I Guided Teddy Roosevelt and Zane Grey, But This Grizzly Hunt Was One I’ll Never Forget

This story, “Deadhead,” appeared within the August 1953 situation of Outside Life. You’ll find extra stories by Jack Tooker here.

My job was driving a locomotive for the Santa Fe however my passion was big-game searching and guiding. The guiding was extra a labor of affection than anything; I simply needed to be with individuals who favored searching as a lot as I did. I took out such famous males as Theodore Roosevelt, Zane Gray, Rex Seashore, and Fred Stone. To do it I’d typically need to get 30 days’ depart, however the railroad didn’t thoughts; it was good publicity. Different occasions I went out with railroaders, ranchmen, {and professional} hunters.

It was with knowledgeable hunter that I undertook one of many queerest chases I’ve ever run into. The person was Cyrus (Bear) Johnson, an previous good friend and searching companion, and one of many biggest of the bear males. Johnson hunted and trapped inventory killers for 2 northern-Arizona cattle corporations, the D.Ok. and the Bar X. He accounted for about 20 grizzlies all informed, and I used to be in on about 12 killings myself.

This specific hunt I’m speaking about came about in 1922. That summer time I went out with Johnson to assist run down an enormous male grizzly that had been destroying cattle. We have been out every week, making units that we hoped would take the large fellow. However he was as good as a coyote. He killed a cow at Kelsey Spring, on the fringe of the sycamores, and we made a set on the carcass. However he didn’t come again to it. His subsequent kill was at Barney Spring and by the point we discovered it, it had been stripped clear by different animals — black bears, lions, wolves, and the like. Then a 3rd kill — a fats steer — was discovered on the head of Bear Canyon close to Turkey Butte, and the cowboys stated the large grizzly had achieved it.

Nicely, by this time I made a decision that the grizzly lived in Bear Canyon, a aspect canyon virtually as tough because the famed Sycamore, though not so deep. It was an ideal place for bears — with a lot of berries and swimming swimming pools, and loads of sport. At one time or one other virtually each grizzly in northern Arizona made his dwelling in Bear Canyon.

I helped Johnson transfer his stuff down off the mountain to his winter cabin, which was about within the middle of the world the bear was working. After that, Johnson made blind path units and each different variety he may consider. A number of occasions he virtually obtained the previous boy. however not fairly. The grizzly was simply too good to fall for something he had.

After plenty of considering, Johnson lastly doped out a set he thought may work. I went out with him to position it. We killed a deer down within the Barney Spring space, hung half of it in a small oak tree, and smeared honey from a bee tree on the within of the carcass. If there’s something a bear likes even higher than venison, it’s honey. Then we positioned a entice that we’d soaked all night time in a spring, utilizing new gloves in dealing with it. We rubbed the contemporary deer disguise everywhere in the entice, and its chain too. It appeared unlikely {that a} wild animal may detect human scent on it.

Our bear confirmed up, all proper. He walked across the set. That’s all. He should have sensed that it was simply too good to be true. We caught two black bears and a mountain lion. The blackies weren’t inventory killers however we needed to destroy them to get them out of the entice.

It was a month after that earlier than I may be a part of Johnson once more. He had discovered a brand new place the place the grizzly was kill-ing inventory. This time we tried mendacity in look ahead to him with flashlights. a harmful enterprise towards an enormous grizzly, for the vary of the flashlights was solely about 50 yards. However we needed to do one thing. By now the cowboys have been kidding us as the 2 males being hunted by a bear.

We have been virtually fortunate with the flash-light trick. Our grizzly was simply com-ing in, one night time, when the wind all of the sudden modified. The monster gave a snort like an elephant and we obtained our flashlights moving into time to see his large rear finish disappearing into the undergrowth.

When fall got here, Bear Johnson was nonetheless on the path. The nights started get-ting colder. We have been determined, as a result of time was working brief earlier than the large bear would den up for the winter. John-son hunted on a regular basis and I helped at any time when I used to be off responsibility.

However we had no luck and eventually misplaced all hint of the grizzly. Then phrase got here {that a} huge bear was killing inventory on the vary round Flagstaff. Johnson rode over there with some mild equip-ment and wasn’t stunned to search out that the killer was our previous enemy from Bear Canyon. It appeared doubtless that the bear usually holed up someplace within the mountains,’ and from his signal and the placement of the kills we figured his den have to be someplace east of the Kindrich vary. He appeared to be transferring towards it.

