long point into a bay beyond.
I at once felt sure that the bear was near, having probably come to this
beach to feed, and as Nikolai looked at me and smiled I knew he, too,
felt that we were on a warm trail.
We had just begun to descend toward the shore when I thought I heard a
slight noise ahead. Keeping my eyes fixed in that direction, I
whispered to Nikolai, who was standing a few feet in front of me,
intently peering to the right. Suddenly I caught just a glimpse of a
tawny, brownish bit of color through the brush a short distance
ahead. Quickly raising my rifle I had just a chance for a snap shot, and
the next instant a large hear made a dash through some thick
underbrush. It was but an indistinct glimpse which I had had, and before
I could throw another cartridge into the barrel of my rifle the bear was
out of sight. Keeping my eyes moving at about the rate of speed I
judged he was going, I fired again through the trees, and at once a deep
and angry growl told me that my bullet had gone home.
Then we raced ahead, my hunter going to the left while I entered the
thick brush into which the bear had disappeared. I had gone but a short
distance when I heard Nikolai shoot three times in rapid succession, and
as quickly as I could break through I hurried in his direction. It
seemed that as we separated, Nikolai had at once caught sight of the
bear slowly making away. He immediately fired but missed; at the report
of his rifle the bear turned and came toward him, but was too badly
wounded by my first two shots to be dangerous. At close range Nikolai
fired two more shots, and it was at this moment that I joined him. The
bear was down, but trying hard to get upon his feet, and evidently in an
angry mood, so I ran up close and gave him another shot, which again
knocked him over.