The Helena independent., 1893-12-21
NAMES FUR PRODUCE
Animals That Have Not Vet Fallen Victims
! 20 tho Trappsr's Snarcs.


Animals That Have Not Yet Fallen victim'
: 60 tho Trappsr's Snarcs.
Among the animals that are still trap
ped in Maine, whose furs are sought aftel
by the buyers, are the sable, lynx and
Asher, which are confined to wooded, un-
settled regions OF tho state. The sable is
tree climber and is caught in small steel
traps set on the side of a leaning tree. The
fisher is called by some the "black cat
and inhabits mountainous regions. The
lynx is quite numerous in the northern
part of the state and is similar to the bob
cat, only larger. He is taken in steel traps
and Is n sort of scavenger. A piece of fowl
or a rabbit is favorite bait.
Bears are still plenty in parts OF the
northern wilderness. They arc of the black
variety, although cinnamon il occasion
ally met with. Deadfalls and steel traps
are sometimes used in taking br,iin, but
the most successful way is by set gun.
A headless barrel is laid down near the
haunts of the bear, and a hole is bored
through one side about equally distant
between the head and bottom, so that It
will come about foot from the ground.
The gun is then placed in position outside
the barrel, with the muzzle pointing
through the hole, protruding perhaps an
inch on the inside. Another hole is bored
through the center of the bottom of the
barrel, through which is pulled the end
of cord which passes outside over pull
ley and is attached to the trigger of the
gun. To the inside end of the string is
fastened the bait, which is usually smear
ed with honey, dainty morsel for bruin.
The bear crawls into the barrel after the
bait, pulls the string, the gun is discharg-
ed, and there is dead bear A New
Brunswick man who markets his pelts
down on the Kennebec once killed four
bears within Is minutes.
Gne of the most valua BILE fur bearing an
imuls indigenous to the state is the otter,
which is amphibious. 1t is now seldom
found outside the frozen regions, but &C.
casionally n pair of them are seen around
the lakes in the colder parts of the state.
He is not abundant in any part of the
state and is always crafty and sly, so that
it is difficult to catch him.
OF tho fur bearing animals which man.
age TO keep company with civilization
tho fox, mink, muskrat, raccoon and skunk
arc the only ones with marketable pelts.
or these none is better known than the
rad fox, which is everywhere present, the
fur always being in demand. There are
few silver foxes in the state. A prime sill
yer foNskin is worth from $50 to $50.
Then there are silver gray foxes, which are
n cross between silver and the red, and
The wood fox. the progeny OF the silver
gray and tho red. Buyers say that fox
f,lrs from tho provinces are of a better
Quality than tho Maine product, being
heavier and larger.
Mink are quite abundant around the
kennekec lakes. They are captured in
steel traps, aud favorite way Of hunting
them is with mink dogs, which run the
animals into hole, where they are dug
out, or drive them into the water to fall
before the gun OF the hunter. The mink
b a traveller, and an old trapper says that
many of them ratreat to the seacoast in
the fall, spending tho winter there, where
food IS plenty and going inland in the
spring. Othars he states, remain by the
shores OF some lake or stream and live by
diving beneath the ice and catching fish.
lie has seen the splintered end of an old
decayed log stuck full of fish, where they
had been placed by mink for future con-
sumption. The most abundant fur pro-
duciug animal in the state which swims
in the water is the Tnuskrat. He has al
ways multiplied despite the trappers.-
Exchange.