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UNIVEBs,Tv """^ THE °' '''TTS..,,,.
TEAPPEE'S GUIDE ;
A MANUAL OF INSTEUCTIOKS
For Capturing all kinds of Fur-Bearing Animals, and Curing their Skins ; with Observations on the Fur- Trade, Hints on Life in the Woods, and ISTar- RATivES of Trapping and Hunting Excursions.
BY S. NEWHOUSE,
AND OTHER TRAPPERS AND SPORTSMEN.
SECOND EDITION,
WITH NEW NAME A TIVES AND ILL USTRA TIONS.
EDITED BY J. H. NOYES AND T. L. PITT.
PUBLISHED BY ONEIDA OOMMUOTTY
Printed at the Community Press, WALLINGFORD, CT. 186T.
^
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by
J. H. NOYES,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.
STEREOTYPED BY 0. Houghton and Compant, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The first edition of the Trapper's Guide, issued two years ago, was received with general favor, especially by the prac- tical trappers and hunters for whom it was written. The two thousand copies then issued were all disposed of several months ago.
In preparing a second edition we have availed ourselves of the suggestions, new facts, and criticisms, that have been offered in the meantime, by those who have read and tested the book, and by others. Many of these have been pertinent and valuable. The scope of the work has been somewhat enlarged, by adapting it as far as possible to all parts of the world where the trapping of fur-bearing ani- mals is carried on. The portion which treats of the Trap- per's Art now includes all the animals which are of any considerable value in the fur trade, on both Continents. The rules for trapping animals have been carefully revised, and such additions made as seemed valuable. This is a de- partment in which a great variety of practice and opinion exist among trappers. To describe all these variations would swell the book to very large dimensions without really adding to its value. The conclusions arrived at by trappers of large experience, who have been most accurate in observation and successful in practice, have been mainly followed ; and we have found that all such trappers substantially agree.
In describing animals and birds, their habits and charac- teristics, we have availed ourselves of many facts reported by natm-alists, such as Audubon, J. G. Bell and D. G. Elliott of New York, and Bernard Rogan Ross, agent of the Hud- son's Bay Company, at Fort Resolution, Mackenzie River
PREFACE. 4
District. The works of Wood and Goodrich have also given assistance.
Several new chapters have been added relating to Wood- Craft, Hunting and Fishing, Boat-Building, Plans of Trap- ping Campaigns, &c. ; also several new Narratives. The il- lustrations with few exceptions are new and were engraved expressly for this work. Several of them have been copied and improved from Wood's Illustrated Natural Hietory, and other European works. Others are from original designs. The Wild Cat was adapted from Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America. The new drawings w^ere mostly made by Mr. J. R. Chapin, and the engravings were executed by Messrs. Jos. S. Harley, J. H. Richardson and W. W. Britt, all of New York.
The Guide will doubtless be found in some points to be still imperfect, and will remain open for criticism and im- provement. Trapping is a growing Art. We shall endeav- or to keep pace with it and report its progress.
August 20, 1867.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION, p. 7—12. Connection of Trapping with other Trades, 8. Observations on the Fur Trade, 9. Season for Trapping, 10. Statistics of the Fur Trade, 11.
THE TRAPPER'S ART, p. 13—94.
I. Preliminaries, 13—20. The Dead-fall, 13. Poisoning, 14. Shoot- ing, 14. Steel Traps, 15. Requisites of a good Trap, 15. The Sprins^- pole, 17. The Sliding-pole, 18. The Clog, 18. Rule for Baiting, 19.
Proper Outfit of Traps, 20. Profits of Trapp ing, 20.
II. Capture op Animals, 21—78. The Muskrat, 21. The Mink, 23. The Marten, 25. The Sable, 26. The Ermine, 28. The Fisher, 30. The Fox, 32. The Otter, 35. The Sea Otter, 41. The Beaver, 42. The Wolf, 47. The Bear, 48. The Raccoon, 50. The Badger, 51. The Wild Cat or Bay Lynx, 53. The Lynx, 56. The Cougar, 58. The Jaguar, 50. The Lion, 61. The Tiger, 62. The Wolverene, 66. The Opossum, 67. The Skunk, 67. The Coypu Rat, 70. The Chinchilla, 71. The Squirrel, 71. The Woodchuck or Marmot, 72. The Gopher, 72, The Rat, 74. The Deer, 74. The Moose, 77.
III. Curing Skins, 79—83. General Rules, 79. Stretching Skms, 80. Board Stretcher, 80. Muskrat Stretcher, 81. Bow Stretcher, 82. Hoop Stretcher, 82.
IV. Life in the Woods, 84—94. Outfit for a Campaign on Foot, 84. Outfit for an Excursion by Wagon or Boat, 86. ^ent, 87. Stove and Furniture, 87. Bed and Bedding, 88. Camp Chest, 89. Cooking, 89. Jerked Meat, 91. Preparations against Insects, 91. Shanty, 92. Trapping Lines, 92. Conclusion, 93.
FOOD HUNTING, p. 95—107. The Deer, 95. The Buffalo, 96. The Rocky Mountain Sheep or Big- horn, 98. The Argali, 99. The Prong-horn Antelope, 100. Squirrel Hunt- mg, 101. The Ruflfed Grouse, 101. Pinnated Grouse, 102. Sharp-tail Grouse, 103. Cock of the Plains, 103. Dusky Grouse, 104. Canada or Spruce Grouse, 104. White-tailed Ptarmigan, 105. Willow Ptarmigan, 105. European Grouse, 107. Water Fowl, 107.
FISHING IN AUTUMN AND WINTER, p. 108-110. Spearing Fish, 108. Fishmg through the Ice, 109. Net-fishing in Win- ter, 109,
Notes on Trapping and Wood-Craft. By F. R., p. 111—121. Plan of a Trapping Campaign. By Peter M. Gunter, p. 122—125. Boat-Building, p. 126—129. Snow-Shoes, p. 130. Oil for Fire- Arms, p. 130.
NARRATIVES, p. 131—205. An Evening with an old Trapper, 131—137. A Young Trapper's Experience, 138—142. The Deer Hunt, 143—145. Muskrat Hunt- ing, 14&— 158. An Amateur in the North Woods, 159—174. Trav- elling in a Circle, 175 — 180. An Expedition to the Laurentian Hills, p. 181—205.
APPENDIX, p. 206-216. History op the Newhouse Trap, 206 — 212, Description of the New- house Trap, 213—215. Conclusion, 216.
FULL PAGE ILLUSTEATIOJSTS.
Portrait of S. Newhouse,
The Muskrat,
The Mink,
The Marten, .
The Sable,
The Fisher, •
The Red Fox,
The Otter,
The Beaver,
The Wolf,
The Grizzly Bear,
The Raccoon,
The Badger,
The Wild Cat,
The Lynx,
The Cougar, .
The Opossum,
The Skunk, .
The Coypu Rat, .
The Chmchilla,
The Woodchuck,
The Rat,
Family of Deer, .
Moose Yard, .
Mr. Newhouse's Tent and Stove
Log Shanty, .
Deer Breaking Cover, .
The Ruflfed Grouse, .
The Wild Goose,
Canoes, ....
Snow-Shoes and mode of wearing them
Community Works, Willow Place, Oneida, N. Y,
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ILLUSTEATIONS IN THE TEXT.
The Otter Slide, 37. The Claw Trap, 37. The Deer Trap, 76. Boards Stretcher, 80. Muskrat Stretcher, 81. Shelter Tent, 85. Variouse sizes of the Newhouse Trap, 213—215. Conclusion, 216.
INTRODUCTION.
BY THE EDITORS
This book was not originally designed for amateur sports- men or for the reading public generally, but for practical workingmen who make or propose to make trapping a means of livelihood. The plan of it was suggested by a business necessity in the following manner :
Mr. S. Newhouse, a member of the Oneida Community, having become widely known as the maker of an excellent kind of steel-traps, and it being generally understood that the practical perfection of his traps is owing to the wisdom in wood-craft which he gained in early life by actual experience in trapping, he has often been appHed to by his customers and others for information in regard to the best methods of capt- uring various animals. The most convenient way to answer such applications seemed to be to put his wisdom in print, and let it go abroad with his traps. In preparing for pubhcation the material furnished by Mr. Newhouse for this purpose, the editors found new facts, inquiries, and written contributions relating to trapping and kindred pursuits crowding upon them, till the original idea of a small technical pamphlet swelled to the dimensions of the present work. The objects which they have finally aimed at have been, on the one hand, to fiirnish all the information needed in order to quahfy a mere novice in trapping to enter upon the business intelli- gently and successftilly ; and on the other, to make an inter- esting book for all lovers of wood-craft, and for the reading public at large.
The character of the work, however, will be found to be
8 INTRODUCTION.
mainly m accordance with its original practical design ; and it might properly be dedicated to poor men who are looking out for pleasant work and ways of making money ; and especially to the pioneers of settlement and civilization in all parts of the world.
As honesty is always good policy, it is best also to confess here that the editors and publishers of this work are exten- sively engaged in the business of making steel-traps, and have an eye to their own interests, as well as to the interests of others, in this effort to help the business of trapping.
And here perhaps is the place to say something of the mutual relations of the several trades immediately concerned in the subject of this book, and of their importance in the machinery of universal business.
CONNECTION OF TRAPPING WITH OTHER TRADES.
Trapping, in the business series, is the intermediate link between trap-making and the fur-trade. The trapper buys of the trap-maker and sells to the fur-dealer. The first furnishes him with weapons, and the second buys his spoils. Through the first, he is related to the manufacturers and merchants of iron and steel, who furnish materials for his traps, and to the hardware men who bring them to his door. Through the second, he connects with the fur-manufacturer, the hatter, and the clothes dealer, and sends supplies of com- fort and luxury to the world of wealth and fashion.
Trapping and trap-making are directly subservient to the fm*-trade. They may be said to be branches of it, or even to be its foundations. The fur-business expands as they pros- per, and, vice versa, they prosper as the fur-business expands. The trapper and trap-maker watch the prices of furs, as the sailor watches the winds and the currents. When furs are high, trapping becomes active, and the trap-maker has his hands full of business. When furs are low, trapping declines, and the trap-maker has to dismiss his workmen.
The importance of the subservient trades, trapping and trap-making, can best be judged by looking at the statistics of the great fur-market for which they work. The fur-trade,
INTRODUCTION. »
everybody knows, is an immense business. The making of the weappns and the fighting may be out of sight, but the spoils of the war are seen by all. Many a colossal fortune, like John Jacob Astor's, has been founded on peltry; and many a frontier city, like St. Paul's, has been built up by the traffic that originates in the enterprise of the trapper and trap- maker.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE FUR-TRADE.
The following statements are made on the authority of members of large fur-dealing firms in the city of New York.
The yearly production of raw furs in the whole world is worth from seventeen to twenty milHons of dollars, and the whole amount of the fur-trade, including manufactured goods, reaches a value of not less than one hundred millions.
The whole number of Muskrat skins alone, taken annually, is estimated at five or six millions ; of which three millions are used in Germany.
Raw furs are divided by American dealers into two classes, viz., shipping furs, i. e. furs that are to be sent abroad ; and home furs, or furs for use in this country. The leading arti- cles among shipping furs are the Silver, Red and Cross Fox, Raccoon, Fisher, Wildcat and Skunk. Among home furs are the Mink, Opossum, House Cat, Wolf, and Marten. The Muskrat and other furs are classified under both heads.
Prices for shipping furs are regulated by the foreign de- mand.
The great ftir-marts in Europe, are London, Leipsic, and Nijni Novgorod. At these points semi-annual sales (or fairs as they are termed), take place. The spring sales are most important. Here the representatives of the leading fur-houses from all parts of Europe meet to make their purchases during the months of March, April, and May.
The fur-trade of Leipsic is estimated at six and a half mill- ions of dollars annually.
Raccoon fur is the great staple for Russia ; Red Fox for Turkey and the oriental countries ; Skunk for Poland and the adjacent provinces ; Muskrat for Germany, France, and England.
10 INTRODUCTIOK.
New York is the great fur-mart in this country, and is the main depot of the shipping trade. There are no organized fur-companies at the present time. The business is carried on by private firms of large means and long experience. The New York Directory gives the names of more than one hun- dred furriers and fur-merchants, thirty of whom are wholesale dealers.
The leading fashionable fur for this country is the Mink ; but the furs that are within the reach of the masses, and most worn, are the Muskrat and the Opossum.
The wearing of furs in this country is very little affected by climate^ but is regulated almost entirely by fashion. In Eu- rope, on the other hand, the state of the elements determines the extent of the call for furs as articles of clothing. Hence, notwithstanding the winters on both continents are growing milder, the demand for furs is continually increasing in this country, while in Europe it is falling off.
The more thickly settled parts of the United States show a large decrease in the " catch " of furs ; but new territories are continually opening to the trapper ; and though he moves from year to year farther north and west, the supply steadily keeps pace with the demand.
SEASON FOR TRAPPING.
All furs are best in winter ; but trapping may be carried on to advantage for at least six months in the year, i, e. any time between the first of October and the middle of April. There is a period in the warm season, say from the first of May to the middle of September, when trapping is out of the question, as furs are worthless. The most trapping is done late in the fall and early in the spring.
The reason why furs become worthless in summer is, that all fur-bearing animals shed their coats, or at least lose the finest and thickest part of their fur as warm weather ap- proaches ; and have a new growth of it in the fall to protect them in winter. This whole process is indicated in the case of the Muskrat, and some other animals, by the color of the inside part of the skin. As summer approaches, it becomes
INTRODUCTION.
11
brown and dark. That is a sign that the best fur is gone. Afterwards it grows light-colored, and in winter when the fur is in the best condition it is altogether white. When the pelt is white it is called prime by the fur-dealers. The fur is then glossy^ thick, and of the richest color, and the tails of such animals as the Mink, Marten, and Fisher are full and heavy. Beavers and Muskrats are not thoroughly prime till about the middle of winter. Other animals are prime about the first of November. There is probably some variation with the latitude of the exact period at which furs become prime, the more northern being a little in advance. Trappers are liable to begin trapping too early in the season, conse- quently much poor fur is caught, which must be sold at low prices, and is unprofitable to the trapper, the fur-buyer and the manufacturer.
STATISTICS OF THE FUR-TRADE.
The following estimates of the annual production of all the fur countries in the world, were given in a volume on the fur-trade, published in 1864, by Heinrich Lomer, one of the principal fur-dealers of Leipzic. The total value is somewhat less than we have given on a previous page and is probably within the truth.
YEARLY PRODUCTION OF FURS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
NamcB of Furs.
Miak
Pine Marten . . Stone Marten . .
Fitch
Kolinsky or Tartar
Marten . . . Ermine .... Squirrels . . . Muskrat .... German Marmot . Chinchillas . . . Silver Fox . . . Cross Fox • . . . Blue Fox . . . White Fox . . . Red Fox . . . .
|
h |
i |
s |
|
|
3-C •a5 |
£ s |
||
|
•if |
1 |
Hi |
111 |
|
109,000 |
130,000 |
6,000 |
|
|
200,000 |
55,000 |
||
|
120.000 |
60,000 |
||
|
250,000 |
150,000 |
||
|
380,000 |
220,000 |
||
|
80,000 |
|||
|
350,000 |
50,000 |
||
|
6,000,000 |
1,000,000 |
||
|
150,000 |
200,000 |
2,850,000 *100,000 |
|
|
500 |
1,500 |
||
|
5,600 |
4,300 |
100 6,500 23,000 |
|
|
54,000 |
8,000 |
||
|
45,000 |
140,000 |
60,000 |
85,000 |
245,000 255,000 180,000 400,000 600,000
80,000
400,000
7,000.000
3,000,000
200,000
100,000
2,000
10,000
6,500
85,000
830,000
2,500,000 700,000 840,000
1,350,000 600,000
80,000
100,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
2,000
80,000
200,000
77,000
60,000
85,000
700,000
12
INTRODUCTION.
YEARLY PRODUCTION OF FURS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. — (Continued.)
|
k |
, |
11 |
,2 |
|||
|
Names of Furs. |
Kg |
M |
£5 |
a |
||
|
11 |
2 |
•sig |
1 |
% "3 |
||
|
•<^ |
i |
^S.S |
K«0 |
> |
||
|
Grav Fox .... |
25,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
|||
|
Kit Fox |
30,000 |
10,000 |
40,000 |
*2'^?2 |
||
|
Raccoon |
600,000 |
600,000 |
600,000 |
|||
|
Fisher or Pekan . . |
12,500 |
12,500 |
100,000 |
|||
|
Skunks |
100,000 |
100,000 |
80,000 |
|||
|
Opossum .... |
250,000 |
*30,000 |
280,000 |
80,000 |
||
|
Marmot or Wood- ) chuck .... J Bears |
40,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
55,000 |
11,050 |
|
1,700 |
15,000 |
2.300 |
19,000 |
195,000 |
||
|
Lynx |
15,000 |
26,000 |
9,000 |
50,000 |
175,000 |
|
|
Wolf |
6,000 |
500 |
12,500 |
6,000 |
25,000 |
40,000 |
|
BufEalo |
60,000 |
60,000 |
480,000 |
|||
|
Wolverene .... |
300 |
2,500 |
700 |
3,500 |
10,600 |
|
|
Badger |
30,000 |
2,000 |
23,000 |
55,000 |
41,000 |
|
|
Beaver |
30,000 |
130,000 |
160,000 |
575,000 |
||
|
Sea-Otter .... |
1,200 |
oJ^ |
1,500 |
200,000 |
||
|
Otter |
4,000 |
12,000 |
20,000 |
9,000 |
45,000 |
305,000 |
|
Fur-Seals .... |
25,000 |
*30,000 |
55,000 |
280,000 |
||
|
Seal |
130,000 |
20,000 |
f 20,000 1 500,000 |
a3o,ooo |
1,000,000 |
1,000,000 |
|
Ooypu |
-3,000,000 |
3,000,000 |
400,000 |
|||
|
Hares |
2,000,000 |
1,300,000 |
1,200,000 |
4,500,000 |
1,030.000 |
|
|
Rabbits |
4,420.000 |
580,000 |
5,000,000 |
800,000 |
||
|
Cat |
250,000 |
500,000 |
45,000 |
205,000 |
1,000,000 |
235,000 |
|
Lambskins .... |
700,000 |
2,000,000 |
330,000 |
3,030,000 |
1,325,000 |
|
|
Monkey |
-40,000 |
40,000 |
50,000 |
|||
|
Lion and Tiger . . |
*500 |
500 |
5,000 |
|||
|
32,050,500 |
17,456;650t |
t Value in American coin, .$12,724,152.50.
In the above table the numbers marked with an * are the products of South America, Southern Asia, Africa, Australia, the islands adjacent to these countries, and the South Sea Islands.
THE TRAPPER'S ART.
By S. NEWHOUSE.
I. PRELIMINARIES.
Wild animals are taken for various reasons besides the value of their furs. Some are sought as articles of food ; others are destroyed as nuisances. In these cases the meth- ods of capture are not essential. Animals that are valuable for food may be run down by dogs, or shot by the rifle or fowling-piece ; and nuisances may be destroyed by poison. But for the capture of fur-bearing animals, there is but one profitable method, namely, by steel-traps. Other methods w^ere much used by trappers in old times, before good steel- traps were made ; and are still used in semi-barbarous coun- tries, where steel-traps are unknown, or cannot be had. I will briefly mention two or three of these methods, and the objections to them, and after that give my views of the true method.
THE DEAD-FALL.
This is a clumsy contrivance for killing animals, w^hich can be made anywhere, with an axe and hard work. It con- sists of two large poles (or logs when set for bears and other large animals), placed one over the other and kept in place by four stakes, two on each side. The upper pole is raised at one end high enough above the lower to admit tlie entrance of the animal, and is kept up in that position by the familiar contrivance of the stick and spindle, or " figure four." A tight pen is made with sticks, brush, &c., on one side of this structure, at right angles to it, and the spindle projects ob-
14 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
liquely into this pen, so that the bait attached to it is about eight inches beyond the side of the poles. The animal, to reach the bait, has to place his body between the poles and at right angles to them, and on pulling the spindle, springs the " figure four," and is crushed.
