The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-06
WINTER TRAPPING.
Money Is stilI Made in the Far wild
West

West.
Montana Letter in Chicago Record.
There are small fortunes in furs brought
| down out of the Bitter Root mountains
| every spring by the men who go away
| back into the Businesses OF those almost
inaccessible mountains in September and
remain there hemmed in by snow which
| does not melt enough to allow of their
coming out until the end of April or the
middle of May. During the six or eight
months of their stay they generally get
dozen or more bearslxins apiece, a cou-
pie of dozen marten and any quantity of
deerskns These, which may safely be
| counted as an average catch, will be-
worth all the way from $500 to $1,000. ac-
cording to the sizes, kind and quality of
the furs
The men who follow this business are
Cor the most part typical trappers, and
their lives and the scenes of their occu-
patton are as wild and as far from civili-
cation as any lover OF adventure could
desire. They generally go alone. though
| there are now and then a couple who
make the expedition in company. As there
| will be no coming out until spring, X Is
| necessary to take in enough food to run
them for six or eight months. along with
camp eQuipages, their bedding, traps and
ammunition. There are no such things as
roads-back into the mountains, so they
carry their supplies in with pack animals
"a dozen TO each man, for the two trails
which lead in the Missoula and the Lost
Horse, are so difficult and dangerous that
II is unsafe and impracticable to load an
animal with much over nifty poundsi ana
then It is necessary to have one or two
extras in case of a chance fall tanning
one of those loaded.
Dangers of Travel.
After the start is made they do not stop
until they have wound their way back to
the summit of the range, where they halt
for few days working along 1t in search
of the particular canyon which seems
most likely to offer good seasons trap
ping and hunting ground This is often
hard to find but the search is kept up
until they are satisfied they have found
the very best locality.
Some times they decide on a canyon that
winds down on this side toward the val
ley of the Bitter Root but more frequent-
~ they pick on one that follows down the
eastern slope of the range toward the val
ley of the Clear Water. for that Is an UNI
settled country and offers more advan-
tages. In either case as soon as the To-
cality has been found they start In on
their preparations for the seasons cam
paign the canyon must first be explored
from head to mouth, and in many cases
| long ana dangerous 1etOuTS are necessary
before the trip is ended and the return
made There are sheer walls of rock half
a mile high that have to be passed. lodg-
ed pines so thick and tangled that IL puz-
zles a man to get through on foot, ana
here and there treacherous masses of slide
rock that roll under a mans weight, and
IL he is not nimble and careful, may break
a leg for him--an accident which will cost
him his life If he be alone.
The Winter House.
| After the exploration has been made the
| next thing to do Is to get the camp OUTFIT
and the pack animals down into the cam
yon far enough for the first winter camp.
| usually about ten miles down from the
| summit of the range. Here they build a
rude cabin, and, leaving some food aud
bedding and many traps as will be
needed at this end of the line, push on
ten or a dozen miles farther, cutting trail
as they go to the next place for a camp,
where they build another cabin, and. sup
plying Il as before, continue on their way
to the valley. Having arrived there, they
turn their pack animals loose. Then
few days are spent in exploring the cam
yons opening into the valley, and II ex-
ceptionally good trapping Sign" Is found
maybe another camp is erected near Il.
The next thing In order is the killing of
the winters meat, for by this time II Is
near the close of October and the deer
and elk are in fine condition. II the trap
| peers dft OH the 1ltdT water Sluc OF INC
range the job of killing the meat is tame
sport, for over there there is compare tive
ly little hunting done the game is abund-
ant and easily killed. AS soon as a sufn-
Client number OF carcasses have been OBJ
tanned some OF the pack horses are pressed
into service again and the meat distributed
at the various cabins along the line Of the
route
Setting the Traps.
Everything Is now In readiness for tho
winters work. and If there are two of the
trappers together on the line one or them
will take one end of Il and the other the
other. Then they Will begin setting their
traps, each mans string generally ex-
tending over a distance of fifty or sixty
miles. Generally steel traps are used, but
occasionally dead falls made of heavy logs
are built for the capture of particularly
large bear which would be likely 10 get
away with common trap; and then there
are few trapDers who make use of bent
sapllngs to which a slipnoose Of stout
rope is attached and which spring up and
draw the loop light around anything thar
touches the bait.
Whatever sort of method the trapper
chooses he generally makes the trip over
, his line once In three or four days to
, reset any traps that are sprung and make
sure OF anything that has been caught
On these trips he always takes his gun
along, for Il Is no uncommon thing for
him to have trouble with a trapped bear
, sometimes the animal gets away with the
trap and has to be followed for miles be-
fore he be found, but the dragging
trap binders his progress, and scratching
along the ground makes his trail easy to
follow He is always in an ugly mood
when his pursuer comes up, and cases are
known where he has actually lain in anu
bush for the pursuing traDper. and,
jumping out unexpectedly. maulcd the life
out OF him before he had chance to use
, his gun.
But as a general thirg the bear is shot
where he is trapped and his skin taken
without much danger TO the trnppers. who
Immediately seeks for some other place
where there is a chance u making anoth-
er catch.