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To speak of snaring bears sounds like a joke; but the truth is that the spring-pole snare is one of the most effective bear traps that can be employed. Many black bears are caught in snares by the Canadian Indians; but I have never heard of any other species of bears being caught this way.
The noose for the bear snare usually consists of three strands of the heavy grade codfish line, bound together with a piece of herring line which passes around the three strands about every inch of their length and is secured each time with a half knot.
Lighter twine is sometimes used instead of codfish line; but when such material is substituted enough strands must be used to make it correspondingly strong.
As all bear trappers know, bears have a habit of forming and traveling paths about the lake shores, in swamps, along the rock bluffs, and through passes in the hills. It is on these trails that the snares are constructed. A place is found where two small trees stand conveniently on opposite sides of the trail and two straight poles each about four inches in diameter are fastened securely to the trees, at a height of about three feet above the path, by lashing with spruce or tamarack roots. The lifting pole must of course be quite heavy, and it is placed in a tree crotch, or lashed to a tree trunk, in such a position that the top, when drawn down, is directly above the two poles and the trail. The butt must be heavy enough to lift half the weight of a large bear. The cord is then tied to the end of the pole, leaving a free end about a foot or two long and the longer end is of course left free for the noose. The pole is then drawn down and secured to one of the two cross poles by a snare hitch, the same as used for the other snares described, the part of the cord which forms the noose being dropped down between the two poles. Two stakes are then driven at opposite sides of the trail and about 16 inches apart. Between these two stakes the noose, about 14 inches in diameter, is formed and fastened with twigs or with shreds of bark or strings. The height of the noose above the trail should be so that a small bear will naturally pass his head through the noose when walking between the stakes. Just over the top of the noose a stick should be placed and this will cause a larger bear to lower his head into the noose. Stakes and brush are then filled in between the poles for some distance on each side of the trail to form a barricade an discourage the bear from walking around the snare.
When a bear feels the noose tightening he commences to struggle and the first lunge unties the jam knot by which the lifting pole is held down. The rising pole lifts the bear off his front feet and draws his neck up against the two poles where he is quickly strangled in spite of his desperate struggling.
Fur, News. Fur News, January 1916.
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