The objections to this contrivance are, first, that it takes a long time to make and set one, thus wasting the trapper's time ; and second, that animals caught in this way lie exposed to the voracity of other animals, and are often torn in pieces before the trapper reaches them, which is not the case when animals are caught in steel-traps, properly set, as will be shown hereafter. Moreover, the dead-fall is very uncertain in its operation, and woodsmen who have become accustomed to good steel-traps, call it a " miserable toggle," not worth bait- ing when they find one ready made in the woods.
POISONING.
Animals are sometimes poisoned with strychnine. I have myself taken foxes in this way. I used about as much strych- nine as would be contained in a percussion-cap, inclosed firmly in a piece of tallow as large as a chestnut, and left on the fox's bed. After swallowing such a dose, they rarely go more than three or four rods before they drop dead.
The objection to this method is, that it spoils the skin. Furriers say that the poison spreads through the whole body of the animal, and kills the life of the fur, so that they can- not work it profitably. Poison is used very little by woods- men at the present time.
SHOOTING.
This method of kilHng fur-bearing animals, is still quite prevalent in some countries. It is said to be the principal method in Russia, and is not altogether disused in this coun- try. But it is a very wasteful method. Fur-dealers and manufacturers consider skins that have been shot, especially by the fowling-piece, as hardly worth working. The holes that are made in the skin, whether by shot or bullets, are but a small part of the damage done to it. The shot that enter
PRELIMINARIES. 15
the body of the animal directly, are almost harmless compared with those that strike it obliquely, or graze across it. Every one of these grazing shot, however small, cuts a furrow in the fur ; sometimes several inches in length, shaving every hair in its course as with a razor. Slits in the skin have to be cut out to the full extent of these furrows, and closed up or new pieces fitted in. Hence when the hunter brings his stock of skins to the experienced furrier, he is generally saluted with the question, '* Are your furs shot, or trapped ? " and if he has to answer, " They were shot," he finds the dealer quite indif- ferent about buying them at any price. The introduction of good steel-traps into Russia would probably add millions of dollars annually to the value of the furs taken in that vast territory.
STEEL-TRAPS.
The experience of modern trappers, after trying all other methods, and all kinds of new-fashioned traps, has led them almost unanimously to the conclusion, that the old steel-trap, when scientifically and faithfully made, is the surest and most economical means of capturing fur-bearing animals. Some of the reasons for this conclusion are these : Steel-traps can be easily transported ; can be set in all situations on land or under water ; can be easily concealed ; can be tended in great numbers ; can be combined by means of chain and ring with a variety of contrivances (hereafter to be described) for se- curing the animal caught fi'om destruction by other animals, and from escape by self-amputation ; and above all, the steel- trap does no injury to the fur.
And here I think it my duty as a true friend to the trapper, to give him the benefit of my experience and study in regard to the form and qualities of a good steel-trap, that he may be able to judge and choose the weapons of his warfare intelli- gently.
REQUISITES OF A GOOD TRAP.
The various sizes of traps adapted to different kinds of animals, of course require different forms and qualities, which will be spoken of in the proper places hereafter. But several of the essentials are the same in all good traps.
16 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
1. The jaws should not he too thin and sharp-cornered. Jaws made of sheet-iron, or of plates approaching to the thinness of sheet-iron, and having sharp edges, or, still worse, sharp teeth, will almost cut off an animal's leg by the bare force of the spring, if it is a strong one, and will always materially help an animal to gnaw or twist off his leg. And it should be known, that nearly all the animals that escape, get away by self-amputation.
2. The pan should not he too large. A large pan, filling nearly the whole space of the open jaws, may seem to increase the chances of an animal's being caught, by giving him more surface to tread upon in springing the trap. But there is a mistake in this. When an animal springs a trap by treading on the outer part of a large pan, his foot is near the jaw, and instead of being caught, is liable to be thrown out by the stroke of the jaw ; whereas, when he treads on a small pan, his foot is nearly in the centre of the sweep of the jaws, and he is very sure to be seized far enough up on the leg to be well secured.
3. The spring should he strong enough. This is a matter for good judgment, that cannot well be explained here ; but it is safe to say that very many traps, in consequence of false economy on the part of manufacturers, are furnished with springs that are too weak to secure strong and desperate animals.
4. The spring should he tempered scientifically. Many springs, in consequence of being badly tempered, " give down " in a little while, i. e., lose their elasticity and close together ; and others break in cold weather, or when set under water.
5. The spring should he correctly proportioned and tapered. Without this, the stronger it is and the better it is tempered, the more liable it is to break.
6. The form of the jaws must he such as to give the how of the spring a proper inclined plane to work upon. In many traps, the angle at the shoulder of the jaws is so great, that even a strong spring will not hold a desperate animal.
7. The adjustment of the spring and jaivs must he such.,
PRELEVIINAKIES. 17
that the jatvs ivill lie flat when open. Otherwise the trap can- not well be secreted.
8. The jaws must work easily in the posts. For want of attention to this, many traps will not spring.
9. The adjustment of all the parts and their actual working should he so inspected and tested that every trap shall he ready for use — ' " sure to go^^ and sure to hold. In consequence of the unfaithfulness of trap-makers in inspecting and testing their work, many a trapper, after lugging a weary back-load of traps into the wilderness, finds that a large portion of them have some "hitch" which either makes them worthless or requires a tug at tinkering before they can be made to do tlie poorest service.
German and English traps are almost universally liable to criticism on all the points above mentioned ; and most of the traps made in this country fail in one or more of them.
In addition to the foregoing requisites, every trap should be furnished with a stout chain, faithfully welded, with ring and swivel. And let the trapper look well to the condition of the swivel. Many of the malleable iron swivels used by second-rate, careless manufacturers, will not turn at all ; and many an animal escapes by twisting off chains that have these dead swivels.
In treating of the capture of particular animals, I shall have occasion to refer frequently to several contrivances that are used in connection with the fastening of steel-traps. I M'ill therefore describe those contrivances here, once for all.
THE SPRING-POLE.
In taking several kinds of land animals, such as the mar- ten and fisher, it is necessary to provide against their being devoured by other animals before the trapper reaches them, and also against their gnawing off their own legs, or breaking the chain of the trap by violence. The contrivance used for this purpose is called a spring-jyole, and is prepared in the fol- lowing planner : If a small tree can be found standing near the place where your trap is set, trim it and use it for a spring
18 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
as it stands. If not, cut a pole of sufficient size and drive it firmly into the ground ; bend down the top ; fasten the chain- ring to it ; and fasten the pole in its bent position by a notch or hook on a small tree or a stick driven into the ground. When the animal is caught, his struggles, pulling on the chain, unhook the pole, which flying up with a jerk, carries him into the air, out of the reach of prowlers, and in a con- dition that disables his attempts to escape by self-amputation or other violence. The size of the pole must be proportioned -ito the weight of the game which it is expected to lift.
THE SLIDING-POLE.
Animals of aquatic habits, when caught m traps, invariably plunge at once into deep water ; and it is the object of the trapper, availing himself of this plunge, to drown his captive as soon as possible, in order to stop his violence, and keep him out of the reach of other animals. The weight of the trap and chain is usually sufficient for this purpose in the case of the muskrat. But in taking the larger amphibious animals, such as the beaver, the trapper uses a contrivance which is called the sliding-pole. It is prepared in the following man- ner : Cut a pole ten or twelve feet long, leaving branches enough on the small end to prevent the ring of the chain from slipping off. Place this pole near where you set your trap, in an inclined position, with its small end reaching into the deep- est part of the stream, and its large end secured at the bank by a hook driven into the ground. Slip the ring of your chain on to this, and see that it is free to traverse down the length of the pole. When the animal is taken it plunges desperately into the region towards which the pole leads. The ring slides down to the end of the pole at the bottom of the stream, and, with a short chain, prevents the victim from rising to the sur- face or returning to the shore.
THE CLOG.
Some powerful and violent animals, if caught in a trap that is staked fast, will pull their legs off, or beat the trap in pieces ; but if allowed to drag the trapabout with a moderate
PRELIMINARIES. 19
weight attached, wUI behave more gently, or at least will not be able to get loose for want of purchase. The weight used in such cases is called a clog. It is usually a pole or stick of wood, of a size suited to the ring of the trap-chain, and to the size of the game. As the object of it is to encumber the animal, but not to hold it fast, the chain should be attached to it near one of its ends, so that it will not be likely to get fast among the rocks and bushes for a considerable time. The usual way is to slip the ring over the large end of the pole and fasten it with a wedge.
RULE FOR BAITING.
There is one general principle in regard to haUmg animals that may as well be recorded and explained here, as it is ap- plicable to all cases. It is this : Never put bait on the pan of a trap. The old-fashioned traps were always made with holes 111 the pan for strings to tie on bait ; and many if not most novices in trapping imagine that the true way is to attract the animal's nose straight to the centre of action, by piling bait on the pan, as though it were expected to catch him by the head. The truth, however, is, that animals are very rarely taken by the head or the body, but almost always by a le<.. When an animal pulls at a bait on the pan of a trap, he is not likely even to spring the trap, for he lifts in the wrong direc- tion ; and if he does spring it, the position of his head is such, especially if the bait is high on the pan, that he is pretty sure to give the jaws the slip. Besides, bait on the pan calls the attention of the wary animal to the trap ; whereas he ought to be wholly diverted from it, and all signs of it obliterated. Bait should always be placed so that the animal in attempting to take it shall put a foot on the pan. This can be done in several ways, all of which will be explained in detail here- after. But this general direction may be given for all cases that are not otherwise prescribed for: Place the bait either on a stick above the trap, or in an inclosure so arranged that the animal will have to step over the trap to reach it.
20 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
PROPER OUTFIT OF TRAPS.
In preparing for a trapping excursion, the novice naturally inquires how many traps he shall take along. If the question were simply how many traps he could tend^ I should probably say from one to two hundred. But the main question really is, how many traps can he carry? If he is going on a marsh, lake, or river, where he can travel by boat, or into a region where he can cany his baggage by horse and wagon, he may take along all the traps he can tend, — the more the better. But if he is going by overland routes into the rough, woody regions where most game abounds, and consequently must carry his baggage on his back, he will probably find that seventy-five small traps, or an equivalent weight of large and small ones, will be as much as he will like to carry.
PROFITS OF TRAPPING.
The provident candidate for wood-craft will want to know what wages a man is likely to make at trapping. I will give him a few instances of what has been done, and then he may judge for himself. I have cleared seven dollars per day for a five weeks' trip. A man that once trapped with me, caught fifty-three muskrats in one night, which at present prices would be worth fifteen dollars and ninety cents. I know several men in Jefferson county (New York), who paid for good farms with furs that they caught within eight miles of home. It is not uncommon for two men to make five hun- dred dollars in a trapping season. But too much reliance must not be placed on these specimens. Good weather, good trapping-grounds, good traps, good judgment, and good luck must be combined, to secure good profits.
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(,'/' 11
II. CAPTURE OF ANIMALS.
It will be useful to the inexperienced trapper to have some account of the appearance and habits of each animal in con- nection with instructions for capturing it. Such information is often indispensable as the basis of plans and contrivances for capture. I shall confine myself to brief descriptions in common language, not attempting any thing scientific ; and I shall avail myself of the help of books where my own obser- vation and experience fail.
THE MUSKRAT OR MUSQUASH.
This is an animal of amphibious habits. Its head and body are from thirteen to fifteen inches in length. The tail is nine or ten inches long, two-edged, and for two thirds its length rudder-shaped, and covered with scales and thin, short hair, the edges being heavily fringed. The hind feet are slightly webbed ; so that it can *' feather the oar," as boatmen say, when they are brought forward in swimming. The color is brown above and ashy beneath. Muskrats are nocturnal in their habits ; but are frequently seen swimming and feeding in the day time. They are excellent swimmers, and can go from ten to fifteen rods under water without breathing. Their natural food is grass and roots ; but they will eat clams, mus- sels, flesh, corn, oats, wheat, apples, and many other vegeta- bles. In open w^inters they sometimes find their w^ay into farmers' cellars through drains, and make free with wdiatever they find in store. They thrive best in sluggish streams or ponds bordered with grass and flags. The roots of these plants are their chief support, and from the tops they con- struct their abodes. These structures are dome-shaped, and
22 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
rise sometimes to the height of five or six feet. The entrances are at the bottom, under water; so that the inside of the houses are not exposed to the open air. The Muskrats hve in them in winter, gathering into famihes of from six to ten members. Hundreds of these dwelHngs can be counted from a single point in many large marshes.
Muskrats have a curious method of travelling long distances under the ice. In their winter excursions to their feeding- grounds, which are frequently at great distances from their abodes, they take in breath at starting and remain under the water as long as they can. Then they rise up to the ice, and breathe out the air in their lungs, which remains in bubbles against the lower surface of the ice. They wait till this air recovers oxygen from the water and the ice, and then take it in again and go on till the operation has to be repeated. In this way they can travel almost any distance, and live any length of time under the ice.
The hunter sometimes takes advantage of this habit of the Muskrat, in the following manner : When the marshes and ponds where Muskrats abound are first frozen over and the ice is thin and clear, on striking into their houses with his hatchet for the purpose of setting his traps, he frequently sees a whole family plunge into the water and swim away under the ice. Followincr one of them for some distance, he sees him come up to renew his breath in the manner above described. After the animal has breathed against the ice, and before he has had time to take his bubble in again, the hunter strikes with his hatchet directly over him and drives him away from his breath. In this case he drowns in swimming a few rods, and the hunter, cutting a hole in the ice, takes him out. Mink, otter, and beaver travel under the ice in the same way ; and hunters have frequently told me of taking otter in the manner I have described, when these animals visit the houses of the Muskrat for prey.
In summer, Muskrats live mostly in banks and in hollow trees that stand near a stream ; and sometimes, for want of suitable marshes and ponds, they remain in the banks and trees through the winter. Thev are very prolific, bringing
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 23
forth from six to nine at a birth, and three times a year. The first kittens also have one litter, which attain to about the size of house-rats in September. ^ They have many enemies, such as the fox, wolf, lynx, otter, mink, and owl. They are found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Regions. But they do not inhabit the alluvial lands of Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, though in other regions they live much further south.
The modes of capturing the Muskrat are various. One of them we have already seen. Another is by spearing, of which a fine example will be given in a subsequent article by Mr. Thacker. These methods are good at certain seasons and in certain conditions of the ice, &c. ; but for general serv- ice there is no means of capture so reliable as the steel-trap. Traps should be set in the principal feeding places, play- grounds, and holes of the Muskrat, and generally about two inches under water. Bait is not necessary except when game is scarce and its signs not fresh. In that case you may bait with apples, parsnips, carrots, artichokes, white flag-roots, or even the flesh of the muskrat. The musk of this animal will sometimes draw eflectually at long distances. The bait should be fastened to the end of a stick, and stuck over the trap about eight inches high, and in such a position that the animal will have to pass over the trap to take the bait. Care should be taken to fasten the trap to a stake in such a position that the chain will lead the captive into deep water and drown him. If he is allowed to entangle himself or by any means to get ashore, he will be very likely to gnaw or twist oflP a leg and get away.
THE MINK.
The Mink is found in the northern parts of America, Eu- rope, and Asia. Its fur is very valuable, and in this country of late years has been the most popular kind. The Mink is carnivorous, and belongs to the mustelidcs or weasel family. It resembles the ferret and ermine. It is not amphibious like the muskrat, yet lives on the banks of streams and gets much of its food from them. It is of a dark brown color , has short legs, a long body and neck, and a bushy tail. In this
24 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
country there are two varieties, which some naturahsts have supposed were distinct species ; one small, dark-colored, com- mon in the Northern and Eastern States and Canada ; the other larger, with lighter-colored, coarser, and less valuable fur, common in the Western and Southern States. The dark- colored variety measures from eleven to eighteen inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail, and has a tail from six to ten inches in length. The European and Asiatic Mink is a distinct species.
Mink are ramblers in their habits, except in the breeding season. They feed on fish, frogs, snakes, birds, mice, and muskrats ; and the hen-roost frequently suffers from their dep- redations. They are very fond of speckled trout, and pretty sure to find out the streams wdiere those fish abound. Their breeding season commences about the last of April, and the females bring forth from four to six at a litter. The young are hid by the mother till they attain nearly half their growth, as the males of this species, as well as of the marten, fisher, weasel, panther, and most carnivorous animals, destroy their young when they can find them.
Mink can be taken in steel-traps, either on land or in the water. Experts generally prefer to take them on land. The trap should be set near the bank of a stream. If one of their holes cannot be found, make a hole by the side of a root or a stump, or anywhere in the ground. Three sides of the cavity should be barricaded with stones, bark, or rotten wood, and the trap set at the entrance. The bait may be fish, birds, or the flesh of the muskrat, cut in small pieces ; and it should be put into the cavity beyond the trap, so that the animal will have to step over the trap in taking the bait. The trap should be concealed by a covering of leaves, rotten vegetation, or, what is better, the feathers of some bird. In very cold weather the bait should be smoked to give it a stronger smell.
Mink can be attracted long distances by a scent that is pre- pared from the decomposition of eels, trout, or even minnows. These fishes are cut in small pieces, and put into a loosely- corked bottle, which is allowed to hang in the sunshine for two or three weeks in summer, when a sort of oil is formed
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 25
which emits a very strong odor. A few drops of this oil on the bait, or even on a stick without bait, will draw Mink very effectually.
The chain of tlie trap should be fastened to a spring-pole, strono" enough to lift the animal, when caught, out of the reach of the fisher, fox, and other depredators ; or if the trap is set near deep water, it may be attached to a sliding-pole, which will secure the game by drowning it. Both of these devices are fully described on pages 17 and 18.
THE MARTE^^
The Marten is found on this Continent from about north latitude forty degrees to the northern limits of the woods, or about sixty-eight degrees. On the Eastern Continent they in- habit all the North of Europe and Asia, except the treeless districts of the cold regions. The principal species are, the Pine Marten, which inhabits both continents, the Beech or Stone Marten of Europe, the Sable of Russia and Northern Asia, and the Japanese Sable. Naturalists class the fisher, also, with the Martens. The Russian Sable is the finest and most valuable of all the Martens. The Hudson's Bay and Lake Superior Martens are next in value. Those from Hud- son's Bay, though really a variety of the American Pine Marten, are commonly called Hudson's Bay Sables, and their fur is known by that name in the markets of Europe.
The Marten belongs to the weasel family, and is carnivo- rous. It is about as large as the mink, and differs but little from the latter in form, save that its feet are larger and hairy to the toes, and its tail is somewhat larger and of a dark brown or black color. The fur of the American Pine Marten is gen- erally of a yellowish brown, but varies greatly in color accord- ing to season, latitude, and locality. The Hudson's Bay and Lake Superior Martens are very dark-colored. The favorite haunts of these animals are the thick dark woods of the cold snowy regions. They are strictly arboreal in their habitat. They generally live in hollow trees, but occasionally they ex- cavate dens in the ground. They feed on rabbits, birds, squirrels, mice, and other small animals ; are fond of beech-
26 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
nuts, and, it is said, resemble the bear in their fondness for honey. They are active climbers, and their small size enables them to pursue the gray squirrel and capture him in his hiding-places. They are, however, unable to cope in speed with the red squirrel or chickaree. They are not strictly nocturnal in their habits, as some have asserted, being fre- quently seen and killed in the daytime. Their breeding sea- son begins in March or April, and they have from three to five young at a time, which are hidden from the males during infancy.
Sir John Richardson, the Arctic explorer, says that " par- ticular races of Martens, distinguished by the fineness and dark color of their fur, appear to inhabit certain rocky dis- tricts."
Throughout the Hudson's Bay Territory there is a period- ical disappearance of the Martens, which is very remarkable. It occurs, according to Bernard Rogan Ross, in decades, or thereabouts, with wonderful regularity, and it is not known what becomes of them. They are not found dead, and there is no evidence of their migration. The failure extends through the whole territory at the same time. In the seasons of their disappearance, the few that remain will scarcely touch bait. There seems to be a providential instinct in this by which the total destruction of the race is prevented.
Martens are taken in steel-traps by the same method as the mink. In winter, however, the traps should be set in hollow logs or trees, secured from the covering of snows, and con- cealed by the feathers of a bird. The Marten trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company commonly bait with fish-heads, pieces of flesh-meat, or, what they consider still better, the heads of wild fowl, which the natives gather for this purpose in au- tumn.
