Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-05-23
HUNTING THE SEA OTTER.
Queer Method OF Obtaining Fur that IL
More Valuable Than SealsISin.

Queer Method OF Obtaining Fur that IL
More Valuable Than SealsIsin.
1t is not generally known that some
of the most expensive fur-producing
animals are killed off the coast of the
new State of Washington, and it is re-
markable that the extent of territory
where these animals are taken is so ex-
tremeiy limited, being on from Da-
mons Point, at the northern entrance,
to Gray's harbOr up the coast, to Point
Greenville, distance of about twenty
four miles. The animal referred to is
the sea otter, the fur of which is man
ufactured into the robes of the poten-
tates and Princes of the Old World.
Unlike that of the seal tho fur of the
sea otter requires no plucking Of hair
or coloring; in fact. the most valuable
skins are those which are speckled
throughout with a silver-tipped hair.
which is known as the silver-tipped
fur, the addition of this hair adding
20 to so per cent to the price of the
skin.
There are now several hunters en-
gagged in killing sea offers at the place
referred to, says writer in the Port
land OregOntdn and the modus-oper-
: ANU VI
ing to me.
The hunters build for themselves
derricks about forty feet high by taxi
ing three slim poles or pieces of tim.
Der, each about forty feet in length.
and, boiling them securely together at
one end for the top, they then spread
them about twenty-five feet apart at
the bottom, giving the appearance of a
huge tripod. These are set on the
! ocean beach, about midday between
high and low tides, the foot of the
poles being embedded in the sand from
two to three feet. The structure is
then thoroughly braced, and ladder
built to the top by mailing pieces at
convenient distances crosswise on the
inside.
About eighteen inches below the top
of the tripod cross timbers are secured
to the legs, and upon these cross tim
bers floor from four to five feet
square is laid and on the oceanward
and two adjoining sides walls are built
up from three and half to four feet
in height. On the land side door is
constructed to allow the hunter easy
ingress and egress to and from his
'crow's nest" On the top of the tri-
pod. which extends about eighteen
inches above the floor, a seat is con-
structed and around the inside of the
wall a row of shelving is placed.
At low tide, when the wind is propi-
tio1s, the hunter HES himself to his
crows nest, armed with good pair of
glasses, a Sharps rifle, lunch, and a
little something to keep himself warm,
and for six long hours he scans the line
of the ocean just outside the breakers,
where he most expects his game TO APP
pear. When the tide first begins to
flood his range is about 600 yards, but
as IL runs in the range is shOrted TO
200 or 800 yards. Even at these latter
distances it requires close calculations
to know just how to shoot to overcome
the rise and fall of the ocean swell and
the effect of the wind upon the bullets.
1t is said that not one of the 100 shots
of the best marksmen is effective.
The shoot is generally done on a
flood tide, so the animal, when killed,
will wash ashore, and even then 10 Is
sometimes three or four days after one
is killed before it is beached. Undoubt-
edly many others are killed and never
do come ashore.
| IudTk5 HIS JULIUS WIFI -
mark known to the other hunters, and
when an otter is found on the beach
the first duty of the finder is to look
for the bullet and ascertain who is the
rightful owner, for this is respected
among the hunters as sacredly as marks
and brands are among stockmen.
When an otter comes ashore with no
bullet in him, as frequently occurs, the
bullet having gone clean through the
body, and no notice having been given,
it is regarded as a "slick-ear" in stock
mems parlances, and belongs to the
finder.
Sometimes an otter, on receiving q
death-shot, sinks; but the hunter gen.
orally knows when he has hit his mark.
BY observing the water with his glasses,
he can discern, even at the greater
distances which they shoot, the color
ing of the water from the blood of the
animal; and if he does not come ashore
on that tide, notice is at once given to
the other hunters, who are then on the
alert to find him. But l opine that
beach combers, in the shape of stealthy
Indians, get away with many an 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 fiat tracks of the siwash just
ahead of me, printed there since last
high tide.
The Indians hunt the sea otter in
canoes, going out and coming in
through the surf, sometimes they go fif>
teen or twenty miles to sea and stay
out several days. But when they hunt
along within mile or two of the
shore, then there is blood on the face
of the moon, and the white hunter
"waxeth wroth," for the Indian scares
away his game. When taken, the Of
ter is skinned whole, as it were, by
cutting across the launches and strip
ping the skin down the body and over
the head. The skin is then turned.
the fur in, and board showed through
it. 1t is then frightened by driving
wedge-shaped piece down on one side
between the board and the skin, and
apothnr oOnft.a rv,yica nm tho Dthar All