Ambrose Bierce wrote about that.
Yet again, BEARS:
“’We’ve started a deer,’ said. ‘I wish we had brought a rifle.’
“Morgan, who had stopped and was intently watching the agitated
chaparral, said nothing, but had cocked both barrels of his gun, and was
holding it in readiness to aim. I thought him a trifle excited, which
surprised me, for he had a reputation for exceptional coolness, even in
moments of sudden and imminent peril.
“’O, come!’ I said. ‘You are not going to fill up a deer with
quail-shot, are you?’
“Still he did not reply; but, catching a sight of his face as he
turned it slightly toward me, I was struck by the pallor of it. Then I
understood that we had serious business on hand, and my first conjecture
was that we had ‘jumped’ a grizzly. I advanced to Morgan’s side, cocking
my piece as I moved.
“The bushes were now quiet, and the sounds had ceased, but Morgan was as
attentive to the place as before.
“’What is it? What the devil is it?’ I asked.
“’That Damned Thing!’ he replied, without turning his head. His voice
was husky and unnatural. He trembled visibly.