White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-03-04
WILD LIFE STUDIES
ON TRAP LINE

per asks and is asked that question
hundreds of times, but few inueea
are those who can truthfully answer
IL affirmatively.'
Such was the observation of an ex.
perienccd trarper who has spent
many delightful years pursuing and
studying the ways OF this widest Of
animals.
1.-The coyote has a scent and hear.
ing SO keen that 1t is a rare circun.
stance indeed that a MAI cen an.
preach within half a mile of onA
without 1t knowing of his presence
But there are exceptions to this rule
It is possible occasionally 10 90.
wind on them or to outwit them in
ono way or another and they sone.
times seem TO lie oblivious TO Won,
approach for unexplainable reasons
"One popularity of the wolf genus
is that IL seldom is known 10 tackia
anything In the form of a bait or con.
traption left or placed by the hand
of man the first night after these
have been placed n LEFT out. IS tba
case may be. II is seldom. indeed
that a coyote Is trapped the frs.
night after tho trap has been Get. Or
casionally being trapped the second
night and more often the third. This
is the reason why n real trapper nay.
er visits his traps every day. The
animal is able to detect the human
scent and to sec any sort of marks
on the ground about the setting and
Is leary of them. II Is not until the
human scent is gone and other ind.
cations In the nature of scratches ana
footprints on the ground have been
dimmed that II will venture close and
put its foot in the concealed trap in
an attempt TO carry away the bait or
to investigate the scent emaaating
from the spot II only the latter ia
used.
This is how 1t so rarely happens
that n Is seen TO step into a trap
In many years in the business have
been told OF but one case and have
never actually seen one. but I came
so ear TO seeing one caught that /,
amounts to the same thing and might
as we'll be put down as having been
seen.
THE person who told Of seeing
one caught | have no reason to doubt
His story was reasonable and | be
lieye II. II was mora than ten years
ago. before the rabies and the high
price OF their furs In war times thin
ned thar out md 4Taar usar, 70. -
tame and bold than they are nov
Some traps had been set around the
carcass If n dead horse. which Va,
of a few hundred yards from the
camp of the men who had set the
traps and were working there. Near.
ly dusk one evening n big coyote
paced right up 10 the carcass and
instantly tried 10 jump over the
moon. II was jerked back to earth
and proceeded 10 bite it's tethered
foot. Its antics were I'm the mature
OF an epic Of animal struggles With
the inevitable. but II soon was laid
out by its human captor and is hide
pulled of
Il was riding a trap line up and
down a series of draws at the south
side of Cherrelon canyon. In northern
Arizona. These draws were grassy
meadows. with some large cedar
trees and the ridges between tEem
heavily wooded with scrub cedars. !
had ridden into the last OF som
three or -four of these draws. striking
II near the upper ond. the point he.
ing where / had a setting OF tW0
traps in the edge OF the COW trail. the
traps being chained 10 2 long pole
Cows had sprung one of the traps and
| made as few signs as possible after
sliding eff my horse in resetting H.
! placed a little coyote scent On the
bait and rode up the draw n quarter
Of a mile IA look after two more set.
tings | was not gone ten minutes
and half way back I saw a coyote
heading diagonally down the draw,
making a bee line for that setting.
II was going at a good gait, almost
a trot, and was after something that
was attracting il. II had not noticed
me. had the wind on IL and the
VIM ads 'siiSihb tue odvt
that fresh scent In the direction o.
the coyote forming a double cir
cumstanee In my favor.
Their hides were worth Sl5 I
apiece then and | aid want to see 1t
ge' caught, but | said 10 myself. No,
III hide behind this big cedar. be-
cause IL ride out 10 where | can see
4 a.. - /
Than enc minute when | peeked out,
and II was caught.
How that animal danced aud tried
10 vault 10 the skies was one of the
sighss shall never forget. The pole
was light and n vas thrown and
whipped around thu spacp of a half