The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
GETTING ANIMALS OUT OF HOLES.
Ingenious Methods of Country Boys
I'm Invading Burrows.
Springfield Republican.

Springfield Republican.
lone thing which gives an interest in life
to the boys on farm" said the man from
the country, ARE the attempts to capture
the various wild animals hidden beneath Its
surface. In any good-sized farm there are
usually number of these-moStly foxes
and skunks and woodchucks, the rabbits
combining their burrOwing operations more
to the woods. The problem of how to Sc
but so very completely out of reach, has
from time immemorial perplexed the juve-
nile rustic understanding and brought out
various solutions. The most common meth
DDS of operation are of course, drowning
and smoking the animals out, but after one
has carried to woodchuck hole in buckets
the small reservoir of water necessary to
FIJI it, he loses his enthusiasm for the for
mer method, while the latter can only be
used where there are two holes, one above
the other on side hill, so that there is a
draft to allow the passage of the smoke.
For this reason the comm0nest and sur
est way of getting the animals is simply to
sure they are at home. While foxes and
slSunks appear a more tempting prize in the
end, the prince of game in this kind of pur-
suit is the woodchuck. He is more thorough
~ at home in the ground than either of the
other animals, and is extremely shifty in
his ways of avoiding pursuit. A woodchuck
subterranear architecture, running along
under the ground thirty or forty feet, and
often further, and being divided into all
sorts of may turns and blind alleys. To
get at the owner of the burrow you 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 a
keep up with him. His last trick. just be-
fore you reach him, is to dig straight down
and then cover up his body entirely. In
this way many woodchuck already won
has been lost.
IA trick worth knowing when dealing
with animals in holes. when you have
them out with stick. which in the long
run affords a large saving in human hands.
A fair-sized stick is cut and deep notch
thrust into the animals fur and twisted
around until a wad of hair and hide, catch
ing on the prongs, is wound up around the
stick. The animal can then be hauled out
While not calculated to add to the happi-
ness of the last hours or the game, this is
found to be a popular substitute for hands
among hunters in securing animals which
are blessed with any fair number of teeth.
"An Improvement on smoking out ami
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
smudge which no lungs can resist. and in a
NAL will come popping out into the hands
Of it's prosecutors.
1.-The meanest method of getting out game
however, is an improvised method of ferret
ing which Is sometimes employed. Com
pared to this ferreting is an act of pfety. A
fair-sized mud turtle is secured and 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 match applied. Under
these circumstances it is surprising what
speed can be gotten out of a turtle He
starts out on a brisk gallop. and in a few
moments he has reached the private bou-
doir of the woodchuck. When the latter
sees this impromptu torchlight procession In
the way he moves on; the half-fred turtle
comes hurrying after him, and, preferring
the society of mankind TO broiling, the
unfortunate animal comes out to be MUIR
/ dered with club. There isn't any specific
this sort Of thing. but there ought
to be-" .4fxzs3