San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-08-19
KILLING A WOLVERINE.

OF all the rapacious. cunning and
misehieVous brutes l have ever met
with, the wolverine. called also car
cajou, and glutton is the worst: a
thief. robber and murderer he is the
plague and torment Of northern trap
pers and an adverse factor always
when estimating the possible profits
OF fur hunting campaign. So wary
is he and so acute are his senses of
sight smell and hearing. that it Is
well nigh impossible either to get q
shot at him or entice HIM into trap.
He is not Il large animal-seldOm
weighing over forty poands-neither
is he swift OF foot nor even an agile
climber (old historians t. the con-
trary Notwithstanding but his
strength 10 the uare inch is some
thing amazing. What he lacks in size
is more than made up for by indus
try. infexible purpose, intelligence
and a provision Of teeth and claws
which enables him to wort, greater
havoc in half an hour Than many
larger beasts of prey eau Get in half
day.
When l was boy OF lif.een years
in the county OF PeeL Canada | was
an amateur trapper and depende for
pocket money on the sale of such
otter mink, fox fisher raccoon.
skunk and muskrat skins as | man
aged to secure.
One morning early in November, l
went out to visit my eight traps. set
in as many different places in the
woods and along the bank Of the
creek To my surprise l 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 "A few inches below the
surface of the water for muskrats.
had not been disturbed at all.
In the backwoods' code of morals
robbing a hunters traps was then
looked upon rs a more despicable
crime than stealing from his pockets.
Hence l could think OF no one in the
neighborhood likely to have despoiled
mine, nor why the thief should have
sprung the empty ones and removed
their bats.
There had been n slight frost over
night rendering the ground hard and
! could see no tracks of human beings
or dogs anywhere. BY and by. how
ever while STOPPING down to reset one
of the mink traps near the soft edge
OF the creek. l noticed in a bed OF
dry. unfrozeu sand. several strange
looking footprints - but by what
creature made / could not guess.
Clearly they we're not those of coon
nor yet OF young bear though some
what resembling both. ! thought l
knew the track Of every animal from
an elk to a chipmunk to be found in
the country. but this one l had GER
tainly never before seen.
Besides those left in the traps the
only traces l could find of my lost
game we're a few drops OF blood and
some tufts OF fur scattered along an
old trail which led toward the base OF
a great pile OF nearly inaccessible
rocks on a distant hill. Greatly Duz-
lied over the whole matter ran off
home and told my iather Of the strange
occurrence.
Alter breakfast he went with me
down 10 the creek; and instantly, on
seeing the tracks. said: These are
made by wolverine! had no idea
there was one left in this part of the
country"
Then he told me all he knew of the
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: You'll haze no moro luck
trapping until this brute and his mate
il 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
10 the task OF trying TO circumvent
the cunning thief-without once catch
ing sight OF him. Some nights CON
cealed myself gun in hand. near one
or the other OF my traps; again would
lie il wait until daybreak at the foot
Of the rocks hoping TO get shot as
he went out or came in 1t was all
lost labor When l watched the traps
the beast never came near them
When stayed all night at the hill.
he upset and robbed them at his leis
ure; but a hair OF himself he never
showed
l owned in those days a hound.
afraid of nothing and famous over
the whole country side for his track
ing powers and his success in killing
game Although kindly caut oned
against such a proceeding by my
father l one day took this dog to the
rocky mound, determined. If possible
to find aud uncarth tho disturbcr of
my peace
Carlo did find the noxious brute |
rather too readily. After l had gone /
with him on the trail as far as | could !
climb he dashed away to q lot of .
rugged powders and few seconds
| heard the savage yelp BY