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Show d) ire ThaSamplar, April 24, 1986 None live to tell most tragic bear stones Those who know them best, respect them most. Everyone who has studied them agrees that great precaution should be taken when entering their Editors note: This is the third article in a series on Alaska. Thirty Dugway employees recently visited Alaska as part of a smoke test. Ugden Kraut, is a photographer at the Optical Data Branch here. by Ogden Kraut Bear stories abound in Alaska. Its wilderness has provided some of the most interesting adventures between man and beast, that have ever been recorded. Many such experiences are shocking or terrifying, while others are very humorous. have Trappers, hunters, and all others who all these agree huge bruins, close encounters with that bears are smart, fast, deadly and unpredictable. Although they are a superb animal with" many humorous antics, they can also be a keg of dynamite wrapped in a fur coat, ready to explode at any moment. four-paw- bear is sought for by hunters from all over the world. These huge beasts are envied trophies because of their awesomeness and because of the dangers involved in obtaining them. At birth they are hairless, blind and weigh only a pound, yet Herman Gibson of Texas shot an adult on Kodiak Island in 1969 that was estimated to weigh close to 2,000 pounds. Some of the hides from these animals weigh over 200 pounds alone and reach up to IS and 14 feet long. Bears can live to be 30 years old, while some have been estimated to live up to 70 years. Recently biologists have been able to determine the age of a bear by looking at the cross sections of his teeth, counting the annual rings like those of a tree. Few male bears ever reach adulthood without domain. The most common bears are the Polar, Grizzly,; Brown, Black and Kodiak. In a recent study by the UJS. Biological Survey, it was noted that there of the Grizzly alone. are as many as 84 Yet, the late Andy Simons, famed Alaskan guide, sub-speci- es said, "I must confess that after 30 years of hunting these animals, it would be impossible for me to distinguish between a Grizzly and a Brown bear of the same size if I saw them walking side by side." The BrownGrizzly has also been identified with the Kodiak, the principle difference being their lo--: cality on Kodiak Island. ed The famous Alaskan Grizzly, Brown or Kodiak m We Sell Sporting Goods v I FU!lFcrTh5 VVv' r receiving a great deal of bodily damage caused from fighting each other. They suffer broken jaws, sightless eyes and torn up hides. Often their teeth are broken off, leaving exposed nerves which is enough to make anyone ornery. They fight like drunken, prize fighters, taking out their fury and misery on man or anything else in the area. One of the danger signals of these animals is when he begins to chomp his teeth and woof. At that point, he is an unpredictable animal you don't know if he is going to charge, run off, :w L.'. -.- 11. M There is a marked difference in the Polar, bear from all others his obvious white fur. But the Brown and Polar bears are very similar in size and characteristics, and are so closely related that they often interbreed. like the Brown bear, the Polar bear weighs up to 1400 pounds and stands .over 10 feet tall. On and crawl to thicker thin ice he will spread-eagl- e ice floes. The fur of the Polar bear is oily in order to repel water as he dives in the icy waters of the Arctic. He can stay under water for over two minutes searching for food, his favorites being seal Mnk 10 to o shop weekdays SATURDAY 9 to 6 cum waii ub. Meals for the Brown bear may include 1T' - SPORT GEMTERPi 1 vegeta- tion, berries, mammals, fish, insects, rodents, or carrion from the previous winter, Bears are often compared to pigs, being omnivorous (eating about anything they can find). When they kill another animal, they usually cover it with a pile of vegetation and dirt to allow nature to take its course in a sort of tenderization process. They will often stay nearby where they can protect it; and it is under these circumstances that many bears have attacked man. Without any natural enemy, having the advantage of sleeping through the cold .winter, and then bear lives a eating about anything he wants,-thrather ideal Me for an animal. Under most circumstances, a bear will try to avoid man; but some are very aggressive towards anything that intrudes into his territory. A pilot in Alaska said he had seen bears jump into thesis) trying to attack an airplane, in order, ' . to protect her cubs. A mother bear can be one of the most dangerous bears in the woods, and when she confronts man, there are usually disastrous results. One of Alaska's master guides related an incident witnessed between man and bear: Aiders the size of a man's legs were broken and scattered about and the ground was torn up as if by a huge machine. The bear and Pete were lying a few feet apart, both covered with blood and gore. Pete's rifle was broken in half. . . (The late AlfMadsen, Master Guide, "What Caliber for the Kodiak?' The Alaskan Sportsman, Sept. 1957) Another incident describing the power of this beast was recorded many years ago by a prospector: . In the fall of 1912 or 1913 a prospector from Nome had a run-i- n with a sow Grizzly. When she him mnrina lib n runninnv frttitrht nttfjfhorl . 