THE SABLE.
As I have already remarked, the Sable is closely allied to the martens. It is classed with them in Natural History, un- der the scientific name of Martes Zihellina. Two species are known : the Martes Zihellina or Russian Sable, and the Jap- anese Sable. The latter is marked with black on its legs and
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 27
feet. It is thought by some of the Hudson's Bay Company's agents, that a marten exists in the northwestern part of Brit- ish America, and in the late Russian Possessions, which, if not the same, is very closely allied to the Russian Sable. The Russian Sable is spread over a vast extent of territory, being found from the northern parts of European Russia eastward to Kamtschatka. Its size is about equal to that of the marten, being about eighteen inches in length exclusive of the tail. It is not very prolific, seldom bringing forth more than five at a birth, and generally only three. This takes place in March and April. They make their homes chiefly near the banks of rivers, and in the thickest parts of the w^oods. They usu- ally live in holes which they burrow in the earth. These burrows are commonly made more secure by being dug among the roots of trees. Occasionally they make their nests in the hollow* of trees, and there rear their young. Their nests are composed of moss, leaves, and dried grass, and are soft and warm. Their food varies with the season, and is partly ani- mal and partly vegetable. In the summer, when hares and other small animals are w^andering about, the Sable devours great numbers of them. But in winter, when these animals are confined in their retreats by the frost and snow% the Sable is said to feed on wild berries. It also hunts and devours the ermine and small weasels, and such birds as its agility enables it to seize. Sometimes, when other sources of food fail, it will follow the track of wolves and bears, and feed on the rem- nants of prey these animals may have left.
The fur of the Sable is in great request, and is the most beautiful and richly tinted of all the martens. The color is a rich brown, slightly mottled with white about the head, and having a gray tinge on the neck ; it varies somewhat according to locality, and in some regions is very dark. The best skins are said to be obtained in Yakootsk, Kamtschatka, and Russian Lapland. Atkinson, in his " Travels in Asiatic Russia," says that Bacrouzin, on Lake Baikal, is famed for its Sables. No skins have yet been found in any part of the world equal to them. The fur is of a deep jet black, with points of hair tipped with white. This constitutes their peculiar beauty.
28 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
From eighty to ninety dollars are sometimes demanded by the hunters for a single skin.
The Russian Sable is monopolized by the imperial family and nobility of that country. Only a few skins find their way into other countries. Some, however, are obtained privately in Siberia, by Jewish traders, and brought annually to the Leipzig fair. The fur of the Sable has the peculiarity of being fixed in the skin in such a manner that it will turn with equal freedom in all directions, and lies smoothly in whatever direction it may be pressed. The fur is rather long in propor- tion to the size of the animal, and extends down the limbs to the claws.
The best method of capturing the Sable is by the steel-trap, the same as I have already described for taking the mink and marten.
The Sable can be domesticated with success. ,
THE ERMINE.
Next in importance to the sable, amongst European furs, is that of the Ermine. The Ermine belongs to the weasel fam- ily, has the general weasel shape and appearance, and inhabits the northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is a small animal, measuring only about fourteen inches in total length, of which the tail occupies four inches. There is, however, considerable variation in the size of individuals. The Ermine is carniv- orous and a most determined hunter. It preys on hares, rab- bits, and all kinds of small quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. It is very fond of rabbits, of which, especially the young, it destroys great numbers. The pheasant and partridge also suffer greatly from its predacity. It pursues its game with great pertinacity and rarely suffers it to escape. It is also a great poacher, and plunders birds' nests of all kinds. Its favorite mode of attacking its prey is by fastening on the neck and sucking the blood of its victim. Wood, in his " Illus- trated Natural History," gives the following account of the manner in which the hare is hunted by the Stoat or Ermine :
"Although tolerably swift of foot, it is entirely unable to cope with the great speed of the hare, an animal which frequently falls
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 29
a victim to the Stoat. Yet it is enabled, by its great delicacy of scent and the singular endurance of its frame, to run down any hare on whose track it may have set itself, in spite of the long legs and wonderful speed of its prey. Wlien pursued by a Stoat, the hare does not seem to put forward its strength as it does when it is fol- lowed by dogs, but as soon as it discovei'S the nature of its pursuer, seems to lose all energy, and hops lazily along as if its faculties were benumbed by some powerful agency. This strange lassitude, in whatever manner it may be produced, is of great service to the Stoat, in enabling it to secure an animal which might in a very few minutes place itself beyond the reach of danger, by running in a straight line.
" In this curious phenomenon, there are one or two points worthy of notice.
" Although the Stoat is physically less powerful than the hare, it yet is endowed with, and is conscious of, a moral superiority, which will at length attain its aim. The hare, on the other hand, is sensi- ble of its weakness, and its instincts of conservation are much weaker than the destructive instinct of its pursuer. It must be conscious of its inferiority, or it would not run, but boldly face its enemy ; for the hare is a fierce and determined fighter when it is matched against animals that are possessed of twenty times the muscular powers of the Stoat. But as soon as it has caught a glimpse of the fiery eyes of its persecutor, its faculties fail, and its senses become oppressed with that strange lethargy which is felt by many creatures when they meet the fixed gaze of the serpent's eye. A gentleman who once met with a dangerous adventure with a cobra, told me that the creature moved its head gently from side to side in front of his face, and that a strange and soothing influence began to creep over his senses, depriving him of the power of motion, but at the same time removing all sense of fear. So the hare seems to be influenced by a similar feeling, and to be enticed as it were to its fate, the senses of fear and pain benumbed, and the mere animal faculties surviving to be destroyed by the single bite."
The mink, marten, fisher, and other members of the weasel family, are said to exercise an influence on their prey similar to that above described.
The color of the Ermine in summer is a light reddish brown on the upper parts of the body and light-colored or nearly white underneath. In winter, in the high northern latitudes,
t
30 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
its fur changes to a delicate cream-colored white, on all parts of the body except the tip of the tail, which retains its black color and forms a fine contrast to the rest of the body. It is only in the coldest portions of Norway, Sweden, Russia, and Siberia that the Ermine becomes sufficiently blanched in win- ter to become of any commercial value. Russian Asia fur- nishes the greater portion of those caught. In England the Ermine, when in its summer coat, is commonly called the Stoat, and, on account of its predaceous habits, is thoroughly detested.
Ermine fur was formerly monopolized by the royal famiHes and nobility of Europe, but now finds its way into the gen- eral markets.
The same general methods should be pursued in trapping the Ermine as in the case of the mink and marten.
THE FISHER.
This animal is usually called Pennant's Marten by the naturalists. From some hunters it also receives the name of Pekan. But in the fur-trade it is generally known as the Fisher. It is strictly a North American animal, ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the mountains of North Carohna and Tennessee to the Great Slave Lake, and perhaps still further north.
The Fisher belongs to the weasel family, and resembles both the marten and the wolverene in its habits and general appearance, though much larger than the former and less than the latter. Its general shape is like that of the marten, but its head is more pointed, its ears are more rounded, its neck, legs, and feet are stouter in proportion, and its claws much stronger. An average, full-sized Fisher will measure about two feet from the nose to the root of the tail. Its tail is about fifteen inches in length. Its feet are large, short, and stout, and thickly covered with fiir and hair. The color of its fur is dark brown or black, and its tail is black and bushy.
Fishers are found chiefly in the cold, snowy regions of the north, and are generally nocturnal in their habits, though less so than the fox. They do not keep so exclusively in the
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CAPTURE OF AKIMALS. 31
woods as the marten, but their food is much the same. They prey on hares, raccoons, squirrels, grouse, mice, and small birds, and have been seen watching for fish, lyino- on a log that crossed the stream, with head inclined downward, ready for a plunge. They, however, prefer flesh meat to fish. Their breeding season begins in March or April, and from two to four young are brought forth at a time. The youno- are hidden from the males in hollow trees at a considerable distance from the ground, until they are large enough to take care of themselves.
Fishers are taken in steel-traps by the same methods as the mink and marten. The barricade round the trap, however, should be stronger, and the entrance larger. The trap in all cases should be fastened to a spring-pole of sufficient strength to lift the animal clear from the ground, as it is pretty sure to gnaw off a leg or the pole, if left where it can touch the ground. The Hudson's Bay Company's trappers sometimes use the same methods in trapping the Fisher as those em- ployed in fox trapping. Messrs. Holland and Gunter, trap- pers of many years' experience in the Laurentian Hills, of Canada West, describe their mode of trapping the Fisher as follows : —
" For capturing the Fisher, we always draw a trail composed of the oil of anise, asafoetida, and the musk of the muskrat, mixed with fish oil, and placed in a deerskin bag about the size of a mitten, pierced full of holes with a small awl. If drawn along the line of traps the scent is sure to attract the Fisher's attention, and when an animal once finds it, he will follow the trail till he comes to a trap. Mink are sometimes caught along trails of this kind ; and it is a good plan to set a trap for wolves on the line, as they are likely to be attracted to and follow it. In setting the trap, we place it either in a hollow log, or build a strong house and place the trap at the entrance. In the latter case the bait should be placed in the back part of the house, about two feet from the door. The trap should be covered with finely powdered rotten wood. A spring-pole should be used, as all animals of the canine family will follow the trail and rob the traps. Deer-meat, muskrat-meat, or fish, make good bait for the fisher, marten, mink, or wolf."
32 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
The Fisher is an exceedingly powerful animal for its size, and will tear down wooden traps, or " dead-falls," with ease. It frequently annoys the trapper by robbing his marten-traps of their bait, or of the animals they have caught. Indeed, the marten-trappers of the Hudson's Bay Territory consider an old Fisher as great an infliction as a wolverene. It w^ill follow a " line " of traps for miles, and visits them with ex- emplary regularity. The structure for taking the marten being too small to admit the entrance of a Fisher, he breaks in from behind, and thus secures the bait without getting into the trap.
THE FOX.
The members of the Fox or Vulpine genus are numerous. Foxes are distributed through all latitudes, but they are most abundant in the North. Naturalists recognize fourteen different species. On this continent we have the Red, the Cross, the Silver or Black, the Prairie, the Swift or Kit, the Gray, the Coast, and the Arctic species. Northern Asia is represented by the Black and Gray, the White, the Red, and the Kit; European Russia, Sweden, and Norway, by the Black and Gray, the Cross, the Blue, the White, and the Red ; IMiddle Europe, by the Red ; and Greenland by the Blue and the White. In Southern Africa the Asse or Caama, and in Northern Africa the Fennec or Zerda, belong to the Fox genus. Fur-dealers say that there are thirteen different varieties or species of the Fox in Russia.
The Fox is one of the most important of the fur-bearing animals. The most valuable, most beautiful, most rare, and most sought for of all the foxes is the Silver Grav or Black. It is found in the high northern latitudes of both continents, but only about two thousand skins in all are annually ob- tained. The best ones sell at the London sales as high as two hundred dollars each. The Cross Fox is next in value. On this continent the Black, Cross, and Red Foxes vary greatly in color and marking and in quality of fur. This is probably due to the hybridizing of the different species with each other. It is thought by some hunters that the Cross
FRELEVnNARIES. 17
that the Jatvs will lie flat when open. Otherwise the trap can- not well be secreted.
8. The jaws must work easily in the posts. For want of attention to this, many traps will not spring.
9. The adjustment of all the parts and their actual ivorking should he so inspected and tested that every trap shall he ready for use — " swre to (/<?," and sure to hold. In consequence of the unfaithfulness of trap-makers in inspecting and testing their work, many a trapper, after lugging a weary back-load of traps into the wilderness, finds that a large portion of them have some "hitch" which either makes them worthless or requires a tug at tinkering before they can be made to do the poorest service.
German and English traps are almost universally liable to criticism on all the points above mentioned ; and most of the traps made in this country fail in one or more of them.
In addition to the foregoing requisites, every trap should be furnished with a stout chain, faithfully welded, with ring and swivel. And let the trapper look well to the condition of the swivel. Many of the malleable iron swivels used by second-rate, careless manufacturers, will not turn at all ; and man}^ an animal escapes by twisting off chains that have these dead swivels.
In treating of the capture of particular animals, I shall have occasion to refer frequently to several contrivances that are used in connection with the fastening of steel-traps. I will therefore describe those contrivances here, once for all.
THE SPRING-POLE.
In taking several kinds of land animals, such as the mar- ten and fisher, it is necessary to provide against their being devoured by other animals before the trapper reaches them, and also against their gnawing off their own legs, or breaking the chain of the trap by violence. The contrivance used for this purpose is called a spring-j^ole, and is prepared in the fol- lowing manner : If a small tree can be found standing near the place where your trap is set, trim it and use it for a spring
18 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
as it stands. If not, cut a pole of sufficient size and drive it firmly into the ground ; bend down the top ; fasten the chain- ring to it ; and fasten the pole in its bent position by a notch or hook on a small tree or a stick driven into the ground. When the animal is caught, his struggles, pulling on the chain, unhook the pole, which flying up with a jerk, carries him into the air, out of the reach of prowlers, and in a con- dition that disables his attempts to escape by self-amputation or other violence. The size of the pole must be proportioned .to the weight of the game which it is expected to lift.
THE SLIDING-POLE.
Animals of aquatic habits, when caught m traps, invariably plunge at once into deep water ; and it is the object of the trapper, availing himself of this plunge, to drown his captive as soon as possible, in order to stop his violence, and keep him out of the reach of other animals. The weight of the trap and chain is usually sufficient for this purpose in the case of the muskrat. But in taking the larger amphibious animals, such as the beaver, the trapper uses a contrivance which is called the sliding-pole. It is prepared in the following man- ner : Cut a pole ten or twelve feet long, leaving branches enough on the small end to prevent the ring of the cjiain from slipping off. Place this pole near where you set your trap, in an inclined position, with its small end reaching into the deep- est part of the stream, and its large end secured at the bank by a hook driven into the ground. Slip the ring of your chain on to this, and see that it is free to traverse down the length of the pole. When the animal is taken it plunges desperately into the region towards which the pole leads. The ring slides down to the end of the pole at the bottom of the stream, and, with a short chain, prevents the victim from rising to the sur- face or returning to the shore.
THE CLOG.
Some powerful and violent animals, if caught in a trap that is staked fast, will pull their legs off, or beat the trap in pieces ; but if allowed to drag the trapabout with a moderate
PRELIMINARIES. 19
weight attached, will behave more gently, or at least will not be able to get loose for want of purchase. The weight used in such cases is called a clog. It is usually a pole or stick of wood, of a size suited to the ring of the trap-chain, and to the size of the game. As the object of it is to encumber the animal, but not to hold it fast, the chain should be attached to it near one of its ends, so that it will not be likely to get fast among the rocks and bushes for a considerable time. The usual way is to slip the ring over the large end of the pole and fasten it with a wedge.
RULE FOR BAITING.
There is one general principle in regard to baiting animals that may as well be recorded and explained here, as it is ap- plicable to all cases. It is this : I^ever put bait on the pan of a trap. The old-fashioned traps were always made with holes in the pan for strings to tie on bait ; and many if not most novices in trapping imagine that the true way is to attract the animal's nose straight to the centre of action, by piling bait on the pan, as though it were expected to catch him by the head. The truth, however, is, that animals are very rarely taken by the head or the body, but almost always by a leg. When an animal pulls at a bait on the pan of a trap, he is not likely even to spring the trap, for he lifts in the wrong direc- tion ; and if he does spring it, the position of his head is such, especially if the bait is high on the pan, that he is pretty sure to give the jaws the slip. Besides, bait on the pan calls the attention of the wary animal to the trap ; whereas he ought to be wholly diverted from it, and all signs of it obliterated. Bait should always be placed so that the animal in attempting to take it shall put a foot on the pan. This can be done in several ways, all of which will be explained in detail here- after. But this general direction may be given for all cases that are not otherwise prescribed for : Place the bait either on a stick above the trap^ or in an inclosure so arranged that the animal will have to step over the trap to reach it.
20 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
PROPER OUTFIT OF TRAPS.
In preparing for a trapping excursion, the novice naturally inquires how many traps he shall take along. If the question were simply how many traps he could tend^ I should probably say from one to two hundred. But the main question really is, how many traps can he carry? If he is going on a marsh, lake, or river, where he can travel by boat, or into a region where he can carry his baggage by horse and wagon, he may take along all the traps he can tend, — the more the better. But if he is going by overland routes into the rough, woody regions where most game abounds, and consequently must carry his baggage on his back, he will probably find that seventy-five small traps, or an equivalent weight of large and small ones, will be as much as he will like to carry.
PROFITS OF TRAPPING.
The provident candidate for wood-craft will want to know what wages a man is likely to make at trapping. I will give him a few instances of what has been done, and then he may judge for himself. I have cleared seven dollars per day for a five weeks' trip. A man that once trapped with me, caught fifty-three muskrats in one night, which at present prices would be worth fifteen dollars and ninety cents. I know several men in Jefferson county (New York), who paid for good farms with furs that they caught within eight miles of home. It is not uncommon for two men to make five hun- dred dollars in a trapping season. But too much reliance must not be placed on these specimens. Good weather, good trapping-grounds, good traps, good judgment, and good luck must be combined, to secure good profits.
1' \ pSifiii
II. CAPTURE OF ANIMALS.
It will be useful to the inexperienced trapper to have some account of the appearance and habits of each animal in con- nection with instructions for capturing it. Such information is often indispensable as the basis of plans and contrivances for capture. I shall confine myself to brief descriptions in common language, not attempting any thing scientific ; and I shall avail myself of the help of books where my own obser- vation and experience fail.
THE MUSKRAT OR MUSQUASH.
This is an animal of amphibious habits. Its head and body are from thirteen to fifteen inches in length. The tail is nine or ten inches long, two-edged, and for two thirds its length rudder-shaped, and covered with scales and thin, short hair, the edges being heavily fringed. The hind feet are slightly webbed; so that it can "feather the oar," as boatmen say, when they are brought forward in swimming. The color is brown above and ashy beneath. Muskrats are nocturnal^ in their habits ; but are frequently seen swimming and feeding in file day time. They are excellent swimmers, and can go from ten to fifteen rods under water without breathing. Their natural food is grass and roots ; but they will eat clams, mus- sels, flesh, corn, oats, wheat, apples, and many other vegeta- bles. In open w^inters they sometimes find their w^ay into farmers' cellars through drains, and make free with whatever they find in store. They thrive best in sluggish streams or ponds bordered with grass and flags. The roots of these plants are their chief support, and from the tops they con- struct their abodes. These structures are dome-shaped, and
22 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
rise sometimes to the height of five or six feet. The entrances are at the bottom, under water ; so that the inside of the houses are not exposed to the open air. The Muskrats Hve in them in winter, gathering into famiHes of from six to ten members. Hundreds of these dwelHngs can be counted from a single point in many large marshes.
Muskrats have a curious method of travellino; lono; distances under the ice. In their winter excursions to their feedincj- grounds, which are frequently at great distances from their abodes, they take in breath at starting and remain under the water as long as they can. Then they rise up to the ice, and breathe out the air in their lungs, which remains in bubbles against the lower surface of the ice. They wait till this air recovers oxygen from the water and the ice, and then take it in again and go on till the operation has to be repeated. In this way they can travel almost any distance, and live any length of time under the ice.
The hunter sometimes takes advantage of this habit of the Muskrat, in the following manner : When the marshes and ponds where Muskrats abound are first frozen over and the ice is thin and clear, on striking into their houses with his hatchet for the purpose of setting his traps, he frequently sees a whole family plunge into the water and swim away under the ice. Following one of them for some distance, he sees him come up to renew his breath in the manner above described. After the animal has breathed against the ice, and before he has had time to take his bubble in again, the hunter strikes with his hatchet directly over him and drives him away from ^ his breath. In this case he drowns in swimming a few rods, and the hunter, cutting a hole in the ice, takes him out. Mink, otter, and beaver travel under the ice in the same way ; and hunters have frequently told me of taking otter in the manner I have described, when these animals visit the houses of the Muskrat for prey.
