Bears as Predators ~

[brotherbear]

Our tabulations of fight results during the Spanish period show that the grizzlies most often triumphed. Robinson ( 1846 ), however, thought that a strong bull could cope with two bears in an afternoon; Garner ( 1847 ) said that "an old mountain bull" was sure to be the victor; and Gibbs ( 1853 ) stated that the conflicts usually ended with "the death of both parties." Leonard ( 1904 ) wrote that "the bear is much the stronger, but it has no chance of avoiding the thrusts of the bull, in consequence of the smallness of the pen; but in an open field, a grizzly bear will conquer a bull in a few moments."
In contrast to these statements, Wilkes ( 1844 ) had the positive opinion that bears always won regardless of the size and temper of their adversaries. Bancroft ( 1886 ) cites a record of a bear that killed three bulls. Pattie ( Flint, 1930 ) observed a contest in which fourteen bulls were conquered by five bears. Bell ( 1930 ) tells of a grizzly that killed three bulls one after the other and then was overcome by the fourth. Reply