1 1. I I I train, ne aummaucauy jammea rus aouoie-uarrinto her mouth and touched off both triggers. She e 'AUTOMATIC PRO-LIN- E 'REFLEX' JOGGINGWALKING SHOES and FOR MEN GOLF SET CE SUNSET SALE PRICE LADIES $229.99 . Only... W (OKO UCPJo Lf U 1 11-PIE- r Reg. $29095 ' Reg. S24S5 PER MONTH!' Pie fastest graving trend In fitness today Is waiting! The Reflex is an ideal with (ghtweight nybnfeuede uppers, EVA nMsole and wedge, and waking durable rubber soles. pro-tin-e dubs are being sold in leading pro shops for hundreds of dollars more! Finest quality investment cast irons are lofted and led, all metal woods are designed to provide maximum distance and accuracy. These m? " L ei died instantly, but in her death throes, she clamped her jaws onto the shotgun, crushing the barrels. The Alaska Sportsman, Jan. 1939) Another true and even more gruesome story was related by two fishermen who had left one of NCAA ENDORSED RUBBER 'COMBO' RECREATIONAL WATER SKIS BASKETBALL aa ?KJ! UJQ U 1 ET7 GLOVE Reg. $3955 Model RB&36 35 Great Looking Casual Shoes! Three-year-ol- 'DALE MURPHY' FIELDER'S Reg. $955 Model Official size, weight 61-2- their group on shore to pick some berries, when he was confronted by a Grizzly: As the men watched helplessly from their boat at anchor, The sow took one swipe at the luckless man and his head went flying through the air. He took about 10 or 15 more steps, and the sow, after knocking his head off with one clean sweep, went after the head and batted it around several more times." (Charles J. Kleim, Alaska Game Trails with a Master Guide, 1977) Yet, oh the other hand, those dangerous and deadly beasts can be unusually gentle and understanding at times: d Evelyn Berghind set out to find LP TYPE III' NYLON 1; WATER SKI JACKETS Reg. $4795 COLLAPSIBLE GOLF BAG mm MEN'S DENIM with JACKETS The classic denim Jacket that gets better and better the more you wear it! PADDED CARHY STRAP Diameter 8-In-ch mm '440' Canvas, Paris Southern. Coleman styles and cotonv LEATHER TENNIS SHOES m.DD a mailman whc thought Or, consider the someone had shot a bear and just left it lying on jvsoneo conxxieniji 'PHASE I' MEN'S and LADIES Reg. $3459 CO Reg. $3438 Model 4014 ILS. Coast Guard Approved! Reg. to $2999 LADIES LEATHER mm AEROBIC FITNESS SHOES Reg. $3955 O somewhat scary experience, when a bear wanted the fish he had just caught. After a continuous whiplashing on the nose with the fishpole, the aeaaea ine caicn wasn't worth it and saun- - or I TWILL SHORTS .'.-'.;- '. m r "n "T T W ' JCWWW VJ aJ ( U ' mm 9 Reg. $2700 to $3150 ts ' p TO 42786 G Ml magni- - ana every story is different. Mil-- s have read about the fisherman in tho uavii who wrote his story in the Readers Digest under the title The Most Unforgettable Character I've Ever Met." This story is about a bear that followed the Alaskan to his cabin and ate with him, living in his cabin for' weeks -- an inspiring story of kindness and friendliness that can exist between m animais, Prices Good Thru HUM away. flumes have been written about these ar or m sh WW E THE CKLT CARD YOU'LL NEED AT SUBSET! tm hhk tm maun cmmti - other, he received the shock of his life the in his Bob with hands, leaving trophy exploded his knife, a handful of fur and a pretty rattled complexion. The last time he saw the bear! it wa scratching and digging for the big timber! (The Even one of Dugway vlest grid workers had a LADIES' POPLIN SHORTS O mrm the ground: On the dock Bob discovered a targe bi ick bear. It angered him that some hunter would Isave such a trophy, and he drew his knife to skin it. With his kttife in one hand and a handful of fur in the YOUR CHOCS . her mother and father one August morning in 1920. Her brother told her that her parents were at the fish wheel at Nation, Alaska, on the Yukon River. Evelyn wandered along the stream and encountered a sow with three cubs but not her parents. Thinking they were, puppies, she tried to catch the cubs. They frolicked with her for some time as the sow watched her and fished nearby. It wasn't long, however, until her father called from the distance and the game ended. The bears sifted into the underbrush. (Alaska Bear Tales, j 34) luck of f man and beast. Whatever may be said about these superb animals; they are a part of Alaska's heritage. They belong to the wilderness of the great land, and it wiU be a sad day if civilization ever to living only m zoos, or into extinction.pushes them : |