Thursday, June 6, 2013

Bear Shooting in Bovina 111 Years Ago

The June 13, 1902 issue of the Andes Recorder reported the shooting of a bear in Bovina, which happened on June 6:

     Last Friday a black bear was killed in Bovina.  The bear had been seen in different parts of the town for several days and on that day came through below Arthur Hoy’s house. Mr. Hoy, his hired man George Todd, Peter Robson and his hired man, resolved to go on a bear hunt and according set out, and on reaching a piece of woods on W.R. Miller’s hill the party separated, Todd taking the small dog and going one way and the others going around the woods.
      In a few minutes the dog found the bear and tackled it.  Todd who was armed with a shot gun let bruin have both barrels and then the animal turned from the dog and made for the man, but the dog kept up its fight and detracted the attention of the animal until Todd could reload and again he let go both barrels with no apparent effect only to make bruin more angry and it reared up on its hind legs, and with outstretched arms made for Todd, the dog meantime keeping up its hectoring from behind.  Todd slipped his fifth and last cartridge into the gun and placed the muzzle close to the bear’s head and fired.  The charge entered the head tearing a hole like a bullet and the bear dropped dead. 
      The bear, which was a yearling was taken to the village and weighed 137 pounds. G.D. Miller dressed it in fine shape and Bovina has had plenty of bear meat.
      The skin weighed 16 ½ pounds and Arthur Hoy gave Mr. Todd $10 for it
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The Arthur Hoy farm was located on Jim Lane road.  The W.R. Miller farm I think was the old Reinertsen farm at the end of Reinertsen Hill Road - that road used to connect with Jim Lane road. 

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