How To Kill A Grizzly Bear

1895

The Only Safe Way Is to First Catch Your Bear, Then Cut His Throat.

"The only safe way to kill a grizzly bear is to cut his throat," said an old forty-niner who has come back to Louisville to end his days. "I learned this when I took that trip from Sacramento to Lower California with a herd of cattle and only a greaser and myself to drive 'em.

"We had been out for three days. On the morning of the third day, just about dawn, we were awakened by the bellowing of frightened cattle. We expected a stampede, and both of us jumped to our feet and on our horses. Then we began to ride around the cattle to keep them from breaking and running. It didn't take us long to discover the cause of the cattle's fright. About 300 yards distant was a big grizzly with his head down making for our camp. The Mexican saw him the same time I did.

"I unslung my gun and held it in readiness to shoot as soon as bruin was in range. The Mexican held up his hand warningly and yelled, 'Wait!' He took his lasso off the horn of his saddle, and digging his spurs into the sides of his pony rode down upon the bear as fast as he could go. He passed the bear, and when 15 feet behind him wheeled his horse. Then, whirling his lasso about his head, he let fly at the running bear. The lasso settled nicely over one of the lifted feet. The trained pony lifted himself on his haunches, and the lasso tightened his grip on the bear's leg. This angered the bear, and he turned with a growl and started directly toward the Mexican, who rode toward a little clump of trees just north of the camp. He kept drawing in the lasso and expected to tighten it and drag the bear, but bruin was fast upon his feet and kept in easy distance of the greaser.

"The horseman rode behind one of the trees and jumped from his horse. Bruin started after him and reached around the tree to get him. The wily greaser began to jump about from side to side of the tree, with the bear always following, but never getting any closer than just opposite. The result was that bruin was finally wrapped tightly about with the lasso and was tied to the tree. When the greaser got the bear in this position, he held on to the end of the lasso in his hand, and showing his teeth in a broad grin looked at me. Reaching down into his greasy sash, he pulled out a long, sharp knife and made one slash across the bear's throat. That did him." — Louisville Courier-Journal.