The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-03-29
GRANDFATHER'S MINK.


GRANDFATHER'S MINK.
Sixty years ago the brooks in the
State of Maine were the homes and the
hunting grounds of large numbers of
minks. They had not then learned to
fear men, and, simple and unsuspieious,
they were easily enticed into the dead
fall traps that the hunters set for
them. Nearly every farmers boy of
that time was an amateur trapper, and
most of the boys were successful in Sc
curing substantial pack of fur in each
of the long snowy winters.
But these warm coated little quadru-
peds are much less numerous to-day
than they were sixty years ago, and are
not so easily trapped. They seem to
have learned something of the danger
Gus ingenuity of man, and to have be-
come wary Like the partridge of the
cleared lands. they have developed
shyer instincts.
For this reason it often happens that
when the boy Of to-day tries his hand
at trapping his success is not encour-
aging. Middle-aged or old men who
note his unsuccessful attempts, remem-
bering the numbers Of mink they used
TO catch when they were boys, are in
clined to laugh at him, and to intimate
that he does not know how to do it. To
prove their assertions they sometimes
tell large stories of the quantity of fur
they used to take in a single week.
Such, at least, was the experience of
my Cousin Addison and myself when
we tried to trap otter and mink on the
I'D 10 fhn old f,,-x sxx
Maine. We spelt n good deal of time
and took very little fur; and grand
father, who viewed our operations and
our frequent neglect of farm work with
not altogether approving eye, rather
more than limited 10 rs that the mantle
of his youthful skin as trapper had
not descended upon his degenerate
grandsons.
ssWhere in the world are those boys.
mother?' he would sometimes ask.
"They are not husking. They have
hardly touched an ear of corn this week,
and they arc not in the potato field more
than half the time; and those potatoes
ought to be dug
II guess they're pottering round the
pond or the Mill Brook with their mink
traps" grandmother would say.
"Mink-traps! Nonsense! A deal of
good it does for them to set trapsi They
haven't caught mink this fall, and
don't seem to have the knack for set
ting trap. Why, when was boy,
I've caught over thirty minks in one
fall in that brook. only had couple
of hours once in every three days. and
here those BOYS OF our'n are fussing
Ill halt 41,f I'D Il
catch minkr'
Cousin Nell reported this converse
ton to us, half out Of friendliness and
half from the malicious delight which a
girl always feels in tormenting boy
after she has learned his weak and most
sensitive points.
We were forced to bear these impu-
tat'ons on our skill without reply. 10
tell the truth, there was little to say.
We knew that grandfather, when a
boy, had caught large numbers oil
mink. And when we once ventured to
suggest that mink were more numerous
End holder in those early days than
they are now, grandfather cried:
ssPooh! Why, / saw one only the
other day right out here in the brook
by the barn, playing round there in
broad Daylight
And that was true We knew that
mink very well. lie had lived there
all summer. But neither we nor any
other living hunter could have got the
cautious little fellow into trap.
When boy, grandfather had cAdghl
minks on the banks of this very brook
in common box-traps, such as we used
TO set for striped squirrels. His traps
were of hard wood boards, three fee
long by foot in height. and were
baited with trout. They had spring
button to hold the drop down wheI
it had been sprung.
But now we should as soon have ex
pected to get mink into a parlor stow,
as into box-trap! They are much tor
wary for any such clumsy device. This
however, is trait of development tina
all old hunters are very slow to believe
No arguing, for example, could hav'
convinced grandfather that minks conlt
not Just as readily be caught in box
traps now as they could have beef
caught sixty years ago if only the trap
were made and set with the skill ant
cunning that was used when he caugh
them.
Tired at length with our lack of sue
cess, he determined to make one of hi
good, old-fashioned traps, and show u
our inefficiency by catching the mini
that frequented the brook by the bari
the one we had declared could not b.
caught in any kind of trap.
He secretly made his trap at hour
when we were away from the house
but Nell told us what he was doing, an,
of course we were somewhat disturbed
IF be should happen to catch tina
MINK Add said to me, 1--WE shall neve
hear the last of it"
It may be surmised, therefore, tina
the old gentleman did not have on
most fervent wishes for the success o
his trapping. So much had been SAT-
that we awaited the completion of hi
trap with some anxiety; and watche,
the bank of the brook continually.
At length one Saturday afternoon w
discovered his trap, set for the mink
He had shown skill in placing it in
favorable position. There was an oil
co-n-mill d small, rude structure TO
re;ghsorhood MSS situated on tn
Ll~vk, forty OF fifty rods from on