The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-09-18
FOR THE TRAPPER
Some Rules That Might Help Those
Who Are Interested Thus

tain and the flood Is the birthright OF
man, having its transmission in the
blood of humanity, since our forefath-
ers battled for their existence when
the cities of our country were wild
places of an earlier century, and man
procured his daily rations by artifice
of the hunt, by matching his cunning
against the cunning of the bird, beast,
and water-creature of the forest and
the rapid.
The trapping of animals has, how
ever, lost none of its charm since the
days of the pioneer but the incentive
of the occupation has changed from
necessity to sport
Yet in the trapping and Turing of
wild animals, not so much for the
food as for the fur, Canadian wilds
have since the white man learned the
Indian trapper's art, provided an oc-
cupation very lucrative for those who
have followed its pursuit and though
the days of the explorer have almost
passed away; though he ceases to
drive his canoe along streams I'M
known, dotted here and there by dan
gerous rapids and falls; ceases to por
tage through trackless forest; for the
fur-bearing animals which were once
so numerous in Canada, there is still
in this age of cities and civilization. 4
profitable living in fur hunting
Strange as it may seem the catch of
furs today is greater and of more
value than when this country was a
wilderness. For whilst the professional
trapper has almost disappeared, the
bulk of furs being caught by the am
bilious farmer and his son, in order
to add a substantial sum to their in
come. the means of trapping are now
so numerous that the annual catch has
become greater today than heretofore.
The aspirant to trapper's honors or
the procuration of furs, can, however,
find all he needs in the way of expert
ence around his own neighborhood,
and will find that a winter spent in
the woods will help him to add hand
somely to his finances and provide am
pie sport in a good season.
There never was better outlook
for the winter catch than exists in
Canada today. Demand for all classes
of furs was never better. Skunk furs
are more popular in Canada than here
tofore, muskrat furs are finding new
uses year by year This season the
highest prices for many years have
been procured, despite the fact that
there has been an unusually large
catch of skunk and muskrat owing to
the hard winter of 1911. Everything
was frozen up and this prevented a
large catch at that time and allowed
of more prolific and extensive breed .
ing, giving a larger crop for the pre-
sent year.
In reference to trapping Hallam's
guide says:
ut is not necessary to wait until the
trapping season opens in order to To-
cate places to set the traps, but in
passing through the woods look care
fully for signs of animals; here you
may find bunch of feathers. mute
remains of a woodland tragedy; here
an ear of corn or other vegetable part
ly eaten; here den tree with its bark
scratched by climbing raccoons; here
a hole in the ground with tracks in
the soil and hair on the side of the
entrance, proclaiming the home of the
skunk; here trails made by passing
animals and their droppings. which
proclaim their presence while on sand
bars and in the mud along the streams
muskrat, raccoon, and other animals,
that seek their food in and near the
water All these signs should be care
fully observed and their location noted
for the purpose of trapping later in
the season. They tell their tales to
the experienced trapper, and If the
amateur is to make a success of trap
ping, he must be of an observing dis
position, study out the cause of these
signs, and learn to read the forest, so
that he may successfully match his
reason against the instinct and natural
wariness of the various animals.
If you trap in your neighborhood
you should go over the ground in the
late summer and early fall and pre-
pare places to set your traps, so that
the animals will become accustomed
to the change before the season opens,
by placing log, stump or chunks in a
ditch or small stream in such u man
ner that there is left only a small pas
sageway for the animals at one side,
by digging a trench across neck of
land, running into a stream, 30 that
the water will pass through about one
inch deep. and covering it over with
grass or chunks and the passing mink
cannot resist the temptation to pass
through; by making cubbies in the
woods and by scattering bait at diff