David Bradshaw Photos - Vol. LIX

[Lee Martin]

Portrait of Male Black Bear @ by Phoebe Kilham. Phoebe with her brother Ben were raised from a young age by parents Dr. Lawrence & Jane Kilham rehabilitating orphaned wildlife, which continues.



Jacket of Ben Kilham's new book, Out on a Limb, probably the most knowledgeable book on black bears ever written. And well written it is, simple saturated perception. David met Ben decades ago under the curl of gunsmoke; they've been friends ever since, and Ben has applied his sharp machinist/gunsmith skills to David's rifles and pistols.



A very young Squirty (from Out on a Limb), a female who grew into Ben Kilham's maestro professor of black bear communication and society.



Big Mama Squirty, now 18 or 19 years old, with a grand daughter. Ben Kilham took David up the mountain to see Squirty in 2003 (right around the time Ruger built the one-of-a-kind Ruger 03 Bisley Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP for David). Squirty had two cubs and David stayed well back, behind the door of a pickup. Black bear females mate every other year, and only after taking a full 18 months to raise cubs. Kilham's Out on a Limb paints the steep learning curve.

Photos copyrighted and used with permission.



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[cmh]

Very neat..... I'll look for the book.

[bradshaw]

cmh.... remarkable interactions with sophisticated barter between black bears. Ben Kilham working with Chinese to reintroduce the giant Panda to the wild, or what may be left of it. To masticate bamboo, the Panda has about twice the jaw pressure of a black bear. They move slowly, but even a light "message bite" could be very bad news to one's hand or arm. Ben's father was a physician and an ornithologist on the side, with developed insight into crows and ravens. a detour during World War II landed Dr. Lawrence Kilham a job as battlefield sawbones in Patton's army.
David Bradshaw