In summer, Muskrats live mostly in banks and in hollow trees that stand near a stream ; and sometimes, for want of suitable marshes and ponds, they remain in the banks and trees through the winter. They are very prolific, bringing
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 23
forth from six to nine at a birth, and three times a year. The first kittens also have one litter, which attain to about the size of house-rats in September. They have many enemies, such as the fox, wolf, lynx, otter, mink, and owl. They are found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Regions. But they do not inhabit the alluvial lands of Carohna, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, though in other regions they live much further south.
The modes of capturing the Muskrat are various. One of them we have already seen. Another is by spearing, of which a fine example will be given in a subsequent article by Mr. Thacker. These methods are good at certain seasons and in certain conditions of the ice, &c. ; but for general serv- ice there is no means of capture so reliable as the steel-trap. Traps should be set in the principal feeding places, play- grounds, and holes of the Muskrat, and generally about two inches under water. Bait is not necessary except when game is scarce and its signs not fresh. In that case you may bait with apples, parsnips, carrots, artichokes, white flag-roots, or even the flesh of the muskrat. The musk of this animal will sometimes draw effectually at long distances. The bait should be fastened to the end of a stick, and stuck over the trap about eight inches high, and in such a position that the animal will have to pass over the trap to take the bait. Care should be taken to fasten the trap to a stake in such a position that the chain will lead the captive into deep water and drown him. If he is allowed to entangle himself or by any means to get ashore, he will be very likely to gnaw or twist off a leg and get away.
THE MINK.
The Mink is found in the northern parts of America, Eu- rope, and Asia. Its fur is very valuable, and in this country of late years has been the most popular kind. The Mink is carnivorous, and belongs to the mustelidce or weasel family. It resembles the ferret and ermine. It is not amphibious Hke the muskrat, yet lives on the banks of streams and gets much of its food from them. It is of a dark brown color , has short legs, a long body and neck, and a bushy tail. In this
24 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
countiy there are two varieties, which some naturahsts have supposed were distinct species ; one small, dark-colored, com- mon in the Northern and Eastern States and Canada ; the other larger, with lighter-colored, coarser, and less valuable fur, common in the Western and Southern States. The dark- colored variety measures from eleven to eighteen inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail, and has a tail from six to ten inches in length. The European and Asiatic Mink is a distinct species.
Mink are ramblers in their habits, except in the breeding season. They feed on fish, frogs, snakes, birds, mice, and muskrats ; and the hen-roost frequently suffers from their dep- redations. They are very fond of speckled trout, and pretty sure to find out the streams where those fish abound. Their breeding season commences about the last of April, and the females bring forth from four to six at a litter. The young are hid by the mother till they attain nearly half their growth, as the males of this species, as well as of the marten, fisher, •weasel, panther, and most carnivorous animals, destroy their young when they can find them.
Mink can be taken in steel-traps, either on land or in the water. Experts generally prefer to take them on land. The trap should be set near the bank of a stream. . If one of their holes cannot be found, make a hole by the side of a root or a stump, or anywhere in the ground. Three sides of the cavity should be barricaded with stones, bark, or rotten wood, and the trap set at the entrance. The bait may be fish, birds, or the flesh of the muskrat, cut in small pieces ; and it should be put into the cavity beyond the trap, so that the animal will have to step over the trap in taking the bait. The trap should be concealed by a covering of leaves, rotten vegetation, or, what is better, the feathers of some bird. In very cold weather the bait should be smoked to give it a stronger smell.
Mink can be attracted long distances by a scent that is pre- pared from the decomposition of eels, trout, or even minnows. These fishes are cut in small pieces, and put into a loosely- corked bottle, which is allowed to hanor in the sunshine for two or three weeks in summer, when a sort of oil is formed
\ji§\ mi w '''
111 ,^ i V; ^ 1
iii 'iiiM
CAPTUEE OF a:n^lmals. 25
which emits a very strong odor. A few drops of this oil on the bait, or even on a stick without bait, will draw Mink very efiectually.
The chain of the trap should be fastened to a spring-pole, strong enough to lift the animal, when caught, out of the reach of the fisher, fox, and other depredators ; or if the trap is set near deep water, it may be attached to a sliding-pole, which will secure the game by drowning it. Both of these devices are fully described on pages 17 and 18.
THE MARTEN.
The Marten is found on this Continent from about north latitude forty degrees to the northern limits of the woods, or about sixty-eight degrees. On the Eastern Continent they in- habit all the North of Europe and Asia, except the treeless districts of the cold regions. The principal species are, the Pine Marten, which inhabits both continents, the Beech or Stone Marten of Europe, the Sable of Russia and Northern Asia, and the Japanese Sable. Naturalists class the fisher, also, w^ith the Martens. The Russian Sable is the finest and most valuable of all the ^lartens. The Hudson's Bay and Lake Superior Martens are next in value. Those from Hud- son's Bay, though really a variety of the American Pine Marten, are commonly called Hudson's Bay Sables, and their fur is known by that name in the markets of Europe.
The Marten belongs to the weasel family, and is carnivo- rous. It is about as large as the mink, and differs but little from the latter in form, save that its feet are larger and hairy to the toes, and its tail is somewhat larger and of a dark brown or black color. The fur of the American Pine Marten is gen- erally of a yellowish brown, but varies greatly in color accord- ing to season, latitude, and locality. The Hudson's Bay and Lake Superior INIartens are very dark-colored. The favorite haunts of these animals are the thick dark woods of the cold snowy regions. They are strictly arboreal in their habitat. They generally live in hollow trees, but occasionally they ex- cavate dens in the ground. They feed on rabbits, birds, squirrels, mice, and other small animals ; are fond of beech-
26 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
nuts, and, it is said, resemble the bear in their fondness for honey. They are active climbers, and their small size enables them to pursue the gray squirrel and capture him in his hiding-places. They are, however, unable to cope in speed with the red squirrel or chickaree. They are not strictly nocturnal in their habits, as some have asserted, being fre- quently seen and killed in the daytime. Their breeding sea- son begins in March or April, and they have from three to five young at a time, which are hidden fi'om the males during infancy.
Sir John Richardson, the Arctic explorer, says that " par- ticular races of Martens, distinguished by the fineness and dark color of their fur, appear to inhabit certain rocky dis- tricts."
Throughout the Hudson's Bay Territory there is a period- ical disappearance of the Martens, which is very remarkable. It occurs, according to Bernard Rogan Ross, in decades, or thereabouts, with wonderful regularity, and it is not known what becomes of them. They are not found dead, and there is no evidence of their migration. The failure extends through the whole territory at the same time. In the seasons of their disappearance, the few that remain will scarcely touch bait. There seems to be a providential instinct in this by which the total destruction of the race is prevented.
Martens are taken in steel-traps by the same method as the mink. In winter, however, the traps should be set in hollow logs or trees, secured from the covering of snows, and con- cealed by the feathers of a bird. The Marten trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company commonly bait with fish-heads, pieces of flesh-meat, or, what they consider still better, the heads of wild fowl, which the natives gather for this purpose in au- tumn.
THE SABLE.
As I have already remarked, the Sable is closely allied to the martens. It is classed with them in Natural History, un- der the scientific name of Martes Zihellina. Two species are known : the Martes Zihellina or Russian Sable, and the Jap- anese Sable. The latter is marked with black on its legs and
^V^\i
',:■ ■•^J ^
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 27
feet. It is thought by some of the Hudson's Bay Company's agents, that a marten exists in the northwestern part of Brit- ish America, and in the late Russian Possessions, which, if not the same, is very closely allied to the Russian Sable. The Russian Sable is spread over a vast extent of territory, being found from the northern parts of European Russia eastward to Kamtschatka. Its size is about equal to that of the marten, being about eighteen inches in length exclusive of the tail. It is not very prolific, seldom bringing forth more than five at a birth, and generally only three. This takes place in March and April. They make their homes chiefly near the banks of rivers, and in the thickest parts of the woods. They usu- ally live in holes which they burrow in the earth. These burrows are commonly made more secure by being dug among the roots of trees. Occasionally they make their nests in the hollows of trees, and there rear their young. Their nests are composed of moss, leaves, and dried grass, and are soft and warm. Their food varies with the season, and is partly ani- mal and partly vegetable. In the summer, when hares and other small animals are wandering about, the Sable devours great numbers of them. But in winter, when these animals are confined in their retreats by the frost and snow, the Sable is said to feed on wild berries. It also hunts and devours the ermine and small weasels, and such birds as its agility enables it to seize. Sometimes, w^hen other sources of food fail, it w^ill follow the track of wolves and bears, and feed on the rem- nants of prey these animals may have left.
The fur of the Sable is in great request, and is the most beautiful and richly tinted of all the martens. The color is a rich brown, slightly mottled with white about the head, and having a gray tinge on the neck ; it varies somewhat according to locality, and in some regions is very dark. The best skins are said to be obtained in Yakootsk, Kamtschatka, and Russian Lapland. Atkinson, in his *' Travels in Asiatic Russia," says that Bagouzin, on Lake Baikal, is famed for its Sables. No skins have yet been found in any part of the world equal to them. The fur is of a deep jet black, with points of hair tipped with white. This constitutes their peculiar beauty.
28 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
From eighty to ninety dollars are sometimes demanded by the hunters for a single skin.
The Russian Sable is monopolized by the imperial family and nobility of that country. Only a few skins find their way into other countries. Some, however, are obtained privately in Siberia, by Jewish traders, and brought annually to the Leipzig fair. The fur of the Sable has the peculiarity of beino; fixed in the skin in such a manner that it will turn with equal freedom in all directions, and lies smoothly in whatever direction it may be pressed. The fur is rather long in propor- tion to the size of tlie animal, and extends down the limbs to the claws.
The best method of capturing the Sable is by the steel-trap, the same as I have already described for taking the mink and marten.
The Sable can be domesticated with success.
THE ERMINE.
Next in importance to the sable, aniongst European furs, is that of the Ermine. The Ermine belongs to the weasel fam- ily, has the general weasel shape and appearance, and inhabits the northern parts of Europe and Asia. It is a small animal, measuring only about fourteen inches in total length, of which the tail occupies four inches. There is, however, considerable variation in the size of individuals. The Ermine is carniv- orous and a most determined hunter. It preys on hares, rab- bits, and all kinds of small quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. It is very fond of rabbits, of which, especially the young, it destroys great numbers. The pheasant and partridge also suffer greatly from its predacity. It pursues its game wdth great pertinacity and rarely suffers it to escape. It is also a great poacher, and plunders birds' nests of all kinds. Its favorite mode of attacking its prey is by fastening on the neck and sucking the blood of its victim. Wood, in his " Illus- trated Natural History," gives the following account of the manner in which the hare is hunted by the Stoat or Ermine :
" Although tolerably swift of foot, it is entirely unable to cope with the great speed of the hare, an animal which frequently falls
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS.
29
a victim to the Stoat. Yet it is enabled, by its great delicacy of scent and the singular endurance of its frame, to run down any hare on whose track it may have set itself, in spite of the long legs and wonderful speed of its prey. When pursued by a Stoat, the hare does not seem to put forward its strength as it does when it is fol- lowed by dogs, but as soon as it discovers the nature of its pur.uer, seems to lose all energy, and hops lazily along as if its faculties were benumbed by some powerful agency. This strange lassitude, in whatever manner it may be produced, is of great service to the Stoat, in enabling it to secure an animal which might in a very few minutes place itself beyond the reach of danger, by running in a
straight line.
" In this curious phenomenon, there are one or two points worthy
of notice.
" Although the Stoat is physically less powerful than the hare, it yet is endowed with, and is conscious of, a moral superiority, which will at length attain its aim. The hare, on the other hand, is sensi- ble of its weakness, and its instincts of conservation are much weaker than the destructive instinct of its pursuer. It must be conscious of its inferiority, or it would not run, but boldly face its enemy ; for the hare is a fierce and determined fighter when it is matched against animals that are possessed of twenty times the muscular powers of the Stoat. But as soon as it has caught a glimpse of the fiery eyes of its persecutor, its faculties fail, and its senses become oppressed with that strange lethargy which is felt by many creatures when they meet the fixed gaze of the serpent's eye. A gentleman who once met with a dangerous adventure with a cobra, told me that the creature moved its head gently from side to side in front of his face, and that a strange and soothing influence began to creep over his senses, depriving him of the power of motion, but at the same time removing all sense of fear. So the hare seems to be influenced by a similar feeling, and to be enticed as it were to its fate, the senses of fear and pain benumbed, and the mere animal faculties surviving to be destroyed by the single bite."
The mink, marten, fisher, and other members of the weasel family, are said to exercise an influence on their prey similar to that above described.
The color of the Ermine in summer is a light reddish brown on the upper parts of the body and light-colored or nearly white underneath. In winter, in the high northern latitudes,
30 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
its fur changes to a delicate cream-colored white, on all parts of the body except the tip of the tail, which retains its black color and forms a fine contrast to the rest of the body. It is only in the coldest portions of Norway, Sweden, Russia, and Siberia that the Ermine becomes sufficiently blanched in win- ter to become of any commercial value. Russian Asia fur- nishes the greater portion of those caught. In England the Ermine, when in its summer coat, is commonly called the Stoat, and, on account of its predaceous habits, is thoroughly detested.
Ermine fur was formerly monopolized by the royal families and nobility of Europe, but now finds its way into the gen- eral markets.
The same general methods should be pursued in trapping the Erniine as in the case of the mink and marten.
THE FISHER.
This animal is usually called Pennant's Marten by the naturalists. From some hunters it also receives the name of Pekan. But in the fur-trade it is generally known as the Fisher. It is strictly a North American animal, ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the mountains of North Carohna and Tennessee to the Great Slave Lake, and perhaps still further north.
The Fisher belongs to the weasel family, and resembles both the marten and the wolverene in its habits and general appearance, though much larger than the former and less than the latter. Its general shape is like that of the marten, but its head is more pointed, its ears are more rounded, its neck, legs, and feet are stouter in proportion, and its claws much stronger. An average, full-sized Fisher will measure about two feet from the nose to the root of the tail. Its tail is about fifteen inches in length. Its feet are large, short, and stout, and thickly covered with fur and hair. The color of its fur is dark brown or black, and its tail is black and bushy.
Fishers are found chiefly in the cold, snowy regions of the north, and are generally nocturnal in their habits, though less so than the fox. They do not keep so exclusively in the
v-^^^^Z \^y^l^
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 31
woods as the marten, but their food is much the same. They prey on hares, raccoons, squirrels, grouse, mice, and small birds, and have been seen watching for fish, lying on a log that crossed the stream, with head inclined downward, ready for a plunge. They, however, prefer flesh meat to fish. Their breeding season begins in March or April, and fi'om two to four young are brought forth at a time. The young are hidden from the males in hollow trees at a considerable distance from the ground, until they are large enough to take care of themselves.
Fishers are taken in steel-traps by the same methods as the mink and marten. The barricade round the trap, however, should be stronger, and the entrance larger. The trap in all cases should be fastened to a spring-pole of sufficient strength to lift the animal clear from the ground, as it is pretty sure to gnaw off" a leg or the pole, if left where it can touch the ground. The Hudson's Bay Company's trappers sometimes use the same methods in trapping the Fisher as those em- ployed in fox trapping. Messrs. Holland and Gunter, trap- pers of many years' experience in the Laurentian Hills, of Canada West, describe their mode of trapping the Fisher as follows : —
" For capturing the Fisher, we always draw a trail composed of the oil of anise, asafoetida, and the musk of the muskrat, mixed with fish oil, and placed in a deerskin bag about the size of a mitten, pierced full of holes with a small awl. If drawn along the line of traps the scent is sure to attract the Fisher's attention, and when an animal once finds it, he will follow the trail till he comes to a trap. Mink are sometimes caught along trails of this kind ; and it is a good plan to set a trap for wolves on the line, as they are likely to be attracted to and follow it. In setting the trap, we place it either in a hollow log, or build a strong house and place the trap at the entrance. In the latter case the bait should be placed in the back part of the house, about two feet from the door. The trap should be covered with finely powdered rotten wood. A spring-pole should be used, as all animals of the canine family will follow the trail and rob the traps. Deer-meat, muskrat-meat, or fish, make good bait for the fisher, marten, mink, or wolf."
32 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
The Fisher is an exceedingly powerful animal for its size, and will tear down wooden traps, or " dead-falls," with ease. It frequently annoys the trapper by robbing his marten-traps of their bait, or of the animals they have caught. Indeed, the marten-trappers of the Hudson's Bay Territory consider an old Fisher as great an infliction as a wolverene. It will follow a "line " of traps for miles, and visits them with ex- emplary regularity. The structure for taking the marten being too small to admit the entrance of a Fisher, he breaks in fi'om behind, and thus secures the bait without getting into the trap.
THE FOX.
The members of the Fox or Vulpine genus are numerous. Foxes are distributed through all latitudes, but they are most abundant in the North. Naturalists recognize fourteen different species. On this continent w^e have the Red, the Cross, the Silver or Black, the Prairie, the Swift or Kit, the Gray, the Coast, and the Arctic species. Northern Asia is represented by the Black and Gray, the White, the Red, and the Kit; European Russia, Sweden, and Norway, by the Black and Gray, the Cross, the Blue, the White, and the Red ; Middle Europe, by the Red ; and Greenland by the Blue and the White. In Southern Africa the Asse or Caama, and in Northern Africa the Fennec or Zerda, belong to the Fox genus. Fur-dealers say that there are thirteen different varieties or species of the Fox in Russia.
The Fox is one of the most important of the fur-bearing animals. The most valuable, most beautiful, most rare, and most sought for of all the foxes is the Silver Gray or Black. It is found in the high northern latitudes of both continents, but only about two thousand skins in all are annually ob- tained. The best ones sell at the London sales as high as two hundred dollars each. The Cross Fox is next in value. On this continent the Black, Cross, and Red Foxes vary greatly in color and marking and in quality of fur. This is probably due to the hybridizing of the different species with each other. It is thought by some hunters that the Cross
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 49
have been described by naturalists : Polar Bear, Grizzly- Bear, European Brown Bear, American Black Bear, Cinna- mon Bear, Asiatic Bear, Siberian Bear, Spectacled Bear of South America, Thibetan Bear, Bornean Bear, and Malay Bear. The three latter are called Sun-Bears, from their habit of basking in the midday rays of the sun. They are the smallest members of the family, and live exclusively on vegetables.
Bears differ from each other, in consequence of differences of climate, more than almost any other animals. Those that inhabit the frozen wastes near the North Pole, or such high cold regions as the Rocky Mountains, are monsters of strength and ferocity ; while those that inhabit warm coun- tries are small, feeble, and inoffensive. The extremes of the scale are the Bornean Bear, which weighs less than one hun- dred pounds, and the great Polar Bear, which is thirteen feet in length, and weighs twenty-four hundred pounds. The American Black Bear is the species with which trappers have most to do. It is found in the western and northern parts of the United States and in the two provinces of Canada. Its weight when full grown is from three to six hundred pounds. The Cinnamon Bear of the Pacific coast is probably only a variety of this species.
Bears (except the Sun-Bears) are omnivorous, feeding in- discriminately on roots, berries, nuts, corn, oats, flesh, fish, and turtles. The farmer's calf-pasture, sheepfold, and hog- pen are frequently subject to their depredations. They are particularly fond of honey. They generally sleep through the coldest part of the winter. They bring forth their young in the months of May and June, and generally two at a time. The cubs are hid in caves or hollow trees till they are large enough to follow the dam, and then ramble about with her till the following spring.
The hunting of Bears with fire-arms, besides being objec- tionable on account of injury to the fur, is often dangerous business. They are very tenacious of life, and very bold and ferocious when wounded. A Grizzly Bear, shot by Captain Clark's party in the Rocky Mountain region, survived twenty
60 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
minutes and swam half a mile after receiving ten balls in his body, four of which passed through his lungs and two through his heart ! Records of Bear hunting are full of perilous ad- ventures, and those who engage in open battle with the great Grizzly Bear of the Rocky Mountains, rarely escape without loss of life or limb. But steel-traps of the right size, and properly managed, subdue these monsters with greater cer- tainty than fire-arms, and without danger to the hunter.
