| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slowly |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | and carefully I began to pick my way |
|              | | | | across the old logging unit. The |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | first thing I discovered was that the |
| Â Â Â The Bear Facts | | | | brush that appeared chest high from the |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | road was much taller than it had |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | appeared from the friendly confines of |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | the Tracker and I often found myself in |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | a jungle that was only possible to see |
|              | | | | out of by looking straight up! Where |
| Â Â By | | | | possible, I used down logs to traverse |
|              | | | | the rugged terrain. At other times, I |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | was on my belly, crawling under the |
|              | | | | thick brush. For more than an hour I |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | sneaked across the three hundred yards |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Thom Cantrall | | | | (270m) I had estimated him to be from me |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The | | | | when I began this exercise. Â I had no |
| sun had passed its zenith and the tide | | | | idea if the bear was still in his place |
| was busily filling the inlet slowing the | | | | as I crept up on him. It certainly |
| fishing to the point that it was time to | | | | would not be the first time I had |
| find other things to do for a time. | | | | executed the "perfect" stalk only to |
| Besides, after four days of fishing, the | | | | find that my quarry had long since |
| freezer was full and there was no more | | | | bugged out for more friendly, if not |
| room to store the salmon we caught. | | | | safer, confines. |
| Those fish caught in the morning had | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â At |
| been filleted, wrapped and stuffed into | | | | just under what I judged to be one |
| the overcrowded freezer awaiting our | | | | hundred yards (90m) from the bruin, I |
| trip home in two more days. | | | | crossed a sizeable log and was able to |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â From | | | | peek over the brush to see my bear still |
| the sleeping area of the cabin came the | | | | contentedly munching in his berry |
| rasping and wheezing sound of men | | | | patch. Quietly, I dropped back down |
| sleeping. The thought came to mind | | | | off the log and continued my stalk, now |
| that, perhaps, there had been a | | | | spending more time on my hands and knees |
| woodcutters competition scheduled | | | | than on my feet, slowly, but inexorably |
| without my knowledge, but after careful | | | | closing the distance separating us. |
| investigation it wasrevealed to be no | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â At |
| more than four men snoring contentedly, | | | | fifty yards (45m) from the bear, I came |
| probably with visions of thirty pound | | | | upon a doe and fawn, also feeding on the |
| salmon running through their minds. | | | | succulent and tasty berries and had to |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Taking | | | | stop my stalk and move to where I could, |
| advantage of the lull, I took my gold | | | | without being seen, toss a couple of |
| pan and loaded my carcass into the | | | | rocks into the brush near them, but not |
| little Geo Tracker available for our use | | | | so close as to scare them. My aim was |
| and headed for the tiny, no-name creek I | | | | to cause them enough distress to leave, |
| had spotted in one of my earlier | | | | but not enough to spook them, thereby |
| perambulations away from camp. This | | | | spooking my main quarry, Mr. Bear. As |
| creek showed on my map as being short | | | | my right (throwing) shoulder is |
| and fairly steep, falling from some high | | | | completely inoperative due to the lack |
| country that gave every indication of | | | | of a rotator cuff which has been |
| containing mineral and I was excited to | | | | destroyed by arthritis, I had to fling |
| do some test pans. | | | | the stones with a kind of underhand |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â As is | | | | motion. Â It was not pretty, but it was |
| my usual wont, I wanted to know as much | | | | effective as the stones landed close |
| as I could learn about the stream before | | | | enough to catch their attention and |
| investing time and energy into the | | | | alert them that not all was well within |
| testing to increase my chances of | | | | the kingdom today and that it was |
| finding mineral by eliminating | | | | perhaps prudent to move on to more |
| prospecting in unproductive waters. | | | | receptive climes. The result was, as |
| To this end, I turned the Tracker up the | | | | I had hoped, they simply moved off into |
| old, semi- overgrown logging road that | | | | the brush, not panicked, but merely |
| seemed to parallel the stream up the | | | | wary. |
| mountain. About a half mile off the | | | |            With |
| main road, the logging spur veered | | | | their departure, I continued crawling |
| sharply east and up a short ridge, away | | | | thru the re-prod (newly planted) timber |
| from the stream. Â As I reached the | | | | and brush until I figured I should be |
| peak of the ridge, I stopped to look out | | | | within bow range of the big bear. |
| over the basin through which the creek | | | | Although I was totally unarmed, my |
| meandered. | | | | original goal was to see if I could get |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â To my | | | | within range of my bow without him |
| utter dismay, the creek flowed out of a | | | | sensing my presence. At that point I |
| very beautiful and very substantial | | | | found a large stump that I felt I could |
| lake! It was quite scenic and | | | | scale fairly easily. Doing so |
| picturesque to behold, but it destroyed | | | | afforded me a magnificent view, not only |
