Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-04-09
HUNTING THE SEA OTTER.
HOW THIS COSTLY FUR IS GOT
TEN IN WASHINGTON STATE.

Pcrched High Above the BiIlows the Dar-
ing Hunter wasehs. with His Rins and
Glns.cs--Unwritten Law That L. Caro-
fully Observed.
II Is not generally known that some OF the
most expensive fur producing animals arc
killei oil the coast Of the new state Of wash
ington and u Is remarkable that the extent
Of territory where these animals are taken In
o. extremely limited. being only from Da-
mons point. at the northern entrance to
Gray's harbor, up the coast TO Point Green
ville a distance of about twenty-four miles
The animal referred 10 Is the otter, the
fur OF which Is manufactured into tho robes
of tho potcntates and princes Of the Old
World.
Unlike that OF the sal. the fur Of the sea
otter requires no plncking Of hair or coioring.
Ia fact, the most valuable skins are these
which are speckled through with n silver
tipped hair, which Is known as the silver
tipped fur, the addition OF this hair adding
p to 10 per cent to the price OF the skin.
There ara now several hunters engaged In
killing sea offers at the place referred TO, and
the modus operandi 81 taking them was very
interesting to me-
THE "cRow's NEST
forty feet high by taking three slim poles or
pieces Of timber, each about forty feet Ia
length aud boltlng them securely together
at one end for the top, they spread them
about twenty-five feet apart at the bottom,
giving the appearance of huge tripod. Thcsa
are sct On the ocean beach. about midway be
tween high and low tides, the foot Of the poles
being imbeddcd ia the ssni from two To three
feet The structure Is then thoroughly braced,
a.. l.
at convenient distances crosswise on the in
land
About eighteen inches below the top OF the
tripod, cross timbers 0re secured to tue legs,
aud upon these cross tlnbers door from
four to five feet square is laid, and on the
oceanward and two cdjoining sides walls ara
built up from threa and half te four feet in
height On the land side door Is construct
ed u allow the hunter easy ingrexs and egress
to and from his ''crow's aest.n' On the top OF
the tripod. which extends about eighteen
inches above the floor, seat Is constructed
and around the inside Of the wall a row OF
shelving Is placed.
At low tide, when the wind is propitious,
the hunter hies himself 10 his crows nest,
armed with a good pair OF glasses, Sharpe
ride and a lunch, and for six long hours he
scans the line Of the ocean just outside OF tho
breakers, where he nsst expects his game to
appear When the tide first begins to food
his range Is about G0O yards, but It runs
la the range Is shortened to 200 or 800 yards
Even at these latter distances 1t requires close
calculation to know just how 20 shoot TO
overcome the rise aud fall Of the swell
and the elfect Of the wind upon the bullets.
l. II is said that not one out of 100 shots of the
d best marksnren Is effective When the tide
a is full the derrick stands IN the midst OF this
70 breakers, and a land iubber like myself feel
N little squeamish looking down from tbs
* dizzy heights on the rolling waters below.
ot The shooting is generally done on Zoo,
X tide, 10 the animal, when killed, will wasl
a ashore, and even then il Is sometimes three o.
u four days after one is killed before 1t
beached Undoubtedly many Others ar
~ killed and never do come ashore.
no MEAss or IDENTIFICATION.
IN Each hunter marks his bullets with mar
I'M known to the other hunters, and when a
y otter is found on the beach the first duty {
en- the finder is 10 look for the bullet and ascei
"a. tain who Is the rightfh owner, Tor this sig
~ Is respected among the hunters as sacredly
~ marks and brands nre among stockmel
leu When an otter comes ashore with no bullet
y him. as freqneutly occurs, the bullet havir
NJ gone clean through the body, and no notis
gu having been given, 1t Is regarded as 'slic
afe ear" in stockmen's parlance, and belongs
'eJ the finder.
70 Sometimes an otter, on receiving a deaf
ity 80, s,..i,.. ~. ~. t,,,,o, ,sc.raIlv knoy
rn when he has hit his mark. By observing u
water with his glasses. he can discern, svs
ger at the greater distances which they shoot, u
W coloring Of the water from the blood of u
20" animal; and ii he does not come ashore {
~au ~ that tide. notice Is at once given to the 9th
'po hunters, WIN are then ON the alert 70 tir
~ aim But opine that beach combers, In Il
IN w shape of stealthy Indians, get away vii
'o' many an otter killed by tho white hunter
~ have had occasion many times to pass aioi
w. ~ the beach at daylight during the huntil
3 season, but always found the Hat tracks
lus tho siwash just ahead Of me, printed the
~ since last high tide
,on The Indians hunt the sra otter In cano'
ool going cut and coming In through the SUI
oI' Sometimes they go fifteen or twenty miles
~ sea and stay out several days. But VIII
i ne they hunt along within mile or two OF [
us' shore then there is blood on the face OF I
VI moon, aud the white hunter .swaxeth wroth
w for the Intlian sc;.rcs away his game. VIII
taken, the otter is skinned whole, as Il wei
by cutting across the Launches and strippi
res re- the skin down the body and over the hea
uh The skin Is then turned, the fur in, and
~ board showed through IL. 1t Is then tighten
''n by driving wedge shaped piece down
q. one side between the boarri and the skin, a
~ another eontrariwise ON the other. All I
~. grease Is then carefully removed and the 81
is dried and lad away ready for the mark
o' An average skin is about five feet long
-, twelve inches wide, double, Or. when G.
80 twenty-four inches Wide and. in the hunts
Ie W. hand. is valued at from so to Sl20; t
t,,s these prices leave "a handsome margin TO
.. ~ fur men who handle them. In Russia
80 - overcoat made from these same otter SIX
az brings from 81 600 to 5000, while in Chi
~, - even more is sometimes paid
-. The season for killing sea otter extel
"a from May To October, and 70 scarce Is
- game becoming thai four season is cons
,tan eresi doing well by any hunter. In fact, so
-, pass the season without taking any.
~, The hunters have rule among themsel
- which Is strictly observed d--that only {
-, derrick can be allowed within a range, l.
,,iv about half mils, thus giving the win
~ beach regularity of appearance not q
- where observable. le.--Portland Oregonian.
ble,
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