In trapping for Bears, a place should be selected where three sides of an inclosure can be secured against the entrance of the animal, and one side left open. The experienced hunter usually chooses a spot where one log has fallen across another, making a pen in this shape >. The bait is placed at the inner angle, and the trap at the entrance in such a sit- uation that the Bear has to pass over it to get at the bait. The trap should be covered with moss or leaves. Some think at best to put a small stick under the pan, strong enough to prevent the smaller animals, such as the raccoon and skunk, from springing the trap, but not so stiff as to support the heavy foot of the Bear. The chain of the trap should be fast- ened to a clog. (See page 18.) The weight of the clog for a Black Bear should be thirty pounds ; for a Grizzly Bear, eighty pounds. The chain should not be more than eighteen inches in length, as the habit of the Bear, when caught, is to attempt to dash the trap in pieces against trees, logs, or rocks ; and with a short chain, fastened to a heavy clog, he is unable to do this. The bait should be meat, and the Bear should be invited to the feast by the smell of honey or honey-comb, burnt on heated stones, near the trap. Bears seem to entertain no suspicion of a trap, and enter it as readily as a hog or an ox.
THE RACCOON.
The Raccoon is allied to the Bear family. It is found only on the Western Continent, where it is represented by two species : the Common Raccoon of the United States, and the Crab-eating Raccoon of the tropics. The former is spread over the greater part of North America from Texas to Hud- son's Bay. On the Pacific coast it has been seen as far north
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 61
as sixty degrees. The Crab-eating species is found from Cal- ifornia and Texas to the 26th degree of south latitude.
The Common Raccoon is the one of principal interest to the trapper and fur-dealer. Its body is about two feet long, and is thick and stout like the badger's. Its head resembles that of the fox. Its tail is about a foot long, large, and bushy. The color of the whole is grayish white, streaked and barred with darker colors. In some of the Western States the Raccoon is of altogether a darker color, sometimes approaching to black. The Raccoon is nocturnal and omnivo- rous in its habits, and hibernates like the bear. It feeds on nuts, green corn, eggs, mice, frogs, turtles, fish, shell-fish, birds, &c., and frequently makes havoc in the poultry-yard. It is an excellent swimmer, and is fond of rambling about small streams and marshes in search of frogs, shell-fish, and turtles. It is also a good climber, and generally lives and rears its young in the hollow of a tree, with the entrance at a considerable height from the ground. Its breeding season is in April or May, and from four to six young are brought forth at a time.
Raccoons are sometimes taken by secreting traps in the paths which they make into corn-fields. Or traps may be set by the side of streams where they resort. In this case they should be baited with fresh fish ; or, as some prefer, with salt cod-fish, roasted to give it a strong smell. They are not very cunning ; and with their acute sense of smell, and their keen appetite for such provender, they rarely pass a trap thus baited without being taken.
THE BADGER.
This animal also belongs to the bear family. It is found in America, Europe, and Asia. Four species are recognized : the American Badger, the common Badger of Europe, the Indian Badger, and the Anakuma Badger of Japan. The European species is the most important in the fur- trade, fur- nishing 53,000 out of the 55,000 skins which annually find their way into the fur-markets.
Though spread over a large portion of the globe, the
52 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
Badger is nowhere numerous, except in a few localities on this Continent. It is omnivorous, feeding chiefly on roots, fruits, insects, and frogs. It also destroys the eggs and young of partridges, and other birds which build their nests on the ground. It is fond of the nests of wild bees, which it seeks out and robs with impunity, its tough hide being comparatively impervious to the stings of these insects. The Badger is a quiet, inoffensive animal, except when attacked, when it is a temble antagonist to the dog or man who comes in contact with its sharp teeth and formidable jaws. Its length is about two feet six inches from the nose to the root of the tail. The tail is short. The head is small, flat, and has a long snout. The height at the shoulder is about eleven inches. The body is broad and flat, as though compressed. The legs are sturdy and powerful. The feet, before and behind, have each five toes strongly set in the flesh, and armed with powerful, com- pressed claws, adapted to burrowing in the ground, digging for roots, and unearthing the marmot, ground-squirrel, and other small, burrowing animals.
The Badger chooses the most solitary woods for its resi- dence. It lives in burrows, where it makes its nest and rears its young. When pursued, it commences digging in the earth, and, if pressed too closely to be able to hide by burrow- ing, it makes a hole large enough to cover its body, backs into it, and faces its pursuers with claws drawn in an attitude of defiance ; and woe to the dog that attempts to dislodge it from its fort ! If it has time to get its body fairly buried, it is se- cure from any dog, or even a man with a shovel, as it digs so rapidly that it will work its way into the earth faster than dog or man can follow.
The fur of the Badger, when properly dressed, is said to make the best pistol furniture, and the coai*ser hairs are used for the fine brushes of the oil-painter. The hairs of the upper part of the Badger's body individually have three distinct colors : yellowish-white at the root, black in the middle, and ashy-grfcy at the end. This gives a uniform sandy-gray color to all the upper parts. The tail is furnished with long, coarse hair of the same color and quaHty. The throat, under parts,
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 53
and legs are covered with shorter hair of a uniform deep- black.
The female Badger brings forth from three to five young in the early spring, suckles themr for five or six weeks, and then turns them off to shift for themselves.
The American Badger differs considerably from the Euro- pean species, to which the foregoing description applies. Its snout is less attenuated, though its head is equally long. The claws of its fore-feet are much longer in proportion, and its tail shorter. Its fur, both in color and quality, is different. It is also more carnivorous. Audubon describes its color and fur as follows : " Hair on the back, at the roots dark-gray, then light-yellow for two thirds its length, then black and broadly tipped with white, giving it in winter a hoary-gray appearance ; but in summer it makes a near approach to yellowish-brown. The eyes are bright, and piercing black. .... There is a white stripe running from the nose over the forehead and along the middle of the neck to the shoul- der. Legs, blackish-brown ; chin and throat, dull-white ; the remainder of the under surface, yellowish-white ; tail, yellow- ish-brown." The fur on the back in winter is three inches long, dense and handsome. The body is broad, low, and flat.
The American Badger is abundant on the plains of the buf- falo region of Dakotah and Nebraska, and in the timberless regions in the neighborhood of the Yakima River, Washing- ton Territory. It is not found east of the Mississippi. It has been traced as far north as latitude fifty-eight degrees, and south into Mexico, where a distinct variety is found.
Badgers can be taken by setting traps at the mouths of their holes, or by the method prescribed on a preceding page for taking the raccoon. The trap should be carefully con- cealed, as the Badger is somewhat cunning, and disposed to be suspicious of such apparatus near his haunts.
THE WILD CAT OR BAY LYNX.
The American Wild Cat is a species of lynx. It is about thirty inches long, with a tail of five or six inches, and weighs from seventeen to twenty pounds. Its general color above
54 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
and on the sides is a pale reddish brown, overlaid with gray- ish; the latter color most prevalent in spring and summer. The throat is surrounded with a ruff or collar of loner hair. The under parts are light-cdored and spotted. On the sides are a few obscure dark spots, and indistinct longitudinal lines along the middle of the back. The tail is marked with a small black patch above at the end, and with half rings on its upper surface. The inner surface of the ear is black, with white patch. The legs are long, the soles of the feet naked, and the hind-feet are partially webbed. The fur is moder- ately full and soft. The ears have a pencil of dark hairs in winter.
A variety of the American Wild Cat exists west of the Rocky Mountains, which was called by the early settlers in that region the Red Cat. Its color is somewhat darker than the common variety, being a rich chestnut-brown on the back ; sides and throat, a little paler. Fur soft and full.
The Wild Cat is cowardly, rarely attacking any thing larger than a hare or young pig or lamb. The pioneer's henroost sometimes suffers from its nocturnal visitations. It feeds on grouse, partridges, squirrels, mice, and other small birds and! quadrupeds. It is fond of the dark, thick cedar swamps, where it preys on rabbits, pouncing on them from an over- hanging cliff or tree. In the Southern States, it frequents the swamps and canebrakes bordering on rivers and lakes, and also the briery thickets which grow up on old fields and deserted cotton lands. In dry seasons, or during the sultry weather of summer, it explores the courses of small streams, to feed on the fish that are left in the deep holes as the water dries
Wild Cats are taken in the same way as raccoons or minks, by baiting with meat, and covering the trap smoothly over. The best way is to find a place where they have killed a hare, grouse, or other game, and have left a part of the flesh for a second meal. Set your trap there, and you will be pretty sure of a visit.
The European Wild Cat is a distinct animal from the Bay Lynx. Goodrich, in his " Illustrated Natural History," gives
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 55
the following account of this Cat and of its relations to the common Cat : —
" There are many kinds of Wild Cat, but that from which the do- mestic Cat is supposed to have sprung is called the Common Euro- pean Wild Cat, and is found in most parts of that quarter of the globe, as well as in Asia and Africa ; it is also sometimes met with in this country. When America was first discovered, this species, either tame or wild, was not found here ; all our domestic Cats, as well as the wild ones occasionally found in the woods, are the de- scendants of those brought hither by the Europeans. The Wild Cats of the European Continent are either the descendants of the original races that have continued untamed from the beginning, or of domes- ticated cats that have wandered from their homes, and, living apart from man, have relapsed into barbarism. It is said that the wild and tame Cats, in their wanderings, sometimes meet ; when this is the case, the females of the tame breed are well treated by the sav- age Cats, but the males are rudely set upon and sometimes torn in pieces. The wild and tame Cats sometimes breed together, and pro- duce the kind called Tiger Cats. Some authors hold that the Wild Cat is a distinct species, because its tail is shorter and more bushy than that of the domestic Cat ; but this opinion seems not well founded, for still greater differences are found in dogs which are ac- knowledged to be of the same race."
The European Wild Cat is common in France, Germany, Russia, Hungary, and some other parts of Europe, and is found in Northern Asia and Nepaul. It was formerly found in England, and a few yet linger among the hills of Scotland. It resembles the tame Cat, but is rather larger and more ro- bust, and has a more savage aspect. Its fur is long, soft, and thick. Its color is gray, darker on the back than below, with a blackish stripe along the back and paler curved stripes on the sides. It is a very shy animal ; lurks in the woods and preys on hares, squirrels, and birds, and is for the most part nocturnal in its habits. It makes its home in clefts among rocks or in hollow trees. The female brings forth from three to six young at a time. A full-grown male is about two feet and a half long from the nose to the root of the tail ; with a tail of considerable length. The female is smaller.
66 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
This Wild Cat is of great strength, and when pursued and hard pressed exhibits daring and ferocity in an extraordinary degree. When caught in a trap they fly without hesitation at any person who approaches them, without waiting to be assailed. The directions given for trapping the American Wild Cat are appropriate for the capture of this species. St. John, the author of a work on " Highland Sports," gives the following plan for taking them : " Like other vermin, the Wild Cat haunts the shores of the lakes and rivers, and it is, therefore, easy to know where to lay a trap for them. Hav- ing caught and killed one of the colony, the rest of them are sure to be taken, if the body of their slain relative is left in some place not far from their usual hunting-ground, and sur- rounded with traps, as every Wild Cat who passes within a considerable distance of the place w^ill surely come to it."
THE LYNX.
There are several species of Lynx. The Canada Lynx and the European Lynx are the most important to the trapper and fur-dealer. The former inhabits North America from the latitude of Northern New York to the northern Hmits of the woods, or within the Arctic Circle. It is not found in the Mississippi Valley, but occurs west of the Rocky Moun- tains, and is supposed to exist in the northeastern part of Asia. Its size is between that of a fox and a wolf. Its length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is about three feet. The tail is shorter than the head, and is densely furred and tipped with black. Its feet are large, thickly covered with fur, and armed with strong claws. The ears are pointed, not large, and tipped with a pencil of long black hairs. The color in winter is a silver-gray on the back, paling towards the belly, which is sometimes white. A rufous under-shade mixes with the tints. It has a ruff on the sides of the neck and u^der the throat. In winter its fur is long and silky. The av rage weight of this Lynx is about twenty-five pounds.
The i '.lanada Lynx lives in the darkest woods and swamps, preying on hares, mice, squirrels, grouse, and smaller birds, and r" ^ely attacking the deer. When pressed with hunger
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 57
it prowls about the pioneer's cabin in search of lambs, pigs, and poultry. It is an active climber, and frequently seizes its prey by pouncing upon it from an overhanging tree ; at other times it crawls stealthily like a cat within springing dis- tance, or leaps upon it from a cliff. It pursues birds to the tops of the loftiest trees, and kills fish in the streams. It also feeds on carrion, and, when pressed with hunger, on its own kind. It is said to have a strong passion for perfumes, par- ticulaily the castoreum of the beaver. This is the principal scent or " medicine " used by trappers in capturing the Lynx. The female brings forth generally two young ones at a time, and hides them in hollow trees or caves till they are large enough to follow her.
The Canada Lynx is a stupid animal and easily caught. It readily enters a trap that is properly set and baited with meat. The general directions already given for trapping various car- nivorous animals are applicable in this case. The Hudson's Bay Company's trappers practice the following method, ac- cording to Bernard Rogan Ross : The trap is covered, inside the jaws, w^ith a well-fitting " pallet " of birch bark. On the pallet a piece of hair skin, well rubbed with the " medicine " or scent, is tied. The trap is then placed indifferently either under or on the snow. The Lynx, scenting his favorite per- fume, endeavors to withdraw the skin with his paw, and con- sequently springs the trap. It does not, like most of the fur- bearing animals, make violent efforts to escape, or drag the trap to a distance ; it generally lies down until aroused by the approach of the hunter, when, instead of attempting to escape by flight, it springs at him.
The European Lynx closely resembles the Canada species ; its habits are also similar. Its fur is valuable. Its general color is a dull reddish gray above, whitish below, mottled with black. On the sides are dark oblong patches. In winter the fur is longer and lighter-colored than in summer. The keen- ness of its sight has long been proverbial. It is found from the Pyrenees to the far North, and throughout Northern Asia. The directions given for trapping the Canada Lynx are suffi- cient in the case of this species.
58 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
THE COUGAR OR AMERICAN PANTHER.
This animal is one of the largest of the cat family that exists on the Western Continent, being rivaled only by the jaguar. It inhabits every latitude from Canada to Patagonia. In different localities it receives different names and varies somewhat in size. In the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, it is commonly called the Panther, and sometimes the Catamount ; on the west coast it is called the California Lion ; in South America its common name is Puma. Cougar, however, is the scientific and proper name. The true Pan- ther is confined to the Eastern Continent ; and is a variety of the leopard, being found mostly in Asia. In the north, Cougars prefer for their retreat ledges of rock inaccessible to man, called by hunters panther ledges. They appear rarely by daylight, except when pressed for food, but conceal them- selves behind rocks and fallen trees till evening. In South America their favorite haunts are the vast grassy plains, where they destroy great numbers of wild cattle.
Full grown Panthers killed in northern New York have been known to measure over eleven feet from the nose to the tip of the tail, being about twenty-eight inches high, and weighing nearly two hundred pounds. Their color is a red- dish-brown above, shading into a lighter color underneath. They are armed with sharp teeth and long, heavy claws. They feed chiefly on deer, crawHng stealthily to within springing distance, or watching on some cliff or tree, and pouncing like a cat on their prey. Their activity enables them to take the deer with ease. It is asserted by hunters that each Panther destroys as many as two deer per week, and a pair of Panthers have been known to attack and kill a full-grown moose. In newly settled countries, they fre- quently carry off young cattle and sheep. They are good climbers and readily take to a tree when pursued by dogs, from which they can easily be brought down by the rifle. This is the most common way of taking them. They are cowardly, and rarely attack a man unless wounded, when they are dangerous.
^ h
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 59
The best way to take Panthers with steel-traps is to find where they have killed a deer or other animal, and left part of the carcass. Secrete the trap near the remains, and you will catch them when they return for a second meal. They seldom leave the vicinity of an animal they have killed, till it is all devoured. The same is true of all the large animals of the cat kind, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, &c.
THE JAGUAR.
Like the cougar, this is an exclusively American animal. Though scarcely equalling the cougar in extreme length, the Jaguar is stouter and more formidable. It is found from Louisiana to Buenos Ayres. This animal has a large head, a robust body, and is very ferocious. Its usual size is about three fourths that of the tiger. Humboldt, however, states that he saw Jaguars which in length surpassed that of all the tigers of Asia which he had seen in the collections of Europe. The Jaguar is sometimes called the American tiger. Their favorite haunts are the swamps and jungles of tropical Amer- ica. There they subsist on monkeys, capabyras or water- hogs, tapirs, peccaries, birds, turtles and turtle eggs, lizards, fish, shell-fish, and insects. Emerging from these haunts into the more open country, they prey upon deer, horses, cattle, sheep, and farm stock. In the early days of the settlement of South America the Jaguar was one of the greatest scourges the settlers had to meet. They haunted the clearings and plantations and devoured horses, cattle, and sheep without mercy. Nor were the settlers themselves and their children free from their attack. For many years where Jaguars abounded the settlers had an arduous warfare before they could exterminate the ferocious marauders, or drive them from the vicinity of their habitations.
The Jaguar is a cautious and suspicious animal. It never makes an open attack on man or beast. It approaches its prey stealthily, and pounces upon it from some hiding-place, or some position of advantage. It will follow a herd of ani- mals for many miles in hopes of securing a straggler ; and always chooses the hindmost animal, in order that if turned
60 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
upon, it may escape with its prey the more easily. In this way it pursues men. A Jaguar has been known to follow the track of travellers for days together, only daring to show itself at rare intervals. A full grown Jaguar is an animal of enor- mous strength, and will kill and drag off a horse or ox with comparative ease. They commit vast havoc among the horses which band together in great herds on the plains of South America. Full grown colts and calves are their favorite prey. Goodrich, in his Natural History, describes their operations as follows : " Frequently two Jaguars will combine to master the more powerful brutes. Some of them lie in wait around the salt-licks, and attack the animals that resort to these places. Their habit is to conceal themselves behind some bush, or on the trunk of a fallen tree : here they will lie, silent and mo- tionless, for hours, patiently waiting for their victims. When they see a deer, or a mule, or mustang approaching, the eyes dilate, the hair rises along the back, the tail moves to and fro, and every limb quivers. When the unsuspecting prey comes within his reach, the monster bounds hke a thunderbolt upon him. He fixes his teeth in his neck and his claws in the loins, and though the dismayed and aggravated victim flies, and rears, and essays to throw off his terrible rider, it is all in vain. His strength is soon exhausted, and he sinks to the earth an easy prey to his destroyer. The Jaguar, growling and roaring in triumph, already tears his flesh while yet the agonies of death are upon him. When his hunger is appeased he covers the remains of the carcass with leaves, sticks, and earth, to protect them from the vultures ; and either remains watching near at hand or retires for a time till appetite revives, when he returns to complete his carnival." The Jaguar makes its attack upon the larger quadrupeds by springing upon their shoulders. Then placing one paw on the back of the head and another on the muzzle, with a single wrench it dislocates the neck. The smaller animals it lays dead with a stroke of its paw.
The Jaguar in external appearance and in habits closely resembles the leopard of the Old World. The female pro- duces two at a birth. The ground color of a full-grown
CAPTURE OF ANLMALS. 61
animal is yellow, marked with open figures of a rounded-an- gular form. In each of these figures are one or more black spots. The figures are arranged longitudinally and nearly parallel along the body. The belly is almost white. There is considerable variation in color among Jaguars, some being very dark or almost black, with indistinct markings. The richly tinted skins are highly valued, and are exported to Europe in large numbers, where they are used by the mili- tary officers for saddle coverings.
For capturing the Jaguar in steel-traps the directions given for trapping the cougar should be followed.
THE LION.