When the snow got here, the grizzly obtained deeper into the mountains. Johnson fol-lowed his tracks till they stuffed up with snow, then he had to surrender. He turned south to Bellem.ont, one of many coldest locations within the West. There he picked up some provides and left phrase for me that he was heading again to the winter cabin.

It snowed an ideal deal in December and we needed to maintain the plows out so the ti·ains may transfer. In January a thaw came-just sufficient to begin water working earlier than one other freeze-up. Then extra snow fell-plenty of it. I’ll always remember the night time I ended my practice, the Williams and Flagstaff native, at Belle-mont after a tough run. We had fought snow all the way in which.

We needed to drop off some freight at Bellemont however the agent had barricaded all of the doorways of the station. When he lastly obtained one open and stepped out he seemed as if he’d seen a ghost. “What ails you?” I requested.  “Are the Apaches on the warpath?”

“It’s no joking matter.” the agent grumbled. “A bear tried to get in at me some time ago-a huge grizzly. I believed he’d bust a door down.”

“What model of rotgut have you ever been ingesting? The grizzlies are all holed up in this sort of climate.”

“Nicely, this one isn’t. And I haven’t been ingesting something stronger than espresso. Come over right here!”

My fireman, Phil Kenney, and I plowed by the snow to the plat-form, the place the agent confirmed us contemporary grizzly tracks exterior the freight-room window. He pointed to a spherical glazed spot on the window itself, the place the bear had pressed his nostril and melted a few of the frost and snow. “Take a look at that,” the agent stated. “Was that bear holed up?”

I used to be analyzing the signal with appreciable astonishment when the power-house attendant got here working up, all out of breath. The bear had been making an attempt to get in at him, too, he reported. The practice crew, together with me. have been drained and moist, and needed nothing higher than to complete up the run at Williams and get into dry clothes.

I spotted {that a} grizzly had been in Bellemont, but it surely appeared like a fluke which may by no means occur once more. Anyway, I couldn’t waste a lot time serious about it. for I had a schedule to fulfill. As I oiled my engine I observed that snow had piled up on the plow virtually to the headlight.

After pulling out of Bellemont we picked up extra snow right here and there. Lastly we reached a curved stretch in a minimize between snow-covered fields. I poked my head out the aspect window of the cab and was watching rigorously forward when the large mild picked up one thing that seemed like a cow on the monitor. I set the air however the brake sneakers have been ice-coated and didn’t take maintain rapidly. As we rolled on, my hackles rose, for what I noticed on the monitor was nothing kind of than an enormous grizzly, standing erect and together with his face turned to the glare of the head-light. I obtained just one clear take a look at him earlier than a snow flurry blotted him out.

“Hey, Phil,” I yelled, “did you see something?”

“Did I!” Kenney shouted. “I don’t know what it was, as a result of it was 10 ft above the stack once I noticed it.”

“The place did it go?” 

“Sailed out over the minimize.”

Nicely, that would have occurred at this level, for the banks of the minimize have been not more than eight ft excessive. The large plow that would elevate tons of snow had achieved the identical for the grizzly.

Since we weren’t far forward of No. 3, the restricted passenger practice, I didn’t dare cease. Earlier than we reached Williams I had issues form of found out. A deep snow, coming early within the winter, had compelled the grizzly to gap up earlier than he reached his dwelling den. Underneath such circumstances, bears typically take to the primary gap they arrive to. Then the thaw had come alongside and drowned him out, and the lights of Bellemont had attracted him.

hTe railroad proper of manner, having been saved clear, supplied the trail of least resistance to him by the fields of snow. Lord is aware of the place he was heading when the Mikado caught up with him. It should have been the primary time he ever owned as much as defeat. A locomotive was just a little an excessive amount of for even a grizzly.

If the plow hadn’t scooped him up, he would by no means have lived to assume it over.

After all, at that time I didn’t even know whether or not he had  survived. The truth is I used to be fairly nicely  satisfied that we’d discover a lifeless grizzly on the highest of the minimize. If it fitted the outline of the bear that Johnson had been after, I’d snowshoe out to the winter cabin and inform him, so he may declare the reward. I took 15 days’ depart and rode the native out to the minimize subsequent morning. I dropped off, carrying a rifle and sufficient provides to final me every week, and donned my snowshoes. Then I climbed to the highest of the minimize.

There was no bear there _ nothing however marks within the snow exhibiting the place it had landed. The piled-up snow on the plow should have softened the affect of the collision, for I couldn’t even discover a spot of blood.

