Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-12-30


bank down so as to make a steep slope.
They then climb up and slide down on
the vet mud. It's grea, fun fun for q
lot of young otters to climb up to the
top and then slide down on their bel.
lies. sousel into the water. one after
another. just as boys do coasting dowu
some short steep place on the snow.
Now when the trapper wants to catch
these ottters-which he always wants
to-he VIII reach In the water. careful
not to touch the land or disturb the
slide, but sets the trap right at the foot
of the slide in the water. so deep that
the otter will be under water when he
gets bis feet in the trap, and so drown.
For is he ever gets his head out OF
water he will gnaw his foot of and get
away.
one of my old trapper friends told
me he could catch anything in trap
that walked or flies or swims. and he
could catch wolf or panther or deer
by any foot he was mind to. He
told me he had caught wolves in steel
traps by the foot just as he waited to !.
He said, Now if | want to see just
how nice | can catch a wolf | will first
place my bait in such position that
4bo xr-olF mill bayo - o0rno 1,,z. -,
way; after have set my bait, wait
a day or two and when / 60 to see il
if there is any sign. If the bait is
gone l examine carefully and see just
how the animal stood. Then I rebait
the place and If the bait is gone again
l then set my trap, which requires
greaa care. / first remove every trace
one by one; then lay my trap right
where one of his feet stood; with my
hunting knife | mark around my trap.
just as large as the trap is when set
then take my bat or my blouse and
spread it on the ground and with my
knife cut hole and put every particle
of the dirt in one or the other OF said ar
ticles. When have got the trap set
in that place put all the leaves back
Just as | found them, aud smooth all Of
the surrounding leaves and sticks just
as they were, so that no eye can detect
any change iu the looks of the ground.
carry the dirt away off out of sight
aud leave it. Now. when that wolf
comes back be finds the bait all right,
and as he has been to the same place
before he does not suspect any traps
and the first thing he knows he has
put his foot in it." l should have
said earlier that there is chain
attached to the trap and of yonder is
a big chunk of wood fastened to the
chain So when Mr.. Wolf goes to walk
off with the trap ne finds a big piece
of wood that will catch against every
thing that gets in its way. When the
trapper comes to look for his trap and
he finds it is gone he can follow the
marks the drag has made as it drags
along the ground. Sometimes a wolf
will get miles away. If it is large
male wolf. But it makes no difference.
He can't get away from that chunk.
This old trapper said, 81 sometimes
make pens to catch panthers, wolves
aud bears. He said. When | want
to make pen cut my timber about
six or eight feet long and four feet
wide and with an auger | pin the cor
ners together fast and tight. for bear
will knock pen all to flinders il it is
not made very strong. The top or
cover is made with cross pins, bored
so as to let the ends of the timbers, to
be sharpeued to St 10 the cross-pins
and all are tightly wedged. SO no
amount of clawing or moving will pull
it to pieces. The top is made TO open
fast. When the trap is finished it is
set with triggers aud baited with some
kind of meat-a skinned coon, otter or
beaver. A hungry wolf or hungry
bear is not very choice of what is set
before them SO it's meat. Some OF
those things thrown way In the back
side OF the trap make very tempting
bait to a hungry animal. When be
puts his paws up on the end that opens
aud walks in and sees meat it looks 30
tempting and so close he will try II
anyway. As he reaches in and goes
TO take the meat down comes the cover
or top over him and there you are! II
it's wolf he just crouches down like
a whipped cur; but il lis o bear be
will try TO knock the pen to pieces
with his paws. for he is good boxer;
with one slap OF his paw be win knock
a dog clean into the middle OF next
week. / tell you one slap OF his paw
will pretty near finish any common
dog. . This old trapper said, ..the
oaly way to get the bear out was TO
put bullet in the bur Of his ear. But
you can do anything with wolf: put
him ID sack and carry him hons %
your horse alive II gou want to. ..As
sueaking as wolf'' used 70 be the old
saying among the trappers. i wolf is
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