Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-08-26
KILLING A WOLVERINE.

mlschleVouS bruteS | have ever me-
with. the wolverine. called also car
caJou, and glutton. is the worst: 4
thief. robber and murderer he is tn,
plague and torment of northern trap
pers and an adverse factor Away.
when estimating the possible profits
OF II fur hunting campaign. So wary
Is he and so acute are his senses O.
sight smell and hearing. that it il
well nigh impossible either to get s
shot at him or entice him into n trap
he is not large animal-seldon
weighing over forty pounds-neithel
is he swift of foot nor even an agile
climber Gold historians TO the con
trary Notwithstanding but hi.
strength to the square inch is some
thing amazing. What he lacks in size
is more than made up for by indus
try, inhexible purpose. Intelligence
and provision of teeth and claw.
which enables him to work greater
havoc in half an hour than many
larger beasts Of prey can effect in hal
a day.
When | was II boy of fifteen years
in the county OF Peel Canada | was
an amateur trapper and depended fol
pocket money on the sale of such
otter mink. fox. fisher raccoon.
skunk and muslSrat skins as | man
aged to secure.
One morning early in November,
went out to visit my eight traps. set
III as many different places in the
woods and along the bank of the
creek. TO my surprise | found six OF
them sprung and the bats gone. But
all OF the six were not entirely empty.
In one was an otter's foot and in
three others remnants OF mink's legs
Two traps, set Il few inches below the
surface OF tho water. for muskrats,
had not been disturbed at all.
In the backwoods' code OF morals.
robbing hunters traps was then
looked upon as Il moro despicable
crime than stealing from his pockets
Hence l could think of no one in the
neighborhood likely to have des poiled
mine nor why the thief should have
sprung the empty ones and removed
their bats.
There had been a slight frost over.
night rendering the ground hard. and
l could see no tracks of human beings
or dogs anywhere. BY and by how
ever while STOPPING down to reset ono
OF the mink traps near the soft edge
OF the creek. noticed. in q bed OF
dry, unfrozen sand, several strange
looking footprints - but by what
creature mado | could not guess.
Clearly they wore not those of a coon
nor yet of young bear though some
what resembling both. l thought |
know the track of every animal from
an elk to IA chipmunk to be found in
tho country. but this one | had Ger
tainly never before seen.
Eesides those left in the traps the
only traces l could find of my lost
game were few drops of blood and
some tufts of fur scattered along an
old trail which led toward the base of
great pile OF nearly inaccessible
rocks on n distant hill Greatly Duz.
zled over the whole matter | ran off
home and told my father of the strange
occurrence.
After breakfast he went with mo
down TO the creek; and instantly. on
seeing the tracks. said: These are
made by a wolverine! had no idea
there was one left in this part of the
country"
Then he told me all he knew of tho
animal; and part OF that information.
along with some afterward gathered
for myself, have embodied in the fore =
going lines. My father concluded by
saying: 'Ycull have no more luck
trapping until this brute and his mate,
II he has one. are destroyed; but
that's something easier TO talk about
than do"
so. indeed l found it. Day after
day and night after night for two
whole weeks devoted myself solely
to the task of trying to circumvent
the cunning tn without once catch
ing sight of him. Some nights con-
ceaed myself gun in hand. near one
or the other of my traps: again | would
lie in wait until daybrealt at the foot
of the rocks, hoping to get q shot as
he went out or came in 1t was all
lost labor. When | watched the traps
tho beast never came near them
When stayed all night at the hill,
ho upset and robbed them at his leis
ure; but u hair OF himself he mover
showed
| owned in those days hound.
afraid of moth ng. and famous over
the whole country side for his track
ing powers and his success in killing
game. Although kindly caut oued
against such a proceeding by my
father l one day took this dog to the
rocky mound, determined. if possible
to find and unearth the disturber of
my peace.
Carlo did frd the noxious brute
rather too readily. After | had gone
with him on the trail us far as / could
climb he dashed away to a lot of
ragged powders and a few seconds
afterward heard the savage yelp by
which he always presaged an attack
There were sounds of a tussle-
sharp snarling yelps. OF kind
strange to me- rolling pebbles and
and Sou Hing movements; but they
lasted barely n half-minuto.
Then Carlo uttered dismayed
howl and rushed back with ears and
face torn. and his whole body rocking
with that fetid fluid the wolverine
emits as means of defense and com
pared to which the skunk's odor is the
altar OF roses. The brave old hound
did not seem to care much for his
wounds; but that fearful stencil no
sef-rcspectlng dog could endure. So