The principal habitat of the Lion is in Africa. Some also exist in Asia, but nowhere else. There are three African varieties — the Black, the Red or Tawny, and the Gray. In Asia the dark-colored Bengal, the light-colored Persian or Arabian, and the Maneless Lions exist. A full-grown Lion, in its native wilds, is usually four feet in height at the shoul- ders, and about eleven feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. He is of great strength and ferocity, and is commonly called the " king of beasts." Lions belong to the cat family, and prey upon all animals they can master. They approach their prey stealthily, like a cat hunting a mouse, and spring upon it unawares. Human beings are not exempt from their attack, but form their most coveted prey when once an appe- tite for human flesh has been established. In Africa they hang round the villages, and carry off every man, woman, or child they can secure, and make great havoc among all kinds of domestic animals. Gerard, the French Lion-hunter of North Afi'ica, estimates that the average length of life of the Lion is thirty-five to forty years ; and that he kills, or con- sumes, year by year, horses, mules, horned cattle, camels, and sheep, to the value of twelve hundred dollars. Taking the average of his life, which is thirty-five years, each Lion costs the Arabs of that country forty-two thousand dollars. The Lion is mostly nocturnal in its habits, hunting its prey and satisfying its appetite during the night, and sleeping and
62 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
digesting its food during the day. The Lioness is smaller than the male, and brings forth from one to three young at a time, about the beginning of the year. Lions are not numerous in Asia, and are steadily growing less so in Africa. They are now seldom found near the coasts of that Continent. Wher- ever the white man appears he wages relentless warfare against the "king of beasts." Its favorite haunts are the plains rather than the forests, and it is content with the shelter of a few- bushes or low jungle. They sometimes hunt in troops — several attacking a herd of zebras, or other animals, in con- cert. Their strength is very great, and one has been known to carr}^ a horse a distance of a mile from where he had killed it. Their most common prey are the deer and antelope which abound on the plains of Africa and in India. The zebra, the quagga, and the buffalo are their frequent victims.
The directions already given for taking the cougar with the steel-trap are adapted to the Lion. It may also be taken by setting a trap near its haunts and baiting it with a dead sheep or other animal. Great care must be taken to thoroughly secrete the trap, as the Lion is a very suspicious and intelli- gent beast. It is said that when a Lion is killed, all others retire from and avoid that immediate vicinity. The Lion is not a fastidious feeder. While, on the one hand, he likes to strike down a livincr animal and suck the hot blood from its body, on the other, he will devour any dead animal he may find, whether fresh or otherwise. " So thoroughly is this the case," says Wood, " that Lion-hunters are in the habit of de- coying their mighty game by means of dead antelopes or oxen, which they lay near some water-spring, knowing well that the Lions are sure to seize so excellent an opportunity of satis- fying at the same time the kindred appetites of thirst and hunger."
THE TIGER.
If the lion is the scourge of Africa, the Tiger holds that place in India and Southern Asia. The Royal Tiger of India rivals the lion in size, strength, ferocity, and activity, and excels him in beauty of form and color, and grace of move- ment. The Tiger is of great size, measuring in the largest
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 63
specimens, four feet in height, four feet eight inches in girth, and thirteen feet six inches in total length. Its color is a tawny yellow, with transverse, dark-colored or black stripes. The under parts, the chest and throat, and the long tufts of hair on each side of the face are nearly white, and the mark- ings on these parts are indistinct. The general make of the Tiger is a httle more slender than that of the lion. Their haunts are the forests and jungles, and they prey upon all ani- mals which come within their reach and power. They are of amazing strength and often bound upon their prey by a single leap of fifty feet. The Indian buffalo, which is as large as an ox, is killed and dragged off by the Tiger without difficulty. The female has from three to five young at a birth, which she defends with great fierceness. The range of the Tiger is con- fined to Asia, and to certain districts of that Continent. Some sections are terribly infested with them, and the inhabitants are kept in a state of terror by their depredations. They are common in the wilds of Hindostan, in various parts of Central Asia, even as far north as the Amoor River, and are also found on some of the large Asiatic Islands. Portions of Sumatra are so infested with them as to be almost depopulated. Here and in some parts of India, the Tiger is protected by the superstition of the people, who regard it as a sacred ani- mal, animated by the souls of their dead ancestors, and none are killed but the " Man-eaters."
Wood in his Natural History gives the following description of the habits of the Tiger : —
" When seeking its prey, it never appears to employ openly that active strength which would seem so sure to attain its end, but creeps stealthily towards the object, availing itself of every cover, until it can spring upon the destined victim. Like the lion, it has often been known to stalk an unconscious animal, crawling after it as it moves along, and following its steps in hopes of gaining a nearer approach. It has even been known to stalk human beings in this fashion, the Tiger in question being one of those terrible ani- mals called 'Man-eaters,' on account of their destructive propen- sities. It is said that there is an outward change caused in the Tiger by the indulgence of this man-slaying habit, and that a ' Man-eater '
64 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
can be distinguished from any other Tiger by the darker tint of the skin, and a redness in the cornea of the eyes. Not even the Man- eating Tiger dares an open assault, but crawls insidiously towards his prey, preferring, as does the lion, the defenceless women and children as the object of attack, and leaving alone the men, who are seldom without arms.
" The Tiger is very clever in selecting spots from whence it can watch the approach of its intended prey, itself being couched under the shade of foliage or behind the screen of some friendly rock. It is fond of lying in wait by the side of moderately frequented roads, more particularly choosing those spots where the shade is the deepest, and where water may be found at hand wherewith to quench the thirst that it always feels when consuming its prey. From such a point of vantage it will leap with terrible effect, seldom making above a single spring and, as a rule, always being felt before it is seen or heard.
" It is a curious fact that the Tiger generally takes up his post on the side of the road which is opposite his lair, so that he has no need to turn and drag his prey across the road, but proceeds forward with his acquisition to his den. Should the Tiger miss his leap, he gen- erally seems bewildered and ashamed of himself, and instead of re- turning to the spot, for a second attempt, sneaks off discomfited from the scene of his humiliation. The spots where there is most danger of meeting a Tiger, are the crossings of nullahs, or the deep ravines through which the water-courses run. In these localities the Tiger is sure to find his two essentials, cover and water. So apathetic are the natives, and so audacious are the Tigers, that at some of these crossings a man or a bullock may be carried off daily, and yet no steps will be taken to avert the danger, with the exception of a few amulets suspended about the person. Sometimes the Tigers seem to take a panic, and make a general emigration, leaving, without any apparent reason, the spots which they had long infested, and making a sudden appearance in some locality where they had but seldom be- fore been seen
" Th*ere is a certain bushy shrub, called the korinda, which is specially affected by the Tigers on account of the admirable cover which its branches afford. It does not grow to any great height, but its branches are thickly leaved, and droop over in such a manner that they form a dark arch of foliage, under which the animal may creep, and so lie hidden from prying eyes, and guarded from the unwelcome light and heat of the noonday sun. So fond are the Tigers of this
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 65
mode of concealment that the hunters always direct their steps to the korinda-bush, knowing well that if a Tiger should be in the neighborhood, it would be tolerably certain to be lying under the sombre shade of the korinda branches."
There are a number of modes adopted by the natives of Asia, for killing the Tiger, such as spring-bows armed with poisoned arrows, nets, cages with trap-doors, enticing them into locations where they can be shot, &c. ; but they are all inferior to the steel-trap. This instrument should be intro- duced wherever this lurking marauder abounds. The habit of returning to the unfinished carcass of the beast it has slain or found, which I have already noticed as pertaining to the cat family, is very strong in the Tiger, and can be taken advantage of in trapping them, in the same manner as de- scribed for the lion and cougar. The trap should be set near the hind parts of the carcass, as the Tiger always be- gins with those parts and eats toward the head. They may also be taken by setting traps along the paths whicli they make through the jungle near their lairs. In all cases the traps should be carefully secreted. A Tiger is easily killed with a bullet. Next to the brain and heart, the lungs and liver are its most mortal parts. A Tiger when struck by a bul- let in the liver generally dies within fifteen or twenty minutes. If once woiinded anywhere they usually die, though perhaps not immediately. From some unknown cause a wound on a Tiger very soon assumes an angry appearance, becomes tainted and the abode of maggots, and finally proves fatal. This tendency to putrefaction in the Tiger, renders it neces- sary that they should be skinned immediately after they are killed if the preservation of the skin is any object. Especially should the Ticker be removed out of the sunshine, instantly after it is slain. A delay of ten or fifteen minutes will often ruin the skin by the loosening of the hair from putrefaction. The skin after being removed should be at once stretched, and treated with a very strong solution of salt, alum, and catechu.
Several other large animals of the cat kind are found in Asia and Africa, such as the Leopard, the Ounce, the Riman-
5
66 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
Dihan or Tree-Tiger, &c. They are all carnivorous and of similar habits, and should be trapped on the same general principles as the tiger and cougar. Of these animals, the Leopard is the most formidable and destructive. It is found in both Asia and Africa, but in greatest numbers in the latter country. It is much smaller than the tiger, but of extraor- dinary strength for its size. It does not usually attack man, unless wounded or pursued. It is very destructive among the herds and domestic animals, antelope, deer, and monkeys. It is celebrated for the beauty of its skin and the agility and grace of its movements. Its haunts are the forests where .thick, high undergrowth prevails.
THE WOLVERENE.
This animal is found throughout a large part of British America, and in some of the wildest portions of the Northern States. It is about three feet long from the nose to the root of the tail, and has a tail fourteen inches in length. In gen- eral appearance and movements it resembles the bear, while its head bears a strong likeness to that of the fisher except that the muzzle is shorter. The habits and food of the Wol- verene are much like those of the marten. They hunt hares, mice, birds, and kill disabled deer. They are powerfully built and possess great strength. Their prevailing color is dark brown on the back and under parts. A broad stripe of yellowish brown sweeps along each side and ends at the root of the tail. The legs and feet are black. Stripes and patches of black and yellow occur on the under parts. The fur is long, soft, and tolerably fine, overlaid with larger and coarser hairs, which are about three inches long on the rump but shorter in front. The Wolverene is a great mischief-maker for the trapper in the regions where it dwells, especially the marten- trappers of British America, who use the old-fashioned " dead-fall." One of these animals will follow a line of traps for miles, tearing them down, devouring bait and the animals that have been caught. They are also very troublesome in destroying caches of provisions. On account of its destruc- tive propensities, and great cunning and sagacity, the Indians
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CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 67
call the Wolverene the Evil One or Devil. They are seldom caught in traps, and the most successful way of destroying them is said to be by strychnine.
THE OPOSSUM.
This animal inhabits the warmer parts of the United States, and several species of it are said to exist also in Australia. In form it somewhat resembles the common house rat. Its body is about twenty inches long, stoutly built, and its tail, which is generally fifteen inches in length, is prehensile, like that of some monkeys, i. e., capable of holding on to any thing that it encircles. The Opossum is five-toed, and walks on the sole of its foot like the bear. Its ears are large, rounded, and almost naked. The female has from nine to thirteen teats, the odd one being in the centre of the ring formed by the rest. The flir is long, soft, and woolly, whitish at the roots, and brown at the top. The Opossum is omniv- orous, feeding on corn, nuts, berries, roots, insects, young birds, eggs, mice, &c. It is nocturnal in its habits ; hiding in the thick foliage of the trees in the daytime, and seeking its food by night. It is an active climber, and is said to spend much of its time and even to sleep suspended from the hmb of a tree by the tail ! The females are very prolific, producing from nine to thirteen young at a birth, and three or even four litters in a year. They are provided with a pouch under the belly, in which they protect and suckle their young.
These animals are trapped in the same manner as the rac- coon and the badger, by setting traps in their haunts, and bait- ing with any of their favorite kinds of food. They have a habit, when caught, of feigning death, and will bear consid- erable torture without betraying any signs of life. This habit doubtless gave rise to the common by-word which calls cer- tain kinds of deceit " playing 'possum."
THE SKUNK.
This animal, though generally much despised in this coun- try, is said to furnish the staple fur to Poland, and deserves at least the respectful attention of the trapper. It is related
68 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
to the weasel. Its head is small, with a projecting, naked nose, small, piercing eyes, and short, rounded ears. The body is about eighteen inches long ; the tail twelve or four- teen inches, and bushy. The feet are short, and well adapted to digging, having naked soles and closely united toes with claws. The prevailing color is white and black, some varie- ties being mostly white and others mostly black. The fur of the latter is the most valuable. The Skunk walks with its back much curved, and its tail erect, as though proud of its beauty. It is nocturnal in its habits, and during the summer months searches the fields in the vicinity of its haunts every night, feeding principally on worms, bugs, and grasshoppers, but sometimes devouring frogs, mice, young birds, green corn, &c., and occasionally making free with poultry and eggs. Its services in clearing the farmer's fields and gardens of bugs and worms more than pay for its depredations, and it ought to be regarded as a useful animal. Its breeding season is in April or May. From six to nine young are brought forth at a litter, and are reared in holes or among rocks, till they are large enoutrh to shift for themselves.
These animals are taken in traps set at the mouths of their holes or in the fields where they search for food. The trap should be covered with loose earth or soft vegetable substances, and should be baited with small pieces of meat scattered around it. They are not cunning, and require no great skill in taking them. The great difficulty in trapping for them or meddling with them in any way is in the liability of catching a charge of their perfumery, which is very disagreeable, and ruins all clothing that is once impregnated with it. This offensive essence is ejected from two glands near the anus by the contraction of the muscular coverings, and the only way that I know to prevent the discharge is to approach the animal in the trap stealthily, and give it a smart blow with a club across the back near the tail, which will paralyze the ejecting muscles. But this expedient is not always available, as the animal sometimes takes the trap for a living enemy and dis- charges when first taken. One thing, however, is in its favor,, namely, it is very neat in its personal habits, rarely allowing
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 69
its own fur to be soiled with its offensive secretions ; so that if you can get away its skin without being overwhehned your- self by its perfumery, your spoil is likely to be as clean and saleable as in the case of any other animal.
[We are indebted to an old Connecticut trapper, Mr. H. Mansfield, for the following valuable addition to Mr. New- house's article on the Skunk. — Editors.]
" In summer Skunks can be taken in great numbers by the follow- ing method : Find a place where they travel from their holes to a hen-coop or through a corn-field. Make a path for them by tread- ing down the grass, and set up sticks along on each side to guide them more surely. Set traps at intervals, and strew pieces of meat or dead mice before and behind each trap. A whole family of Skunks will walk down this path, the old ones heading the procession ; and as one after another is caught, those behind will climb over and pass on, till all are taken. I have caught in this way two old ones and eight young ones in one path on a single evening. They seldom discharge when first caught ; and can be prevented from doing so at all, either by a blow on the back, or by boldly seizing the parts where the offensive secretion lies with one hand, and piercing the throat with a knife in the other.
" In winter my method is to track them to their holes and dig them out. They are obliged to go to some stream for water every day, and when there is snow, they can easily be tracked back to their burrows. In digging them out, I prevent them from using their terrible weapon by carefully uncovering only one at a time, and only the head of each at first, filhng in and even ' tamping ' the dirt around the body, till I can despatch them in succession by opening the jugular vein.
" The surest way to take Skulks without bad consequences is by the snare and spring-pole.
" With all the precaution that can be taken, the trapper's clothes will sometimes be sprinkled ; and there will be more or less scent about the skins. The best way to cleanse articles in this condition is to hold them over a fire of red-cedar boughs, and afterwards sprinkle them with chloride of lime."
70 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
THE COYPU RAT.
The Coypu Rat, or Racoonda, as it is sometimes called, furnishes the fur known in commerce as Nutria. But one species is known, which is a native of South America, and is found in great numbers in the La Plata region. In general appearance and character it resembles the beaver. Its tail, however, instead of being flattened, is long, round, and rat- like. Its favorite haunts are the lagoons of the plains or pampas, and the banks of rivers and streams. Its fur is short, fine, silky, similar to that of the beaver, and light brown in color. Overlying the fur are long hairs of a brown- ish yellow color. The fur is heaviest and best on the belly. It is used for the same purpose as that of the beaver, in the manufacture of hats and caps. The Coypu is about two feet long exclusive of tail, which is about fifteen inches in length. It is very prolific, the female producing six or seven at a birth. They feed on vegetables, are quite gentle in their character, and easily tamed. They inhabit South America on both sides of the Andes : on the east, from Peru to forty-three degrees south latitude ; on the west, from Central Chili to Terra del Fuego. They are also found in the small bays and channels of the archipelagos along the coast. They are burrowing animals, and form their habitations in the banks of lakes and streams. They are nocturnal in their habits, and seem to be equally at home in fresh or salt water.
The Coypu is usually hunted with dogs, and is easily cap- tured. It is, however, a bold animal, and fights fiercely with the dog employed in pursuing it. We cannot learn that any attempt has been made to take them by the steel-trap, but this would no doubt prove the best and easiest method of cap- ture. Their habits resemble those of the beaver and muskrat, and they should be trapped on the same general principles. Great numbers of the skins of this animal are annually ex- ported. In some seasons the number has been over three millions, constituting an important branch of the fur- trade.
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 71
THE CHINCHILLA.
The most delicate and silken of all furs is that produced by the Chinchilla. This animal is found in South America, along the Andean region from Chili to Peru. It burrows in the valleys which intersect the hilly slopes, and collects together in great numbers in certain favored localities. It belongs to the group of animals called Jerhoidoe^ which are characterized bv great comparative length of the hind legs. It is a small animal, measuring only about fourteen or fifteen inches in total length, of which the tail forms about one third. They are very prolific, the female bringing forth five or six twice a year. Their food is exclusively vegetable, consisting mostly of bulbous roots. They are very cleanly in all their habits. The fur of the Chinchilla is long ; its color is a delicate clear gray upon the back, softening into a grayish white on the under portions ; and its texture is wonderfully soft and fine. It is used for muffs, tippets, linings to cloaks and pelisses, and trimmings. The skins which are obtained in Chili are the best. Great numbers of Chinchillas are caught in the vicinity of Coquimbo and Copiapo. They are usually hunted with dogs by boys. The true method is to take them at the mouth of their burrows with a small steel rat-trap.
THE SQUIRREL.
The American varieties of the Squirrel do not produce fur of much value, and are of little importance in the fur-trade. They are generally taken only for food or as nuisances. The European variety, however, is much more valuable, and its skins are brought into the fur-markets of Europe by the mill- ion. They are spread over all the north of Europe and Asia. Those of Russia and Siberia produce the finest and hand- somest fur. This kind is a small Squirrel with tufted ears and a beautiful gray coat.
For taking Squirrels, the trap should be set on the top rail of a fence near a wood that they frequent. A pole, with an ear of corn or some other favorite squirrel-food fastened to the end of it, should be set up by the side of the fence, lean-
<2 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
ing in such a position as to bring the bait over the trap at the lieight of six or eiglit inches. In reaching for the bait the SquirreJ gets into the trap.
To give a complete view of the business of trapping, sev- eral less valuable animals should be briefly noticed, not as fur- bearing, but as legitimate subjects of the trapper's art.
THE WOODCHUCK OR MARMOT.
Marmots are burrowing animals. There are a number of species, and they are found on both Continents. In this country, they are commonly called Woodchucks. The cu- rious Prairie Dog of the Western plains is aUied to the Mar- mot. This latter animal lives in villages from a few acres to several miles in extent, in the country bordering on the Arkansas and Missouri Rivers, and their tributaries. The entrance to their burrows is in the summit or side of a small mound of earth, somewhat elevated, but seldom more than eighteen inches high. In pleasant weather, they may be seen sporting about the entrance of their burrows ; and five or six individuals may be sometimes seen sitting on a single mound. They make a noise somewhat like the barking of a dog, whence their name, Prairie Dog. When alarmed, they re- treat at once into their holes. The skin of the common Woodchuck is valuable for whip-lashes, and its fur even is not despised by rustics. All kinds of Marmots may be taken by setting steel-traps, completely covered and without bait, at the mouth of their holes.
THE GOPHER.
This animal, called also the Canada Pouched Rat, inhabits the prairie region west of the Mississippi. It is a burrowing animal, and lives on roots and vegetables. Its body is firmly built, about nine inches long, with a short tail and legs, the latter armed with long claws for digging. The head and neck are relatively large, and the mouth has four broad long in- cisors, two on each jaw, adapted to cutting roots. On the sides of the face and neck, extending back to the shoulders,
CAPTURE OF ANIMALS.
73
are large pouches, in which to carry earth, food, &c. The Gopher digs paths or galleries of an oval form, several inches in diameter, a short distance below the surface, coming to the surface once in about a rod, where the excavated earth is de- posited in little hillocks. These galleries ramify in all direc- tions. When the animal has brought to the surface in one place as much earth as its sense of economy dictates, it closes up the hole, and begins a new deposit further on, so that noth-
The Gopher and its Burrow.
ing remains but a neat little mound of earth, large enough to fill a half bushel, more or less. Gophers are great pests to the western farmers, injuring and destroying the roots of their crops, and infesting their fields and gardens. They may be trapped in the following manner : Carefully cut away a square section of sod on a line between the two most recent deposits. On finding the gallery, excavate down till a trap will set on a kvel with the bottom of the passage. Place the trap there ; then lay a piece of board or shingle across the ex-
74 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
cavation, just above the passage, and replace the sod. The Gopher while at work will run into the trap and be taken.
