Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-04
ANIMALS IN HOLES.
Ingenuity of Country Boys In Getting
Them Out.
From the Snrincfled Rennhlican

Ingenuity of Country Boys in Getting
Them Out.
From the Springfield Republican
Zone thing which gives an interest in life
to the boys on a farm" said the man from
the country, ''is the attempts to capture
the various wild animals hidden beneath
its surface In any good-sized farm there
are usually quite q number of these
mostly foxes and skunks and woodchucks,
the rabbits combining their burrowing op-
orators more to the woods. The problem
Of how to secure these creatures, so ag-
gravatingly near, but SO very completely
out of reach, has from time immemorial
perplexed the juvenile rustic understand
ing and brought out various solutions. The
most common methods Of operation are.
OF course, drowning and smoking the ami
mails out. but after one has carried to a
woodchuck hole in buckets the small reser-
vo1r of water necessary to fill 1t he loses
his enthusiasm for the former method.
there are two holes, one above the other on
a side HILL so that thare is q draught to
allow the passage Of the smoke.
Fer this reason the commorest and sur
est way of getting the animals is simply
to dig them out. having first, of course.
made sure they are at home. While foxes
and skunks appear more tempting prize
In the end. the prince of game in this kind
thoroughly at home in the ground than
either of the other animals and is extreme
ly sh.fty in his ways of avoiding pursuit.
A woodchuck hole, in the first place, is
quite marvel of subterranean architec-
ture. running along under the ground thir-
ty Or forty feet and often further, and be-
ing divided into all sorts Of may turns and
blind alleys.
often have to dig out all these turns and
may even then lose him, because all the
time you are unearthing him he Is digging
away himself in the opposite direction and
filling his tunnel after him so completely
that you may miss him entirely. He can
dig at rate of speed, too, which may
tax you to keep up with him. His last
trick Just before you reach him is to dig
straight down and then cover up his body
entirely. In this way many a woodchuck
already won has been lost.
"a trick worth knowing when dealing
with animals in holes. when you have near
ly reached them, Is way of taking them
out with a stick. which in the long run af-
fords large saving In human hands A
feir-Sized stick Is cut and deep notch
made in the end. This notched end is then
thrust into the animals fur and twisted
around until a wad CT hair ard hide, catch
ing on the prongs. is wound up around the
stick The animal can then Re hauled out.
While not calculated to add to the happi-
ness of the last hours of the game, this Is
found to be popular substitute for hands
among hunters In securing animals which
are blessed with any fair number of teeth.
IAN improvement on smoking out an
mails in use in some parts of the country
is to lay a loose train Of gunpowder as
far into the burrow possible and touch
1t Off In this way the hole may be filled
with q smudge which no lungs can resist.
and In a short time a sneezing, half-suffo-
Gated animal will come popping out into the
hands of its prosecutors.
1.-THE meanest method of getting out
game, however, Is an improvised method
of ferreting. which is sometimes employed.
Compared to this ferreting is an act of
piety. fair-sized mud turtle is secured
and a piece of cloth or cotton waste is
tied behind him close up to the base of his
tail. This Is saturated with kerosene, the
turtle headed into the hole and a match
appliedH~ Under these circumstances 1t is
surprising what speed can be gotten out of
a turtle. He starts out on a brisk gallop,
and in a few moments has reached the
private boudoir Of the woodchuck. When
the latter sees this impromptu torchlight
procession In the way he moves on; the
half-fried turtle comes hurrying after him,
and preferring the society of mankind to
broiling, the unfortunate animal comes out
to be murdered with a club. There isn't
any specific law on this sort Of thing, but
there ought to be"