However the grizzly had left a plain path southward from the minimize. I guessed he was heading for D.Ok. nation and the canyon, so I adopted. By subsequent morning the snow had crusted and I used to be capable of make good time, reaching John-son’s cabin by midday. The previous man was glad to see me, and once I informed him what had occurred he obtained as excited as I’d ever seen him. We have been each desirous to get on the path, but it surely was too late to begin out that day.

We reached the drop-off on the head of Sycamore Canyon subsequent morning about 11 o’clock, following the distinct path of the grizzly till it all of the sudden petered out. He had gone down a degree so steep {that a} monkey may need discovered it powerful, his physique plowing by the snow for 1 / 4 mile. Then the path ended. From the place we stood  amongst  rocks  and  cliffs  we couldn’t spot a den wherever, and solely a den may clarify the abrupt ending of the path.

I walked out on a degree of rocks, noticed one thing, and signaled Johnson to return up. “Do you see what I see?” I requested when he arrived.

“Certain,” he chuckled. “That’s the previous boy himself sleeping there within the solar, plumb fagged out from staying up the entire winter’s night time.”

“I needed to make sure I wasn’t seeing issues.”

“Jack, we obtained to make use of our heads,” Johnson stated.  “If we shoot now and don’t kill him stone lifeless he’ll attempt to get to us, and perhaps fall to the underside of the canyon. Then we’d by no means discover him., not until the spring thaw anyway.” We talked it over and determined to shoot collectively on the depend of three, then duck out of sight. Johnson was utilizing a .33 Winchester rifle and I an 8 mm. Mauser. and we figured the 2 highly effective cartridges ought to nail him down. I began to purpose and heard Johnson swear aloud. The following immediate I under-stood why; there was no grizzly in my sights, and by the identical token there was none in his.

The crafty previous warrior had sensed our presence and ducked simply within the nick of time. It was onerous to consider, however he had disappeared. We concluded that there have to be a cave opening someplace behind the snow, one we couldn’t see.

“You keep right here,” stated Johnson. “I’ll attempt to work round and cross to the opposite aspect. Then perhaps I can see one thing.”

“That’s a good suggestion, besides that you just’d higher let me do the climbing when you rise up on that huge rock and watch.”

Johnson agreed, since he was none too spry in winter. “Make sure you keep above him,” he warned. “And don’t overlook the crevices and pits.”

The roundabout journey, perhaps 300 yards, took me an hour, however I used to be lastly rewarded by a glimpse of the bear among the many rocks. I used to be 50 yards above him and will make out what I believed was his head. I felt secure sufficient so I aimed and fired. The grizzly got here charging out of what seemed like a shallow despair within the rocks, and he was roaring like an entire herd of mad bulls. I heard Johnson’s rifle crack, and the grizzly staggered. Nevertheless it recovered and noticed Johnson. Because it charged towards him I shot quick. Each bullet hit the mark however none was deadly. I’d as nicely have been throwing snowballs.

Then one in every of Johnson’s bullets knocked the large bear down. Nevertheless it was up instantly and charging him once more. To achieve Johnson, it must climb the rock on which he was standing.

Because the bear began up the rock my likelihood got here. I fired on the backbone and noticed the grizzly drop to the foot of the rock. Then it was up once more. I had evidently missed the vertebrae by an inch or so. I raised the Mauser to fireplace the la;;t shot in its journal, and I used to be starting to really feel sick as I noticed my companion’s peril.

Then Johnson took cautious purpose from his perch on the rock, and fired as coolly as if he have been beheading a turkey. The grizzly misplaced its grip and slid off the boulder, this time for retains. Johnson had damaged its neck with that final cautious shot.

The within of that previous grizzly have been actually shot to items, and there was a bullet gap in his nostril, in all probability made by me once I mistook his muzzle for his entire head. Any of the physique photographs would have killed him finally. And after we skinned him out we discovered one hind leg was an enormous, black bruise, testimony to his collision with the plow.

Learn Subsequent: We Tracked Down a Killer Grizzly — and It Almost Ended in Tragedy

We roped collectively a sled of tree limbs and dragged the disguise again to Johnson’s cabin. Contemplating the bounty, it was a priceless piece of deadhead freight. And for a very long time after that my hackles would rise at any time when I’d run by the curving minimize the place the sport previous griizzly had reared up, able to sort out a locomotive.