THE RAT.
This pest of all countries may be taken in any or all of the following ways : 1. Set your trap in a pan of meal or bran ; cover it with meal and set the pan near the run-ways of the Rats ; or, 2, set the trap in a path at the mouth of a Rat's hole, with a piece of thin brown paper or cloth spread smoothly over it ; or, 3, make a run-way for the Rats by placing a box, barrel, or board near a wall, leaving room for them to pass, and set the trap in the passage, covered as before. In all cases, the trap should be thoroughly smoked over a fire or heated over a stove before it is set, and at every re-setting ; but care should be taken not to overheat the trap so as to draw the temper of the spring. Also the position of the trap should be frequently changed.
To conclude these instructions for capturing animals, I will introduce the trapper to one or two of a larger and nobler family, which he will find well worthy of his attention, not for their skins or furs (though these are valuable), but for their flesh, which, in his more distant and adventurous excur- sions, will often be the only resource of his commissariat. The soldier must look out, not only for his means of fighting, but for his means of living — for his larder as well as for his enemy — and happily I can show the soldiers of the trap how to supply themselves with food by the same weapons that they use in taking animals for their furs.
THE DEER.
This family of ruminating animals embraces a great variety of species, ranging in size from the Pigmy Musk-Deer of Java, which is not larger than a hare and weighs only five or six pounds, to the gigantic Moose-Deer of America, whose height is seven or eight feet and its weight twelve hundred pounds. But the species with which American trappers are most prac- tically concerned, are the common Red or Virginia Deer, and
CAPTURE OF A^^IMALS. 75
the Black-Tailed Deer of the recrion west of the Missis- sippi. These species differ but little in habits and general characteristics, and a description of the Virginia Deer is suf- ficient for the purposes of the trapper. The Virginia Deer are found in nearly all the States of the Union east of the Rocky Mountains, and abound in both provinces of Canada. They are gregarious in their habits, though frequently seen alone. Their food in summer consists of twigs, grass, berries, nuts, roots, acorns, persimmons, &c., and at that season they frequent rivers and lakes to feed on water-plants, as well as for the purpose of freeing themselves from insect pests. They are also fond of visiting the pioneer's clearing and appropriating his wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, turnips and cab- bages. In winter they retire to the elevated ridges, where maple and other hard-wood trees abound, the bark, twigs and branches of which are at that season their chief support. They form " yards" by trampling down the deep snows, and live together in large herds, numbering sometimes thirty ani- mals in a single " yard." These inclosures are enlarged from time to time as the Deer require more trees for browsing. Wolves and panthers are their most formidable enemies — al- ways excepting man. Packs of wolves frequently attack them in their " yards," and sometimes when the snow is deep and crusted over, whole herds are destroyed. Wolves sometimes pursue a single Deer with the " long chase." In suAmer a Deer thus pursued generally takes to the water, and so baffles his pursuers ; but in winter when the streams and lakes are frozen over, he rarely escapes. Panthers take Deer by crawling within springing distance of them in their " yards '' or elsewhere, or by watching and pouncing on them from some cliff or tree, as they pass below.
The methods by which men take Deer are various. They are sometimes driven by dogs into rivers or lakes, and are then overtaken and dispatched by the hunter in his canoe. A favorite method is to shoot them at night at the places by the water-side, where they resort to feed on aquatic plants and re- lieve themselves of insects. For this purpose the hunter pre- pares himself with a boat, gun, and lamp. The light is set on
76 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
the bow of the boat, so that it will shine on the forward sight of the gun, and at the same time conceal by its glare the hun- ter crouching behind. With muffled oar the boat approaches the game. The reflected gleams from the eyes of the Deer be- tray his position to the hunter. If no noise is made the victim will stand and gaze at the light until it is within a few yards, and so give a sure opportunity for the fatal shot. Many are taken in this way in the early autumn ; and later in the sea- son, when snow first comes, many more are taken by the " still hunt," either by following on their trail, or by watching at their run-ways.
The steel-trap, it must be confessed, is not much used for taking Deer ; and I am not sure but that this use of it is re- garded by sportsmen as somewhat barbarous. But all the ways of deceiving and killing these noble animals seem to be open to the same objection ; and the necessities of the trapper often forbid him to be very particular as to the means of fur- nishing himself with food. There are times when the trap is the best, and even the only, available means of taking Deer ; for instance, when the trapper is without his rifle, or has ex- hausted his ammunition, and finds himself in the far wilder- ness without food. In such circumstances, he might starve if he could not betake himself to his traps for supply. And even Avhen rifle and ammunition are at hand, sometimes in dry weather (technically called a " noisy time ") every thing is so crisp and crackling under foot, that it is impossible to ap- proach the Deer within shooting distance. I therefore rec- ommend to practical woodsmen to learn how to take Deer in traps, and not be over-scrupulous in doing so when occasion requires.
For taking Deer the trap must be a strong one, and the jaws
should be spiked, and so shaped and adjusted I that when sprung they will remain open about half an inch, to pre- Deer Trap. yent breaking the bone.
The trap should be placed in the path of the deer where it
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CAPTURE OF ANIMALS. 77
crosses a stream or enters a lake ; and it should be set under water and concealed by some covering. If it is as heavy as it ought to be (say of three or four pounds' weight), it should not be fastened at all or even clogged ; as the animal is very active and violent when taken, and will be sure to break loose by tearing off a limb* or smashing the trap, if his motions are much impeded. If the trap is left loose, the Deer, when caught, will make a few desperate plunges and then lie down ; and will seldom be found more than ten or fifteen rods from where he was taken. When the hunter approaches he will make a few more plunges, but can easily be dispatched.
Mr. Gunter, the Canada trapper, whom I have heretofore quoted, gives the following directions for trapping Deer in winter : —
" Fell a mapie or bass-wood tree near where the Deer haunt. These trees furnish their favorite browse. Make a small hole in the snow, close to the top of the tree. Set your trap, lower it into the hole and shove it to one side, eighteen or twenty inches, through the snow. Finally take some deer-scent, obtained from the glands on the hind legs of a Deer, and which has a very strong odor, and rub it on your trap. This done, when the Deer come to feed on the twigs of the fallen tree, you will be pretty sure to take one."
THE MOOSE.
This is the largest kind of deer, and its habits are in many respects like those of the common deer. It is more confined, however, to the snowy regions of the North. It is found throughout the greater part of British America, ranging as far north as the Arctic Sea. In the United States, it is found in Maine, Northern New York, Oregon, and Washington Territory. On the Eastern Continent, it is found throughout the northern parts of Europe and Asia. Its favorite haunts are the hard-wood lands. In general color, it is yellowish- brown or ashy-gray. The hair in summer is short and soft, and long and coarse in winter. The full-grown Moose weighs from eight hundred to fifteen hundred pounds, and stands seven and even eight feet high. Its horns have an expanse of nearly six feet between the tips, and a palm or spade on
78 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
each, of a foot in widtli, and weigh from forty-five to seventy pounds. Under tlie throat of both sexes there is a tuft of coarse, bristly hair, a foot or more in length, attached to a sort of dewlap. The breeding season of the Moose is in May. At the first birth, but a single one is brought forth ; after- wards two are brought forth annually. Moose, like the com- mon deer, frequent rivers and lakes in summer, to feed on the roots of the water-lily and other aquatic plants ; and retire in winter to the high ridges, to browse on the twigs of the striped maple and birch. Their height enables them to crop the overhanging branches of large trees ; and their weight and strength enable them to bend down small trees and slide over them with their bodies, stripping the bark and twigs to the very extremities. Like the common deer, they form "yards" by treading down the snows, and enlarge them as fast as they strip the trees and require more. In these '^ yards " there are commonly found a male, female, and two fawns.
Moose are taken in winter by the " long chase " on snow- shoes, and in summer they are shot at their feeding-places in marshes. They are, however, very wary and timid ; and their sense of smelhng is so acute that the greatest caution is necessary on the part of the hunter in approaching them. The males in the rutting season are very dangerous, and will attack, and if possible kill, any persons who approach them. Moose can easily be taken either in summer or winter by set- ting steel-traps in their haunts, as they are not cunning, and enter a trap as readily as an ox or a horse. The trap should be a strong one of about forty pounds' w^eight, and it should be fastened to a clog of sixty pounds' weight.
The flesh of the Moose is much esteemed by hunters and trappers, being generally preferred to that of the common deer. The marrow in the large bones is an excellent substi- tute for butter.-
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Moose-Yard.
III. CURING SKINS.
However successful a trapper may be in taking animals, he will not secure a full reward for his labor unless he knows how to take care of their skins, and prepare them for market in such a manner that they will command the highest prices. As skins that have been riddled with shot find little favor with fur-dealers, so skins that have been cut in stripping off, or that are encumbered with remnants of flesh, or that have passed into a state of incipient putrefaction before drying, or that have not been properly stretched, or that have been dried too fast, or that have been neglected and exposed after being cured, are very sure to be thrown out by the fur-inspector as second or third rate skins, deserving only poor prices. Great quantities of valuable furs, taken by boys and inexperienced trappers, are rendered almost worthless by bad treatment in some of the processes of preservation. I shall give such in- formation on this part of the trapper's business as I have ob- tained, both from my own experience and from conversation with fur-dealers.
GENERAL RULES.
1. Be careful to visit your traps often enough, so that the skins will not have time to get tainted.
2. As soon as possible after an animal is dead and dry, attend to the skinning and curing.
3. Scrape off all superfluous flesh and fat, but be careful not to go so deep as to cut the fibre of the skin.
4. Never dry a skin by the fire or in the sun, but in a cool, shady place, sheltered from rain. If you use a barn door for a stretcher (as boys sometimes do), nail the skin on the inside of the door.
5. Never use " preparations " of any kind in curing skins, nor even wash them in water, but simply stretch and dry them as they are taken from the animal.
80
THE TRAPPER'S ART.
STRETCHING SKINS.
In drying skins, it is important that they should be stretched tight, like a strained drum-head. This can be done after a fashion by simply nailing them flat on a wide board or a barn door. But this method, besides being impracticable on the large scale in the woods (where most skins have to be cured), is objectionable because it exposes only one side of the pelt to the air. The stretchers that are generally approved and used by good trappers are of three kinds, adapted to the skins of different classes of animals. I shall call them the hoard-stretcher^ the how-stretcher, and the hoop-stretcher., and will describe them, indicatincT the different animals to which each is adapted.
THE BOARD-STRETCHER.
This contrivance is made in the following man- ner : Prepare a board of bass-wood or other light material, two feet three inches long, three inches and a half wide at one end, and two inches and an eighth at the other, and three eighths of an inch thick. Chamfer it from the centre to the sides almost to an edge. Round and chamfer the small end about an inch up on the sides. Split this board through the centre with a knife or saw. Finally, prepare a wedge of the same length and thickness, one inch wide at the large end, and tapering to three eighths of an inch at the small end, to be driven between the halves of the board. This is a stretcher suitable for a mink or a marten. Two larger sizes, with similar pro- portions, are required for the larger animals. The largest size, suitable for the full-grown otter or wolf, should be five feet and a half long, seven inches wide at the large end when fully spread by the wedge, and six inches at the small end. Board-stretcher. An intermediate size is required for the fisher, raccoon, fox, and some other animals, the proportions of which can be easily figured out.
CURING SKINS. 81
These stretchers requh-e that the skin of the animal should not be ripped through the belly, but should be stripped ofF whole. This is done in the following manner : Commence with the knife at the hind-feet, and slit down to the vent. Cut around the vent, and strip the skin from the bone of the tail with the help of the thumb-nail or a split stick. Make no other slits in the skin, except in the case of the otter, whose tail requires to be split, spread, and tacked on to the board. Peel the skin from the body by drawing it over itself, leaving the fur-side inward. In this condition the skin should be drawn on to the split board (with the back on one side and the belly on the other) to its utmost length, and fastened with tacks or by notches cut in the edge of the board, and then the wedge should be driven between the two halves. Finally, make all fast by a tack at the root of the tail, and another on the opposite side. The skin is then stretched to its utmost capacity, as a boot-leg is stretched by the shoemaker's " tree," and it may be hung away in the proper place, by a hole in one end of the stretcher, and left to dry.
A modification of this kind of stretcher, often used in cur- ing the skins of the muskrat and other small animals, is a simple board, without split or wedge, three sixteenths of an inch thick, twenty inches long, six inches wide at the large end, and tapering to five and a half inches at six inches from the small end, chamfered and rounded as in the other cases.
Muskrat-Stretcher.
The animal should be skinned as before directed, and the skin drawn tightly on to the board, and fastened with about four tacks. Sets of these boards, sufficient for a muskrat cam- paign, can easily be made and transported. They are very light and take up but little room in packing, thirty-two of them making but six inches in thickness.
82 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
THE BOW-STRETCHER.
The most common way of treating the muskrat is to cut off its feet with a hatchet ; and rip with a knife from between the two teeth in the lower jaw, down the belly, about two inches below where the fore-legs come out. Then the skin is started by cutting around the lips, eyes, and ears, and is stripped over the body, with the fur-side inward. Finally a stick of birch, water-beech, iron-wood, hickory, or elm, an inch in diameter at the butt, and three feet and a half long, is bent into the shape of an ox-bow and shoved into the skin, which is drawn tight, and fastened by splitting down a sliver in the bow, and drawing the skin of the lip into it.
This method is too common to be easily abolished, and is tolerable when circumstances make it necessary ; but the for- mer method of stretching by a tapering board, in the case of muskrats as well as other small animals, is much the best. Skins ^treated in that way keep their proper shape, and pack better than those stretched on bow^s, and in the long run boards are more economical than bows, as a set of them can be used many times, and will last several years ; whereas bows are seldom used more than once, being generally broken in taking out.
THE HOOP-STRETCHBR.
The skins of large animals, such as the beaver and the bear, are best dried by spreading them, at fuH size, in a hoop. For this purpose, a stick of hickory or other flexible wood should be cut, long enough to entirely surround the skin when bent. (If a single stick long enough is not at hand, two smaller ones can be spliced together.) The ends should be brought around, lapped, and tied with a string or a withe of bark. The skin should be taken from the animal by ripping from the lower front teeth to the vent, and peeling around the lips, eyes, and ears, but without ripping up the legs. It should then be placed inside the hoop and fastened at opposite sides, with twine or bark, till all loose parts are taken up, and the whole stretched so that it is nearly round and as tight as a drum-
CURING SKINS. 83
head. When it is dry it may be taken from the hoop, and is ready for packing and transportation.
This is the proper method of treating the skin of the deer. Some prefer it for the wolf and raccoon. In many cases the trapper may take his choice between the hoop and the board method. One or the other of these methods will be found satisfactory for curing all kinds of skins.
IV. LIFE IN THE WOODS.
[The outfit for campaigning in the woods proposed by Mr. Newhouse m the following chapter may seem rather elaborate and luxurious, adapted perhaps better to amateur sportsmen than to the " rough and ready " fol- lowers of the trap. But it is best to encourage and help forward as far as possible good civilized living, even in wild places. Those who prefer a freer and less expensive style of outfit can leave Mr. Newhouse and take lessons of the older trapper, John Hutchins, or of Mr. Gunter, both of whose programmes are given further on, and are simple enough for the hardiest. — Editors.]
The great question, after all, for the trapper as well as for the soldier, is, how to live and keep himself comfortable while he carries on the war. He requires in some respects even more than a soldier's courage, for he is to encounter the hard- ships of camp-life alone^ or with but one or two companions, and without a baggage-train to bring up provisions at every halt.' The very first article of outfit that he should equip himself with, I should say, would be a firm trust in Provi- dence. But as Cromwell told his soldiers to " trust God and keep their powder dry," so the trapper will need to provide some things for himself, while he trusts Providence. I will therefore tell him as well as I can, how I equip myself for life in the woods.
OUTFIT FOR A CAMPAIGN ON FOOT.
If the region in which you propose to trap cannot be reached by boat or wagon, you must be content with such necessaries as you can carry on your person. A trapper on foot should not tire himself with long stifF-legged boots, but should vi^ear short half-boots (with soles well nailed), fitting snugly above and around the ankle. His pants should be gray woolen, closely fitting below the knee, but roomy above. His coat should be of the same material and color, with plenty of
Mix. IS'kwhouse\s Tent and Stove.
LIFE m THE WOODS.
85
pocket-room. His hat should be of soft felt, gray, and with a moderate brim. He should carry a " change " of woolen drawers, wrappers, shirts, and stockings. A towel with soap, a night-cap, and a blanket, or, what is better, a Canton-flannel bag to sleep in, will complete his personal equipments. Then he must carry for shelter a small tent, made of firm cotton- drilling, weighing not more than two pounds and a half;
Shelter Tent.
for subsistence, a double-barrelled gun (rifle and shot), weigh- ing seven or eight pounds, with ammunition, and fishing- tackle ; and, for all sorts of purposes, an axe of two and a half pounds (with a good length of handle), and plenty of tacks and nails. For cooking and table service he must carry a frying-pan, a camp-kettle, a hunting-knife, some knives and forks, spoons of two sizes, a few tin pressed plates and basins, and a drinking-cup. Above all, he must not forget to take a good supply of matches and a pocket-compass. These neces- saries (exclusive of clothing) will weigh, according to my reck- oning, about twenty-five pounds. The rest of his load must be made up of traps and provisions. If he is stout enough to undertake trapping on foot, he ought to be able to travel with about fifty pounds. He may take then five pounds of provisions and twenty pounds of traps, or any other propor- tion of these articles that will make up the remaining twenty-
86 THK TRAPPER'S ART.
five pounds. His provisions should consist of articles tliat will be desirable as accompaniments to the produce of his gun and fishing-tackle, namely, sugar, tea and coffee (rather than whiskey), salt, pepper, butter, lard, sifted Indian meal, white beans, crackers, &c. The butter and lard should be put up in air-tight cans, and on arrival at the trapping grounds should be sunk in a spring. The best kind of knapsack for carrying such an outfit is made of rubber-cloth, with shoulder-straps ; but you can easily convert your sleeping-bag or your blanket into a knapsack that will serve very well.* If you traj) with one companion or more (which is a good plan and according to the general practice), many of the articles named in the above list will answer for the party, and so the load for individuals will be lightened. Thus equipped, you can turn your back on the haunts of men, march into the wilderness, and, with a little hunting knd fishing in the intervals of trai)-duty, live pleasantly for months, and return with your load of furs, a stouter and healthier man than when you started.
OUTFIT FOR AN EXCURSION BY WAGON OR BOAT.
If your trapping district can be reached by road or by water, some changes should be made in the foregoing inven- tory. For the interest of your larder it will be best to take more ammunition, and a greater variety of fishing-tackle. A lamp and lantern, with a supply of oil, a camp-hatchet of twelve ounces in weight with a fourteen-inch handle, a stone for sharpening knives, axes, and hooks, a magazine of needles, thread, scissors, &c., and many other like conveniences, may
* One of the most satisfactory arrangements we have ever seen for carrying lug- gage on the back is the Indian shoulder-basket. They are made nearly square, or about ten inches by twelve, at the bottom, and twelve or fourteen inches high. One side is flat, the others are rounded and drawn in toward the top, making the mouth of the basket only about half the size of the bottom. Over the mouth, and extend- ing some distance down the sides, a cover of rubber or enamel-cloth should be fitted. On the flat side of the basket shoulder-straps are fastened, crossing each other in the form of an X. These straps should be made of two thicknesses of strong cotton cloth, sewed together and stuffed with cotton. The great advantages of this basket are, that it is light, easily managed, fits the back well, bringing the load just where it is wanted, does not get out of place, and does not heat the back like a close-fitting knapsack. Combined with the basket the trapper needs a small enanvel-cloth. hav- ersack such as is worn by soldiers. — Editors.