| my hopes of finding any color in its | | | | of my immediate vicinity and Mr. Bruin, |
| waters, let alone the Mother Lode every | | | | quite in view at a range of between |
| prospector expects to find with each pan | | | | thirty and thirty-five yards (27-32 m), |
| he washes! Any gold in the stream | | | | still enjoying his fruitful repast, but |
| would settle out in the lake and not be | | | | across the island to the east, the |
| carried further down stream. | | | | straits and on towards the mountains on |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | | | | the mainland east of Wrangell and |
| Disappointed but not disillusioned, I | | | | Petersburg. |
| continued up the road, past the lake and | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â To say |
| into the upper reaches of the now tiny | | | | I was stunned would not do justice to |
| rill. I now had nothing particular on | | | | that moment. It was absolutely the |
| my mind, but was merely on an exploring | | | | most magnificent panorama I could ever |
| trip, seeing what I could see of this | | | | hope to view. I was so enthralled, I |
| vast and beautiful country that was | | | | momentarily forgot my bear. I used |
| Alaska. Â Presently, I left the cover | | | | the rest of the roll of film in my |
| of the timber and entered an area of | | | | little Nikon camera on the view, |
| almost alpine beauty. There were | | | | temporarily forgetting I had come to see |
| extensive meadows interspersed with a | | | | the bear. |
| multitude of beaver ponds, with a tiny | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â When |
| stream vigorously working its way from | | | | my sanity returned after a short hiatus, |
| one pond to the next as it made its way | | | | I judged the bear to be in the "nice |
| down the slope toward the lake I'd seen | | | | bear" class on the Twangg Universal |
| earlier.  Between these diminutive | | | | Scoring System. The levels on this |
| ponds, stands of spruce and hemlock with | | | | system are quite simple and don't |
| an occasional pine struggled to make a | | | | involve a lot of superfluous |
| living in the damp, boggy soil. | | | | measurements as to most other scoring |
|            As I | | | | systems in use today. It simply goes |
| left this area, I entered a region that | | | | from "little bear" to "good bear", "nice |
| had been logged several years ago. My | | | | bear", "great bear", "OH MY GOSH" and |
| best estimate would be six to eight | | | | the ultimate is "Faints Dead Away". I |
| years had elapsed since it was logged. | | | | use this same scoring system on all |
| The stumps of great Sitka Spruce, | | | | major game species and some fish. |
| Western Hemlock and Red Cedar stood as | | | | It's the most universal system ever |
| silent testament to the great stand of | | | | devised. For safety's sake, when |
| timber that had once stood here. | | | | applying this system to the Grizzly |
| Everywhere, there were young trees | | | | Bear, Ursus Horriblis, any class above |
| growing in the comparatively drier soil, | | | | "little bear" should be done while |
| giving promise to the great stand of | | | | vacating the area the bear inhabits! |
| timber that would soon be found here | | | | Further, it is recommended that any |
| again in a very few years. Today, | | | | larger Grizz in the TUSS scale be |
| though, it was at the prime age for | | | | estimated from film taken while |
| wildlife as the brushes were growing in | | | | retreating! |
| great profusion at just the age of | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â This |
| maximum tenderness and nutrition. The | | | | was definitely a lone boar and would |
| small Sitka Blacktail deer indigenous to | | | | measure between five and one half and |
| Southeast Alaska were everywhere! | | | | six feet (about 2m).  He weighed about |
| They obviously found the young brushes | | | | 375-400 lbs (170-180 kg) on the foot |
| to besucculent eating and were making | | | | (bears don't have hooves)! He was a |
| good time on getting their fair share. | | | | very nice bear... maybe even a "great |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â As I | | | | bear" and, if I had been so inclined and |
| continued higher on the mountain, I was | | | | so armed, he would have been a very |
| watching very closely as the blueberry | | | | simple target. As it was, however, |
| and huckleberry brushes were becoming | | | | all I wished to do was to watch him and |
| more prevalent and berries in this area | | | | learn something of his traits from close |
| generally means bears! Â It was not | | | | observation. |
| long before I was rewarded and I spotted | | | | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All |
| a lone black bear feeding on the | | | | too soon, a vagrant wind betrayed my |
| ripening blueberries growing in | | | | presence to his ultra-sensitive nose and |
| profusion around him. A lone bear | | | | he began a slow, careful, tactical |
| probably meant it was a boar as, | | | | retreat. I got my camera reloaded in |
| carefully as I watched, I could find no | | | | time to get only a couple of longer |
| evidence of young ones or of this bear | | | | range shots, but he will live forever in |
| paying heed to what could have been | | | | the view screen of my mind. |
| another bear. This bear had evidently | | | |            As I |
| either not seen me, or did not consider | | | | retreated in my turn to my vehicle after |
| me a threat, for he continued his | | | | his departure, I pondered God, Life and |
| foraging even as I parked my vehicle and | | | | Bears and our place in the overall |
| began a short semi-circle to insure the | | | | scheme of things, a scheme that we all |
| wind, such as it was this clear, calm | | | | too often don't understand or cannot |
| day, was completely in my favor. It | | | | comprehend, but suffice it to know that |
| is said that if a leaf falls in the | | | | such places and such creations do |
| forest, the eagle will see it; the deer | | | | exist. That is sufficient unto my |
| will hear it and the bear willsmell | | | | soul for the present... perhaps for |
| it! His olfactory sense is that | | | | always... |
| superior! | | | | |