Thought I would share one of David Crocketts bear hunts as published in his autobiography. I hope some of you enjoy it.
Some background information it took place in the late Fall or early Winter of 1825 and Crockett found himself in the woods away from camp as night came on. The area had many cracks and fissures in the ground caused by the Great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12.
"We now started and went on till sunset, when I concluded we must be near our camp; so I hollered and my son answered me, and we moved on in the direction to the camp. We had gone but a little way when I heard my dogs make a warm start again; and I jumped down from my horse and gave him up to my friend, and told him I would follow them. He went on to the camp, and I went ahead after my dogs with all my might for a considerable distance, till at last night came on. The woods were very rough and hilly, and all covered over with cane.
I now was compelled to move more slowly; and was frequently falling over logs, and into the cracks made by earthquakes, so that I was very much afraid I would break my gun. However, I went on about three miles, when I came to a good big creek, which I waded. It was very cold, and the creek was about knee-deep; but I felt no great inconvenience from it just then, as I was all over wet with sweat from running, and I felt hot enough. After I got over this creek and out of the cane, which was very thick on all our creeks, I listened for my dogs. I found they had either treed or brought the bear to a stop, as they continued barking in the same place. I pushed on as near in the direction of the noise as I could, till I found the hill was too steep for me to climb, so I backed and went down the creek some distance, till I came to a hollow, and then took up that, till I came to a place where I could climb up the hill. It was mighty dark, and was difficult to see my way, or anything else. When I got up the hill I found I had passed the dogs; so I turned and went to them. I found, when I got there, they had treed the bear in a large forked poplar, and it was sitting in the fork.
I couild see the lump, but not plain enough to shoot with any certainty, as there was no moonlight; and so I set to hunting for some dry brush to make me a light; but I could find none, though I could find the the ground was torn mightily by the cracks.
At last I thought I could shoot by guess, and kill him; so I pointed as near the lump as I could, and fired away. But the bear didn't come, he only clumb up higher, and got out on a limb, which helped me to see him better. I now loaded up again and fired, but this time he didn't move at all. I commenced reloading for a third fire, but the first thing I knowed, the bear was down among my dogs, and they were fighting all around me. I had my big butcher in my belt, and I had a pair of dressed buckskin breeches on. So I took out my knife, and stood, determined, if he should get hold of me, to defend myself in the best way I could. I stood there for some time and could now and then see a white dog I had, but the rest of them and the bear, which were dark colored, I couldn't see at all, it was so miserable dark. They still fought around me and sometimes within three feet of me; but at last the bear got down into one of the cracks that the earthquakes had made in the ground, about four feet deep, and I could tell the biting end of him by the hollering of my dogs. So I took my gun and pushed the muzzle of it about, till I thought I had it against the main part of his body, and fired; but it happened to be only the fleshy part of his foreleg. With this he jumped out of the crack, and he and the dogs had another hard fight around me, as before. At last, however, they forced him back in the crack again, as he was when I had shot.
I had laid down my gun in the dark, and I now began to hunt for it; and, while hunting, I got hold of a pole, and I concluded I would punch him awhile with that. I did so, and when I would punch him, the dogs would jump in on him, when he would bite them badly and they would jump out again. I concluded, as he would take punching so patiently, it might be that he would lie still enough for me to get down in the crack, and feel slowly along till I could find the right place to give him a dig with my butcher. So I got down, and my dogs got in before him and kept his head towards them, till I got along easily up to him; and placing my hand on his rump, felt for his shoulder, just behind which I intended to stick him. I made a lunge with my long knife, and fortunately stuck him right through the heart, at which he just sank down, and I crawled out in a hurry. In a little time my dogs all came out too, and seemed satisfied, which was the way they always had of telling me that they had finished him." Pgs 151-154
From "Life of David Crockett, The Original Humorist and Irrepressible Backwoodsman"
Porter & Coates, Philadelphia
copyright 1869, by John E Potter & co
Imagine how much sand it would take to crawl down into a crack four feet deep with a wounded bear to stick it with a knife!