LIFE IN THE WOODS. 87
be stowed away in tlie orld corners of your luggage. You may also carry more clothing and more provisions, such as potatoes, and ought certainly to take along at least one hun- dred and fifty traps of different sizes, and a good set of hoard- stretchers for curing skins.
TENT.
In the place of the light lialf-tent recommended for a (cam- paign on foot, you should take a n^giilar A tent of (;ig}it or nine pounds' weight, house-shaped, and Imttoning up in front. This should he dipped two or three times in a solution [>re- pared by mixing equal parts of sugar of lead and alum In a pailful of milk-warm water. This treatment will render the tent almost impervious to rain, and will protect it from the* sparks of fire that will occasionally be blown upon it. Inst/.-ad of a ridge-pole and two forked stakes for supporting it, all you need is a cord tliirty or forty feet long, to be drawn tlirougli tfie ridge of tlie tent, fastened to it abrjut midway, and tierl at the ends to two trees at the proper heiglit. The sides should \x', drawn down tight and fastened by fiooks driven into the ground.
STOVE AM) FURMTURK.
A much needed convenience for life in tlie woods is a stove with its furniture, that shall on the one hand afford all neces- sary facilities for cooking and warming, and on the other shall take up the least possible room in packing. Having devoted considerable study to this matter, I flatter myself that I can put the ingenious trapper in a way to make or procure the exact article that he wants. Your stove should be made of sheet-iron, and should be twenty-seven inches long, ten inches wide, and eight inches deep, having on the top two eight-inch lioles for boilers and one four-inch hole for the smoke-pipe. Ten feet of pipe will }je sufficient, and this can }j<: made in five joint* of two feet each, tapering in the wliole lengtii from four inches in diameter to tliree, so that the joints will slip into each other and the v/}joIe can be packed for transporta- tion inside the stove. For an outlet of the pipe tlirough the
88 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
roof of the tent, there sliould be a piece of tin, ten inches square, with an oblong hole, to be fastened at the proper place on the roof by means of lappels. The furniture of the stove should be two dripping-pans of Russia iron ; one thir- teen inches long, nine inches wide, and an inch and a quarter deep ; the other enough smaller to pack inside the first ; a kettle, also of Russia iron, nine inches across the top, seven inches and a half deep, and six inches and a half across the bottom ; and two or three tin pails and several basins, all made in a diminishing series, so that they will slip into each other, and all into the iron kettle. The kettle and pails match the holes in the top of the stove, and when used in cooking tea, coffee, &c., should be covered with tin pressed plates. The whole of this furniture can be packed with the pipe in the stove. For supporting the stove in the tent, prepare four posts eighteen inches long, made of three-eighths inch iron rod, sharpened at one end, flattened at the other and fash- ioned like a small tenon. Two pieces of band-iron should then be made just long enough to reach across the bottom of the stove and receive the tenons of the posts into holes drilled in each end. Then, to set up your stove, drive the posts into the ground, adjust the cross-pieces to their places, and place the stove on the cross-pieces. Small depressions should be filed in the edge of the stove-bottom, to fit the ends of the tenons, above the cross-pieces, so as to prevent the stove from moving from its position. Your tent is large enough to ac- commodate any number of persons from two to six ; and your stove will warm them and do their cooking, with an amount of fuel that will be a mere trifle compared with what is re- quired for an open fire. It has the advantage also of giving a quick heat, and, with a damper, will keep fire all night.
BED AND BEDDING.
Good sleeping accommodations can be provided in the fol- lowing manner : Take two pieces of sacking or other coarse cloth, six and a half feet long and two feet and three quarters wide, and sew them firmly together at the sides, making a bag with both ends open. Cut two poles, each seven feet long
LIFE m THE WOODS. 89
and two inches in diameter, and run them through the bag, resting the ends in notches on two logs placed parallel to each other at the proper distance apart. The notches should be so far apart that the poles will tightly stretch the bag. Four forked stakes, if more convenient, may be substituted for the logs and driven into the ground so as to receive the ends of the poles and stretch the sacking. The space in the bag be- tween the poles should be filled with dry grass, leaves, ever- green boughs, or moss, which w^ill give it the warmth and softness of a straw bed. By this arrangement you have an extempore bedstead, raising you above the cold, damp ground, and a bed as good as the best. For bed-clothes, the best con- trivance is a bag made of wide, firm Canton flannel, six and a half feet- long, open at one end. Let the tired hunter insert himself in this bag feet foremost, and he will need no " tuck- ing up " to keep him comfortable even on the. ground or in the snow ; and if he is fortunate enough to be perched on such a bed as is above described, in a tent well buttoned up, with a friendly stove at his feet, the cry of the loon, the howl of the wolf, or the scream of the panther, will hardly disturb his slumbers.*
CAMP-CHEST.
A chest made of light materials, two feet nine inches in length, eighteen inches in width, and fourteen inches in depth
— not larger than an ordinary trunk — will hold in trans- portation the stove with its pipe and all its furniture, the bed and bedding, the tent and all its rigging, and in fact nearly the whole outfit that has been described. The cover of the chest should be made of two thicknesses of boards, five eighths of an inch thick, with double hinges, so that the upper lid can be turned back separately, and form with the other lid a good table.
COOKING.
It will not be expected that the trapper's larder wull be sup- plied with all the varieties and luxuries that can be found at the St. Nicholas, or at a Saratoga hotel. But it will always
* For a winter campaign, we would recommend the addition of a woolen blanket.
— Editors.
90 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
be a satisfaction to know that flesh, fish, and fowl are fresh from their native elements, and have not hung in the market two or three weeks before coming on the table.
The ways of cooking in camp are as various as in the kitchen at home. Fresh fish can be fried in butter, lard, or the fat of the deer ; or they can be boiled, or broiled and but- tered. Venison can be fried, or broiled in cutlets, or roasted before a camp-fire in joints, or stewed a la fricassee^ or boiled into soup with potatoes. Squirrels, ducks^ partridges, wood- cock, quails, pigeons, prairie fowls, and any other game that comes to hand, can be fried, broiled, or boiled as well in the woods as in the best hotel.
The very best way of cooking fish and fowl ever devised is familiar to woodsmen, but unknown to city epicures. It is this : Take a large fish — say a trout of three or four pounds, fresh from its gambols in the cool stream — cut a small hole at the neck and abstract the intestines. Wash the inside clean, and season it with pepper and salt ; or if convenient, fill it with stuffing made of bread-crumbs or crackers chopped up with meat. Make a fire outside the tent, and when it has burned down to embers, rake it open, put in the fish, and cover it with the coals and hot ashes. 'Within an hour take it from its bed, peel off" the skin from the clean flesh, and you will have a trout with all its original juices and flavors pre- served within it ; a dish too good, as Izaak Walton would say, " for any but very honest men."
Grouse, ducks, and various other fowls can be cooked de- liciously in a similar way. The intestines of the bird should be taken out by a small hole at the vent, and the inside washed and stuffed as before. Then wet the feathers thor- oughly, and cover with hot embers. When the cooking is finished, peel off" the burnt feathers and skin, and you will find underneath a lump of nice juicy flesh, which, when once tasted, will never be forgotten. The peculiar advantage of this method of roasting is that the covering of embers pre- vents the escape of the juices by evaporation.
Everybody knows how to cook potatoes and make tea and coffee, and anybody fit for a trapper must " know beans," and
LIFE IN THE WOODS. 91
how to cook them. But bread ! asks the novice ; what are we to do for bread ? Well, we have good, sifted Indian meal, and we will put some into a basin or pail, add a little salt, pour on scalding water, and mix to the consistency of stiiF batter. After our venison or fish is cooked, we will put this batter into the hot fat that remains, a spoonful in a place, leveling it down smoothly, and turning it over till it is " done brown." Such a Johnnycake, served up with butter and sugar, would tempt a man to leave the best wheat bread that ever was made.
JERKED MEAT.
If you have the fortune to kill a deer or a moose in warm weather, and have an over-supply of meat that is likely to be tainted, you can preserve it by the following process : Cut all the flesh from the bones in thin strips, and place them, for convenience, on the inside of the hide. Add two or three quarts of salt for a moose, and a pint and a half for a deer, well worked in. Cover the whole with the sides and corners of the hide to keep out flies, and let it remain in this condition about two hours. Drive four forked stakes into the ground so as to form a square of about eight or ten feet, leaving the forks four feet high. Lay two poles across one way in these forks, and fill the whole space the other way with poles laid on the first two, about two inches apart. The strips of flesh should then be laid across the poles, and a small fire of clean hard wood should be started underneath, and kept up for twenty-four hours. This process will reduce the weight of the flesh more than half, bringing it to a condition like that of dried or smoked beef, in which it will keep any length of time. This is called jerked venison. It is good eating, and always commands a high price in market. An over-supply of fish can be treated in the same manner. They should be split open on the back and the backbone taken out.
PREPARATIONS AGAINST INSECTS.
In the warm months, chiefly from the first of June to the first of September, woodsmen are annoyed by myriads of flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. These can be driven out of a tent by
92 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
smoke, and can be kept out by buttoning all tight. But the trapper should also provide himself with a protective against these pests. A good preparation for this purpose may be made by warming about three ounces of hog's lard, and add- ing to it half an ounce of the oil of pennyroyal. This oint- ment, applied once in an hour or less, to the parts exposed, will give entire protection.
Another preparation can be made by mixing equal parts of common tar with sweet oil, applying as before. This prepa- ration is by some considered the best, because it also prevents tanning, and is easily washed off with soap, leaving the skin soft and white.
THE SHANTY.
The tent which I have recommended is probably best adapted to the irregular operations of amateur sportsmen, the volunteers and guerrillas of the trap. The old regulars and veterans of the service always have built, and probably will continue to build, rude huts, called shanties, at various points in the region of their operations. Shanties are of two kinds, temporary and permanent. The temporary shanty is made by driving two forked stakes into the ground, laying a ridge- pole across, leaning many other poles against this, and cover- ing the skeleton thus formed with bark or split boards. The permanent shanty is made of logs, laid one above another in a square form, joined at the corners by means of notches, and roofed over with split logs formed into troughs, and placed in this form : ^l^^^^^^^J^^^J^^,^^^^^^- The crevices should be stopped with clay or moss. At one end a rude fire-place and chimney of stone should be built, the latter reaching just above the top of the shanty.
TRAPPING LINES.
Trapping, when carried on systematically and on the large scale, has, like an army, its lines of operation, its depots of provisions, and its arrangements for keeping open its commu- nications with its base. The general proceedings of a regular trapping campaign may be described as follows : The trapping
LIFE IN THE WOODS. 93
company, which consists generally of two, three, or four per- sons, start out a little before the trapping season commences ; select their lines, extending into the woods frequently from - thirty to fifty miles ; carry along, and deposit at intervals on the line, traps and provisions ; and build shanties at conven- ient points, for sleeping-posts and shelters from storms. These preparations sometimes require several journeys and returns, and are made in advance of the trapping season, so that, when trapping commences, all hands may have nothing else to at- tend to. If the line extends directly from a settlement, so that it has what may be called a home-base, none but rude, temporary shanties are built ; and once in about ten days, during the season, a man is sent back to the settlement, to carry out furs and bring back provisions. But, if the Hne commences so far from the frontier that such return-journeys are impracticable, then, besides the temporary shanties, a more substantial and permanent hut, called the home-shanty, is built at some point on the line, for depositing furs, provis- ions, and other valuables ; and this becomes the base of opera- tions for the season. A boy is sometimes taken along to " keep shanty," as trappers say, i. e., to remain at the home- shanty as housekeeper and guard. Such a resident at the main depot is very necessary, as bears and other wild animals (not to mention fire and human thieves) have a habit of breaking into an unguarded shanty, and destroying every- thing within reach. Prudent trappers rarely leave furs in a shanty alone, even though it is strongly barricaded. If they " cannot carry them out to the settlement, and have no boy to " keep shanty," .they generally hide them in hollow trees. At the close of a season, if the party are satisfied with their line, and intend to trap on it another season, they hide their traps under rocks, where they will not be exposed to the fires that sweep the woods in dry times.
CONCLUSION.
The trapper's art, like that to which I have so often com- pared it — the art of war -—is, or should be, progressive. It is evidently yet in its infancy, and has hardly begun to emerge
94 THE TRAPPER'S ART.
from the narrowness and ignorance of mere individual cun- ning, into the Hberal inventiveness and broad combinations which will come when trappers shall gather into conventions, compare experiences, and avail themselves of the help that all sciences are ready to give them. All that I can claim to have done in the preceding pages is, the presentation of the art of capturing animals, curing their skins, and living in the woods, as it now stands, or at least as I understand it.
Deer breaking cover.
FOOD HUNTING.
By T. L. PITT.
The trapper on his expeditions must often depend on his rifle or trap for subsistence. I will indicate the leading kinds of game which supply his wants, and methods of obtaining them.
DEER.
Among food animals, Mr. Newhouse has noticed the Deer and Moose. These are the trapper's most desirable game throughout all northern countries. In America, we have the common Red or Virginia Deer ; the Black-tailed Deer, two varieties ; the Long-tailed Deer of the Pacific slope ; the Wapita or Stag, once distributed over a large portion of the Continent, but now found principally west of the Mississippi, in Oregon and Washington Territory, and in some parts of British America ; the Moose ; two varieties of the Caribou or Reindeer, in British America ; and the Mule Deer of the Rocky Mountains. In Europe and Asia are the Moose or Elk ; the Stag or Red Deer ; the Fallow Deer ; the Rein- deer ; the Persian or Indian Red Deer ; the Thibetan Stag ; the Sika of Japan ; the Axis Deer of India ; besides many other varieties in Asia, especially in the southern part.
The best method, and the one most to be relied on by the trapper, for hunting Deer, is what is called the " still hunt." The practice of hunting by boat and torch on lakes and streams, at night, is only adapted to the summer months, when trapping is out of the question, and when Deer should not be hunted, it being their breeding season. The plan of running Deer into lakes with dogs, though often practiced, is discarded
96 THE TRAPPER'S FOOD.
and condemned by the best Deer hunters, as it tends to make the Deer wild, and to drive them into other regions. It may be resorted to when necessary, but cannot be recommended. It involves also the keeping of a dog which is generally of little use for any other purpose, and is a constant bill of ex- pense. " Still hunting " is practised by finding the fresh track of the Deer, and carefully and noiselessly following up the trail till the location of the animal is discovered, when, by careful approach, a good shot can generally be obtained. Practiced Deer hunters become w^onderfully keen, accurate, and successful in the still hunt. Messrs. Holland and Gunter, of Hastings County, Canada West, — the former of whom is one of the most accomplished deer-hunters in Canada, — give the following directions for still hunting : —
" For still hunting, the hunter should provide himself with a good rifle and a pair of deer-skin moccasins. When finding the trail he should walk carefully, and keep a good lookout ahead, as Deer are always watching back on their trail. When routed they almost al- ways stop on hills. In order to get within gunshot it is necessary to circle round and come up toward them in front or at the side — always circling to the leeward side, as their sense of smell is very acute. The Deer, when the early snows come, usually get up and feed till about ten o'clock, a. m. ; then they lie down till about three o'clock, p. M., when they start on a rambling excursion till near the next morning. In these excursions they almost always return to the place from whence they started, or near to it."
In still hunting, if buck, doe and fawns are found together, shoot the doe first, as in that case the buck will not leave the place till you have had opportunity for another shot. Deer when they lie down, turn off from their run-w^ay, or track, and take a zigzag course back a short distance. They lie in a position which commands a view of the back track.
THE BUFFALO.
This animal is the great resource of the hunter for food on the western plains. Their range is from Texas to within about twenty miles of the Great Slave Lake. But few, however, reach this latter limit. They are seldom found
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west of the Rocky Mountains, and never, at the present time, east of the Mississippi. They are migratory animals, mov- ing north in the spring with the advance of vegetation, and south in the autumn with the decline of pasturage. They move in large bodies, grazing as they go, and breed on the march. They usually reach the Platte River on their way north about the last of May. On their return they reach the same river in September. A few probably winter north of that latitude. These are mostly animals that wander from the great herds and get lost among the valleys in the moun- tains. On the uplands the Buffaloes live on a short, fine grass, called Buffalo grass. On the low lands they feed on a coarse, hisih orrass. On their £;eneral march thev move in a scattered, grazing order. Only when disturbed do they herd together and move in compact masses. When moving in the mass they stop for nothing, rushing through ravines, swimming rivers, and trampling all ordinary obstacles under foot. It is exceedingly dangerous to get in the way of a drove when on the rush. They should only be approached on the outskirts. Cows run the fastest. The bulls generally take the lead when the rush is made, but are soon out- stripped by the cows. The cows and calves keep on the outskirts of the drove. A drove lie down where night over- takes them.
The common way of hunting the Buffalo is on horseback, as a person on foot cannot approach them without screening himself Experienced hunters prefer a largest sized or eight inch navy revolver for hunting them. A breech -loading car- bine or rifle, is also a good weapon. Find a drove feeding. Approach them from the leeward side, otherwise the animals will scent you and move off. They are not disturbed by a horse as long as they do not scent the rider. Lie down on the horse and let him gradually work his way into the drove. Select a cow and approach her on the left side if you have a pstol, on the right side if you have a rifle, in order, in either case, that you may have the best opportunity for using your weapon. Shoot for the heart, which hes, comparatively, very low. The ball should be aimed just back of the fore leg, a few
98 THE TRAPPER'S GAME.
inches above the brisket. The ball if aimed right will gen- erally go through, and the animal will soon bleed to death. New hunters are liable to aim too high, being deceived by the lieight of the hump on the shoulders. They suppose the heart is near the middle of the space from the top of the shoulders to the brisket ; it is some distance below that point. The danger in Buffalo hunting for beginners, is in getting too far into the drove. As soon as an animal is wounded the rest take the alarm and close round, and if the hunter has not secured a way of escape he will probably be ridden down and both horse and rider destroyed. When chasing a Buffalo and shooting on the gallop, the hunter should bring his horse into time with the animal. Otherwise he will prob- ably miss fire. He should fire just as the horse and the Buf- falo strike the ground with the fore feet.
The cows are best for eating. The tongue and tender-loin are preferred, the rest of the meat being rather coarse, espe- cially that of the bulls, unless the animals are fat. It is, how- ever, all eatable, and somewhat resembles beef, but has a strong, pecuhar, wild flavor of its own. Much of its reputa- tion may be due to the good appetites of those who hunt it.
The cows furnish the Buffalo robes of commerce, the skins of the bulls having no fur on the hinder parts, and only the long coarse mane in front ; their hinder parts are covered with short hair. The bull skins make a coarse kind of leather, used by the Indians of the plains to cover their wigwams and for other purposes.
THE MOUFFLONS OR GREAT HORNED SHEEP.
There are several species of wild sheep which are of some interest to the trapper. The first of these is
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP OR BIG-HORN.
This animal is larger than the common sheep, being some- times six feet long, about three feet high at the shoulders, and weighing nearly three hundred and fifty pounds. They are found throughout the whole range of the Rocky Mountains, from the 30th to the 68th degree of north latitude. The horns
THE ARGALI. 99
of the males are enormous, measuring over two feet ten inches in length round the curve, and being very large at the base. Their color is a rufous gray, except the rump, belly, and the inside of the hind legs, all of which are a gray- ish white. In winter they become lighter-colored. The hair is coarse and slightly crimped. Underneath the hair is a soft fur or wool. The Big-horn is, or becomes after contact with hunters, an exceedingly shy, wild animal. In the retired parts of the mountains where they have never been hunted, they are sometimes found quite tame and unsuspecting. They are gregarious and live in small flocks among the peaks and most inaccessible regions of the mountains, never descending into the plains. They subsist on mountain grass and herbage, and inhabit the rocky recesses. The young rams and the females herd together during the winter and spring, while the old rams separate in flocks, except at the rutting season in December. The rams fight fiercely with each other like common rams. The ewes bring forth one or two young in June and July.
The flesh of the Big-horn is excellent, superior to the best venison or the finest mutton. They can only be hunted suc- cessflilly by the exercise of extreme caution and strategy in approaching them ; and if only wounded by the first fire they retire to their recesses among the rocks, and there die, inac- cessible to the hunter. Dogs are worse than useless in hunt- ing them.
Another Moufflon is
THE ARGALI.
The