List Mark   Son of a Pioneer
the stories of G.V. (Gerry) Stauffer

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Grizzlies Aren't Dangerous!

If you have a squirrel gun.

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A grizzly bear I don't think is near as dangerous as people try to make them out to be. There was one out in the Swan Hills, where we had a camp, that came and took a case of bread from old George Scott.

A whole case. I brought it in in the 180 and we just set it beside the kitchen. To let it cool. It's still warm, the case was 'cause it just came out of Edmonton, 70 miles away.

All of a sudden I hear, "I shan't do that if I were you! Put that right down or I'm going to blast you one... right in the ass!" Well, Walker and I wonder what the devil is going on? So we go out of the shack and here is old George Scott with my little four ten shotgun. And he's about as far away as that fireplace from this great big grizzley. And he's pointing the shotgun right at the bear's ass and telling him if he don't put that case of bread down he's going to blast him one in the ass. With a four ten shotgun!

That could annoy him. We started yelling at Scott to leave that damn bear alone. Let him have the case of bread. We don't need that bread. Let him have it. And just about that time the bear stopped, set the case of bread down, turned around very nonchalant, looked at Scott, stood up on his hind legs. All he had to do was reach out and whack him one, and old Scott would have laid there dead with a broken neck or whatever. He was as far away as you and he stood there and he made funny noises, licked his lips, turned around and walked down through the trees.

Never took the case of bread. Scott picked it up and brought it back. "Told that damn bear where to get off at!"

I took the gun away from him. There were squirrels all over the place. We'd given him the little gun for squirrels! So I put the stupid gun back in the airplane and that's where it stayed, for you don't go chasing after a grizzley bear with no four ten shotgun!


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©
Copyright
2001
MM Stauffer
JF McTavish, mctavjoc@shaw.ca
Calgary
Alberta
Canada

04 February, 2001