Regards, Dave
Some background information it took place in the late Fall or early Winter of 1825 and Crockett found himself in the woods away from camp as night came on. The area had many cracks and fissures in the ground caused by the Great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12.
"We now started and went on till sunset, when I concluded we must be near our camp; so I hollered and my son answered me, and we moved on in the direction to the camp. We had gone but a little way when I heard my dogs make a warm start again; and I jumped down from my horse and gave him up to my friend, and told him I would follow them. He went on to the camp, and I went ahead after my dogs with all my might for a considerable distance, till at last night came on. The woods were very rough and hilly, and all covered over with cane.
I now was compelled to move more slowly; and was frequently falling over logs, and into the cracks made by earthquakes, so that I was very much afraid I would break my gun. However, I went on about three miles, when I came to a good big creek, which I waded. It was very cold, and the creek was about knee-deep; but I felt no great inconvenience from it just then, as I was all over wet with sweat from running, and I felt hot enough. After I got over this creek and out of the cane, which was very thick on all our creeks, I listened for my dogs. I found they had either treed or brought the bear to a stop, as they continued barking in the same place. I pushed on as near in the direction of the noise as I could, till I found the hill was too steep for me to climb, so I backed and went down the creek some distance, till I came to a hollow, and then took up that, till I came to a place where I could climb up the hill. It was mighty dark, and was difficult to see my way, or anything else. When I got up the hill I found I had passed the dogs; so I turned and went to them. I found, when I got there, they had treed the bear in a large forked poplar, and it was sitting in the fork.
I couild see the lump, but not plain enough to shoot with any certainty, as there was no moonlight; and so I set to hunting for some dry brush to make me a light; but I could find none, though I could find the the ground was torn mightily by the cracks.
At last I thought I could shoot by guess, and kill him; so I pointed as near the lump as I could, and fired away. But the bear didn't come, he only clumb up higher, and got out on a limb, which helped me to see him better. I now loaded up again and fired, but this time he didn't move at all. I commenced reloading for a third fire, but the first thing I knowed, the bear was down among my dogs, and they were fighting all around me. I had my big butcher in my belt, and I had a pair of dressed buckskin breeches on. So I took out my knife, and stood, determined, if he should get hold of me, to defend myself in the best way I could. I stood there for some time and could now and then see a white dog I had, but the rest of them and the bear, which were dark colored, I couldn't see at all, it was so miserable dark. They still fought around me and sometimes within three feet of me; but at last the bear got down into one of the cracks that the earthquakes had made in the ground, about four feet deep, and I could tell the biting end of him by the hollering of my dogs. So I took my gun and pushed the muzzle of it about, till I thought I had it against the main part of his body, and fired; but it happened to be only the fleshy part of his foreleg. With this he jumped out of the crack, and he and the dogs had another hard fight around me, as before. At last, however, they forced him back in the crack again, as he was when I had shot.
I had laid down my gun in the dark, and I now began to hunt for it; and, while hunting, I got hold of a pole, and I concluded I would punch him awhile with that. I did so, and when I would punch him, the dogs would jump in on him, when he would bite them badly and they would jump out again. I concluded, as he would take punching so patiently, it might be that he would lie still enough for me to get down in the crack, and feel slowly along till I could find the right place to give him a dig with my butcher. So I got down, and my dogs got in before him and kept his head towards them, till I got along easily up to him; and placing my hand on his rump, felt for his shoulder, just behind which I intended to stick him. I made a lunge with my long knife, and fortunately stuck him right through the heart, at which he just sank down, and I crawled out in a hurry. In a little time my dogs all came out too, and seemed satisfied, which was the way they always had of telling me that they had finished him." Pgs 151-154
From "Life of David Crockett, The Original Humorist and Irrepressible Backwoodsman"
Porter & Coates, Philadelphia
copyright 1869, by John E Potter & co
Imagine how much sand it would take to crawl down into a crack four feet deep with a wounded bear to stick it with a knife!
Regards, Dave
