Bear Hunt

Bear hunt is a term that creates spine tingling fear in some, while bringing full-scale fearless hunters into a fever to grab their guns. The term bear hunt probably sounded first from the lips of early cavemen, who did not know whether they were the hunter or the hunted.

A bear hunt during those early years, with only clubs and spears to use as weapons against these mammoth wild beasts, must have been quite an adventure..

Ancient fossilized bear bones have been found in southern England, southern Poland, Northern Spain, Italy and Greece, and parts of Russia, where the first bear hunting probably originally took place.

It is interesting that man has found ways to erase the fear of these animals in our children’s minds by making them the object of endearment such as the “Teddy” bear. Children like to take this cuddly stuffed animal to bed with them. Also, currently on “You tube” you can sing along in an interactive song entitled “We’re going On a Bear Hunt”. This ditty produces giggles and laughter, which guarantees to banish some of the fear of these large, sometimes aggressive animals.

The story of the origin of the Teddy Bear has several versions. One version is that Magarete Steiff (1847-1909), who lived in Germany, while wheel chair bound, began to make these adorable stuffed animals from felt. Later she stuffed them with mohair and stitched on jointed legs. George Borgfeld, an American, reportedly heard of these stuffed teddy bears, which prompted an order of 3000 of them. They were so popular that he quickly sold all of them. Again the teddy bear, which continues to be popular today, can teach kids to not be fearful of bears. Yet hunters who have cornered a brown or black bear will tell you, they are to be respectfully feared.

Some gutsy hunters go after these beasts with just bows and arrows and a lot of courage. Bears are unpredictable creatures when hikers come upon them in the wild. It is best to back away from them, unless you are stalking with a gun. Should you come upon a bear cub alone or cubs with their mother, be prepared to fight for you life, if she feels her cubs are threatened in any way.

Encroaching on any wild animal’s territory becomes a threat to their survival. It is best to give them space when you can. Don’t be foolish and try to feed wild aggressive animals

Needless to say, a bear hunt is a planned outing based on knowledge, skill and the will to kill the animal you are stalking, with an objective in mind. Some bears become such nuisances in settled areas that wildlife laws encourage hunting them during certain seasons of the year, to thin out the species. Waking up with a black or brown bear on your porch tapping on your door is not unheard of in the mountains of North America. Most likely the animal starts with your unprotected garbage cans, then advances towards the smells coming from your kitchen. Making a loud noise within the house, usually sends them jogging out of sight.