The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-12-31
A MUSKRAT'S PERILS.
Trapping the Little Animal Along the New
jersey Marshes.

'It is not necessary to 90 to the north
ern latitude TO learn TO trap successful
". jersey viii do for beginners"
So spoke an old indigenous New Jer-
sey fisherman as he sat on a sugar
/ hogShead which rested on South street
( pier and tapped its head merrily with
his big split-leather boots. His scraggy
/ whiskers and weather bronzed, pleasant
I countenance. says the New York Times
/ showed that he was one of those happy
| persons who had passed the period of
I life when youthful ambitions and aspi-
/ rations never to be obtained had passed
/ away, and peace and contenfment were
| now accompaniments of frugal life.
| On his head was perched cap of black
fur, and gloves of similar material
/ peeped from deep pockets of the old tar
! stained coat.
What started the old man was the
| presence of Il pile of steel traps, which
/ glistened in the sunlight of warm fall
day. He eyed them furtively and heav-
| ed sigh. The traps did not look at
| all formidable as they lay in tangled
! heap, with the four-foot chains spread
out in every direction. They were of
! the latest pattern, light, but of strong,
! stiff springs, though not differing in
any essential particular from the ordi-
! nary rat-trap that many amind-becloud-
| ed tenant at a late hour has put his foot
| into while cropping in the coal-cellar.
! AT the end of the chains were little
: round rings, which would be used to
I fasten them to stakes.
Il suppose, continued the Young
! man, '.those fellows will be sent north
| to be used in mink trappin'. Eff ] only
I had 'em in the meadows near my place
/ | would make the muskrats howl.
| They're thick down there, and | mean
/ to make It hot for a few of 'em myself
! this winter"
Tell me something about trapping"
asked listener.
..Waal," replied the old fisherman,
'.you looks rs though YOU needed lit
/ tie of it to spread them shoulders of
yourn and harden them muscles" and
! he pinched the thin, soft biceps of the
! Young weakling's arm. ''There is moth
/ ing better to strengthen young fellows
and build 'em up than trappin' and
| trampin' over the meadows and through
the woods. There amt any money in
! it to speak of, but some fun, should
say"
Take the salt marshes on the jersey
| coast and they are full of muskrats,
/ while the streams further inland con-
tain but few. The muskrat is re-
spectacle animal to trap. He is wary
and on his guard in the more populous
districts. In value his pelt is not worth
much. The prices paid for them vary
from ID to 30 cents apiece, according to
! the condition of the fur, and also the
condition of the market. Some years
| they bring much more money than in
others. The pelts are used in making
! hats. Sometimes they are done up into
! furs and sent into the country to be
! sold under the name of river mink. OF
! course, as to a pecuniary return. there
y ITuJ;iI ~ sVttIuUt Il young man or
boy in this small trapping, but in it he
will learn much about the mysteries of
( the brooks and the secrets of animal
! life. while the exercise he gets is brac-
/ ing. The cost of axes, boots and traps
! will amount to as much as he gets for
the skins.
.sWaal," continued the old man,
''there amt much play in trappin'. and
It's mostly work-hard work, too. You
want to be well prepared for it. In the
| first place YOU must have warm cloth
| ing for YOU will be out in most all
kinds of weather. and nights, too. And
! in the mornin', when YOU get up early
| to 90 look at your traps, its cold and
raw. You must carry an AK or big
hatchct with you to drive in the stakes
| to which the chains of the steel traps
are to be attached. They must be driven
| in tight, too, or the animal will pull
them ont and away he will go, trap and
| all. Then YOU want big bag to fetch
en- homo i'll when You get any These
things, with good set of steel traps,
| will do TO commence with, and then the
irarrcr may put in box traps and de-
wise means of alluring the beasts. Some
people use little bait in the shape of
piece of turnip or apple to allure 'em.
A piece of sweet apple is awfully good
bait for muskrat and he will try hard
to get it. A drop or so OF anise-seed on
the pan of the trap is also quite an at
traction for EN-. As a rule, however,
these allurements are not necessary, and
care to cover up the trap will be sutfi-
cient The muskrat is wary animal,
and won't step square into trap when
he sees it. He's KNOWN, and if it amt
well hid he will step around it. But
there's other things to catch besides
muskrats. Ye see that cap?' and the
old man took his headgear off. ''Ye
see that cap? That's made out of cat
| skin. There was a time when catskins
was worth 10 cents apiece, but they
amt worth nOthin' now. In a seasons
work you will probably run against one
or two mink, too. Real mink, too. Yes,
and in New Jersey I've caught quite a
lot of 'em first and last"
Catching muskrats is common win
| ter pursuit for fishermen and others in
I New Jersey, and large quantities of them
are caught. The money got for them
helps keep the poor coastmen in to-
! bacco.
/ The muskrat does not come out of his
lair in the daytime, except on rare oc
| casions. Sometimes, on very dark,
/ cloudy days, he may be seen swimming
/ across the pond or down the river, with
/ his head just above the water, He is
/ an ugly-looking animal. of brown fur,
/ black, webbed feet, with white claws,
! and long, white teeth. He is fast
swimmer. and his powers for staying
under the water are enduring. At night
I
miles over the fields in search of food.
/ They travel over the same roads on
these occasions and make little paths,
which in trapping parlanee are called
/ runs. The steel traps are often set in
these runs, and are carefully covered
over with light material. dried leaves,
and grass The unsuspecting rat, as he
| travels along. viii probably get caught.
1t is always better, if possible, to catch
| the lively little animal in the water,
where he will drown. If on dry ground
and the Jaws OF the trap have caught
| the leg pretty well down toward the toe,
/ the rat. not being able to pull away,
will gnaw off his leg Just above where
( the trap holds it. This is often done,
and it shows the pluck and courage of
/ the animal as well as its endurance.
Many is the time the trapper viii be
disappointed to find only stump of a