Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-04-17
THE SEA OTTER.
aHE FUR Is MORE EXPENSIVE
THAN sEALsK1N.
now the Animals Are Killed A,oro
d Short Stretch of Our Pacific
ooast--Derricks Needed by the
Hunters.

'iSAs NEEDED by the
Hunters.
20
Perhaps few persons are aware ttot =.
most expensive fur in the market i .b t
o. tne sea otter, and that good deal of
" comes nom the Pacific coast of the
new state OF Washington. The territory
,n.Wsnnich they arc taken is very limited
oelng only from Damon's Point. on the
polnlein entrance TO Gray's Harbor nm
10 folnt Greenville, u distance of a6ont
"a miles. ''-iee VI '''ouV
mike that Of the seal, the fur of the
sea otter requires no pluckinc of hair or
eoloring-ln TACT, the most valuable skins
are those which are speekled through
with asilver-tipped hair, the addition If
price Of the skin. 80 " 'ii0
me hunters build for themselves der.
t,cks about forty feet high. bv takipp
.nfee sum poles or pieces Of timber. each
apou' forty feet in length, and boiling
tnem securely together at one end for the
top, then spread them about twenty five
'ees apart at the bottom, giving the an
pearance of huge tripod. These are set
on the ocean beach, about midway he.
tween high and low tides, the foot Of tbe
poles being Embedded in the sand from
Two to three feet The structure is then
.aofouSniy oraeed and ladder built to
me top by mailing pieces ut convenient
Instances crosswise on the inland.
About eighteen inches below the top of
sne tripod cross hmbers arc secured TO
me legs, and upon these cross timhers a
1oor from -four to five feet square is laid.
ana on the oceanward and two adjoining
sides walls are built up from three and q
hali to four feet in height. On the land
F.. eiae. door IS constructed to allow the
nnnter easy ingress and egress to and
from his 'crow's nest" On the ton of
the tripod, which extends about eighteen
inches above the floor, a seat is con-
struggled, and around the inside of the
vail ROW OF shelving is placed.
At low tide, when the wind is propi-
nous, the hunter HES himself to his crows
nest, armed with good pair of glasses.
a Sharps rifle, lunch and little some
thing to keep himself warm, and for six
long hours he scans the line of the ocean
Just outside of the breakers. where he
most expects his game to appear.
When the tide first begins to flood his
range Is about 600 yards, but as it runs
IN the range is shortened to 200 or 300
yards. Even at these latter distances it
requires close calculation to know inst
how to shoot to overcome the rise and
fail OF the ocean swell and the effect of
the wind upon the bullets. 1t is said
That not one out of 100 shots of the best
marksmen is effective. When the tide is
full the derrick stands in the midst of
the breakers, and land lubber like my
self feels little squeamish, looking
down from the dizzy heights on the rolf
ing waters below.
ine shooting is generally done on q
Hood tide, so the animal when killed will
wash ashore, and even then il is some
times three or four days after one is
killed before it is beached. undoubt-
eddy many Others arc killed and never do
come ashore.
Each hunter marks his bullets with a
mark known TO the other hunters, and
when an otter is found OH the beach. the
first. duty Of the finder is to look for the
bullet and ascertain who is thu lightful
owner, for this sign is respected among
the hunters as sacredly as marks and
brands are among stockmen. When an
otter comes ashore with no bullet on
BIN, as frequently occurs the bullet
having gone clean through the body, and
no notice having been given, it is re,
garded as a " slck-ear" in stockmen's
parlauce, and belongs to the finder
Sometimes an otter, on receiving a
death shot, sinks; but the hunter gener-
ally knows when he has hit his mark.
BY observing the water with his glasses,
he can discern, even3at the greater dis
tances which they shoot the coloring OF
fhe water from the blood of the animal ;
and, if he docs rot come ashore on that
\ tide, notice is at once given to the other
hunters who are then on the alert to md
HIM But opine That beach combcrs, IN
'"s sn"po "a sVa. inuisns, ses 10y
with many On otter killed by the White
hunters. have had occasion many
times to pass along the beach at daylight
during the hunting season, but ! always
found the nat tracks Of the slwasn Just
ahead OF me, printed theres'nce last hign
tide.