bear fighter n Similarly v phr fight the bear
See quots.
1927 AmSp 3.24 eTX [Sawmill talk], The man who stands behind the edging machine and separates the trimmed strips from the lumber is called the “bear-fighter.” 1931 AmSp 7.48 Sth, SW [Lumberjack lingo], The man who works back of the “edgers” must separate all strips from boards and direct them below to an endless chain which runs under the “cage” in which he works. . . Because of the difficulty of this work, the worker is called a “bear fighter” and he is said to be “fightin’ the bear.”