The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
TRAPPERSARELUCKY
Warm Season Has Been Ea-
YOrable for Their Work.
LOUP CERY1ERs ARE SCARCE
Hunters Believe They Are Becoming
Extinct, Which Means Better Out
look fer Deer-Canadian POachers
Make Trouble for the Game War
denA, Stealing Their Guns.

Shirley. Ne. March I2-Twenty-two
residents OF Maine. a majority OF whom
are aged t=appers OF French Canadian
birth, paid for licenses 10 trap fur bear
ing animals among the woods Of Norti.-
ern Maine AT the Office OF the hsh and
game commissioners last fall
These, with as many more who did not
take the trouble 10 obtain licenses. are
now winding up their winters operations
and making ready 20 haul their wide
runner hand sleds from the north fork
OF the west branch OF Pen0bscot River
and from the south fork OF the east
branch through woods and across IN
named lakes for 100 or 80 miles 70 the
nearest market
From kinsmen who have come in dur
ing midWinter and from late arrivals who
have found the labor of logging too hard
for them. the trappers have learned the
details regarding the advance IN the price
Of raw furs.
They know that plain fox skins with
thick fur Of a bright red color, such as
brought s. last spring. are row command
ing s. and IS, according 20 size and quail
ity; that an otter pelt which brought $
year ago IS now worth so; that mink
and fisher pelts have advanced by q par
cent. and thar for the first time since the
days OF the civil war a trapper IN the
backwO0ds can afford 10 save the szin n
a muskrst. as good specimens are now
bringing . cents.
Good Trapping Season.
In the spruce woods along the upDer
waters OF AIlagash River 80 miles ,orrb
and west from Bangor. the snow has
been from two % eight feet IN depth since
November. making excellent business for
the traPpers Of mink. otter. fisher cats.
muskrats, and such other creatures as
frequent the waterways and retain the
density OF their furs long after the foxes
and wildcats have begun 10 shed their
hair
The sudden advance IN the price OF Ioup
cerV.er skins from 81 20 s. and So each
has stimulated The trappers to make ex-
ira efforts. but thus far nine out OF every
ten traps that have been bafted ami
scented for Canada lynx on account OF
the high price have captured nothing
more valuable than bobcats. which AZ 8
apiece are hardly worth the catching.
skinning. and bringing 20 market.
An obvious conclusion 70 be drawn
from the extra efforts OF the trappers Is
that the loup csrv!er. OF Indian devil. OF
the Maine woods. is destined 70 become
extinct az an early date. which Rivez
more hopeful outlook for Maine deer
which the Canada lynx slays and eats bv
hundreds every winter.
Pellets OF cold lard with pincbes ~
strychnine q the center have been ure-
pared and put out by gloved hands and
attached 20 bushes and shrubs i1ls-
emerging above the snowdrffts and bsva
wrought deadly execution among the
large and brilliantly coated foxes. which
are very abundant near the Canadian
lire Owing 10 the great care taken b,-
foxes In selecting their food II does not
pay U haul steel traps 80 miles On a
handsled for the sake OF capturing then
by regular bats
When a man can carry srrychnf-e
enough In an ordinary pnlbox 70 slav
one thousand foxes. Il Is a waste of a.
ergy 10 haul traps A rough estimate
places the number OF foxes that have
been poisoned and skinned along. the A.
iagash from Seven Islands 70 Cbu-cbHI
Lake this winter at more than 5Oo1.
which. at an average market price OF 6
for every pelt means $4,000 for the hunt
ers-
Game Wardens I'm Trouble.
Game wardens have been too busy il
soaring away the Canadian poscbers m
become interested in the regular TRAINERS
In January. when Warden Woodward and
his deputy were away from their cen
ual camp on Depot Stream. a party ~
Canadian hide hunters broke in and stole
all the rifles and cartridges they had
completely disarming them al a place 1r1
miles away from the nearest dealer in
firearms.
As soon as this happened The scatte-I,-
lumber operators started to drive ths
warcens away from their camps. with
threats OF oeing shot up which the ward
ems believed was equivalent 10 decIara-
ton OF open hCStlitIas, an offer which
the wardens could not afford 10 srranr
until they had gone out and purchased
new armament
Outside OF foxes. which have been
poisoned without mercy. the chief reve-
nues % the trappers have come from fisher
cats. or martens. which have been mora
abundant than for a dozen years. This
the trout from the nets Of the summer
and autumn tourists. who now take the
Allagash trip from MoOsebead Lake 70
car connections at Fort Kent in parfies
Of . dozen canoes OF more every week
IN warm weather.
A very dry summer lowered the level
Of the lakes and streams, and an ab1n6-
ance of lively and palatable fish lured the
fishing cats TO the AIlagssh waters. and
al over New Brunswick and Canada and
the fisher cats staying on until afte-
the lakes and streams froze up solid
there was nothing left for them except
the choice between taking such bait as
the traps offered and deaths from star
walton and cold
Nearly 100 fisher pelts have been
taken the last winter. as against less than
400 a year ago. The addition Of large
nluSkrat skins 20 the collection OF furs
VIII increase the weight OF the loaded
sleds by 50 per cent or more. makine.
the trappers late IN reaching market. but
rewarding them handsomely for their
labors.