The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1909-11-25
BEAVERS AND OTHER
FUR BEARERS
All Kinds To Be Eagerly
Sought This Season
Some Facts Regarding the Prices Paid
For skins.

A beaver picnic Tor the old-tme
trappers. says the Maine Woods will
begin November - and last SIX
weeks. until January ! pursuant to
the new law enacted by the last leg
islature as a result OF the persistence
of Hon. Forrest Goodwin of Skowhe-
gan who is one OF the owners OF Jim
Pond town in Franklin county and
wanted to let trappers trap on his
town and own and sell the skins to
pay for their efforts After the vari-
Gus diseouraging setbacks of Mr.
Goodwins beaver bill II WAS sailing
along we'll. when Senator Donigan of
Somerset county bobbed up serenely
and said his folks wanted TO trap
beaver in every unorganized town III
Somerset county. excepting within a
mile of sporting camps, and he got
the amendment, which by the way,
was bigger than the original bill for
Mr.. Goodwin cared only for IA small
territory,
If high prices are any inducement
it is certain that all Maine fur
bearing animals will be eagerly
sought by trappers this fall and win
er. Furs were never so high as at
the present time, and the trapper who
cen collect a few hundred musk-rat,
skunk, mink and coon skins during
the coming winter will get good mon
ey for them in the spring.
That popular quadruped, called the
skunk, but more famliarly known as
the wood pussy" has come into its
own this season, and his or her pelt
is much in demand. Even the 400
think we'll of his skunkships fur,
while over in gay Paris it is the favor
lite skin of the season. In order that
the delicate sense of some people may
not be offended by the name, skunk,
the furriers call it Alaska sable.
Probably several thousand skunks
until this year a skunk pelt has not
been worth many dollars To the man
who kills many of the animals this
winter there is sure to be a rich re-
ward forthcoming in the spring Black
pelts are preferred to those with
white intermingled, and will be worth
more.
The wood pussy" is not the only
animal common to Maine that will
The musk-rat pelt is enjoying ire
mendous vogue with the exclusive
furriers and garments made out of
this skin will be as much worn as
any other kind of fur garments this
season. Many thousands of musk
rats are killed in Maine every year.
There are three varieties of musk-rat
known to the furriers trade, the fall
and the winter and spring muskrats.
OF the three pelts the spring one is
the most valuable and brings any
where from 40 to 45 cents. Musk
rat skin is known in the exclusive
trade as Hudson seal.
Coon skin, both natural and dyed,
will be much worn this season by
those who are addicted to the motor
car. 1t will be the exclusive fur in
this connection. Many of the animals
are killed in Maine every winter and
their pelts will be valuable.
Mink, fisher and otter are the ami
mails in Maine which furnish the most
costly pelts A good mink skin will
bring from 81 to So; dark fisher pelt
Is worth about 500 and a good otter
skin, anywhere from SIS to $50 While
there are other parts of the world
that furnish more mink, otter and
fisher pelts than Maine. many OF these
little animals are caught in this state
every season.
Fox skins are worth considerable in
these days of fur wearing and good
one will bring from So to S.. Fox are
quite plentiful In this section Of the
country, but the chances are that the,
will be considerably hunted the COM
ing winter by trappers.