Smyrna times., 1912-12-25
BOMBAY HOOK TRAPPtRS
ELATED OVER FUR MARKET
PROSPECT OF HIGH PRICES GIVES
IMPETUS LOCAL INDUSTRY
Trappers on Bombay Hook Island and
at TayIor's Bridge ION the Job
The Muskrat and Its Habits

The MuSkrat and Its Habits
Taylor's Bridge trappers and trap |
pers on Bombay Hook marsh are in |
the midst of a profitable trapping |
season and with the advancing fur
market, there is much activity to trap
as lively as the weather conditions
will permit. The season for trapping
muskrats opened on December Is and
will end on March Is. There is some
little feeling among those interested
that the season commences so late in
winter, but this matter is controlled
entirely by State authorities.
Muskrat and His Interesting Habits
The muskrat himself is an animal
of interesting habits and peculiar
traits. His haunts are of two kinds.
If there is a running stream, marsh
and bank of dry land, the muskrat
will burrow a pipe eight or ten inches
in diameter from the bottom of the
stream under the marsh and up into
the bank, where he will have his bed.
Often there are two pipes leading
from same house and the trapper who
guards one finds himself badly fooled.
The other variety is forced upon the
rat when the bank it too far from the
stream to be available for use. In
this case the pipe runs from the
stream under part of the marsh and
then to the surface where the rat
builds his house of marsh, grass and
mud. These little structures may
often be seen dotting the marsh for a
large area. The house itself consists
of an upper and lower compartment,
precautionary measure taken by the
rat to obviate any inconvenience from
the upper story is flooded, in which
case the rat repairs to the roof of his
dwelling with utmost composure. Tne
muskrat feeds at night and his only
article of diet is roots, which he i:
particularly careful to thoroughly
wash before eating. The fact that the
! rats food is of this sort makes the
flesh, which in taste resembles chicken
t quite popular delicacy.
Game Law Prevents Night Shooting
In former times it was customar,
for pot hunters and also for regula
sportsmen to make muskrat hunting
at night quite a feature of their year.
:, cunning. When a light is fiashe
! upon a rat he is blinded by the glar
and consequently an easy mark fo
the hunter. Parties were accustome
to rowing in a marsh and flashing
= lantern in all directions, obtaining a
g a result of his method large bags Q
!. the rats that were feeding, accordin
= to their custom after nightfall. The
the advent of strict game laws whic
forbade the unsportsmanlike manne
of hunting and the business is no
carried on by professional trapper'
& Many of these trappers have fro
$50 to 200 steel snap traps, whiC
IS they set at the entrances of the pipe
the trap being changed to stalk
Each morning the trapper makes h
~ round and collects all the rats caugl
ay during the night. Sometimes he Sc
es his traps Immediately without cham
r ing their locality, but if it is a reg
es lar business with him, he usually r
n turns later in the day and relocat
Il. his traps in which game has be-
nu caught. The trapper next skins t
e. result of hislabor stretching each SIX
re on shingle or piece of board to DIR
no after which he sells to some loC
dealer, who ships to the city.