The Wrangell sentinel., 1929-04-04
INCREASE FUR BEARING ANIMALS BY PROTECTING
 THEIR FOOD SUPPLY By A. Q. WELLS
By A. 0. WELLS


 have been published recently re- garding the scarcity of fur bearing animals. This condition is not un- usual, as the different fur bearing animals come and go in cycles, the same as ptarmigan, grouse and rab- bits. I have made my living trap ping almost continuously since 1903 and have seen these same conditions exist before.
 During the season of 1906-07 there were no birds or rabbits in the country. My brother and I ran a trap line from Valdez creek down the Nenana river to where the present station of Cantwell is now located. There was no fur in that section that winter and we did not make ex- penses. There were very few trap pers in the country at that time, and the fur had not been trapped out. The animals had just dis appeared in that locality on account of the scarcity of birds and rabbits which constitute their chief food supply. This same section has been trapped almost every winter since then, and local fur buyers purchased pelts valued at s5.600 that were caught in this district before Christ mas this season.
 In the winter of 1921-22 there were no rabbits or birds: I caught six mink and no other fur and there were other trappers in that district and none of them caught as much as l did. I have trapped the same lines during the last three seasons and this season I caught 30 mink and also other fur bearing animals.
 It stands to reason that when the natural food supply becomes scarce. the fur bearing animals cannot re- main in large numbers. When the rabbits and birds come back. which they will do in a few seasons, the fur bearing animals will increase in proportion, as they always have done before.
 A good method of protecting the fur bearing animals is to protect their food supply. This could be done by paying a bounty on hawks and owls, as these predatory birds destroy rabbits, grouse and ptarmi- gan in large numbers.
 Protect the fur bearing animals by enacting the proper laws and en- forcing them.
 At the present time our game laws allow short trapping season on different classes of fur bearing ani- mals. Lynx and fox from Nov. 16 to Feb. 1, and mink and land otter from Dec. 1 to March l. This sea son should be changed to allow all this fur to be caught from Nov. Is to March 1, as a trapper will ire quently catch mink in his lynx sets between Nov. 16 and Dec. 1, there by unwittingly breaking the law. He will also catch lynx in his mink sets between Feb. 1 and March l. again breaking the law.
 The season for beaver and musk rat should be from March 1 to April 30. This would enable a trapper to go out in the fall and be able to trap continuously all winter. He is at a big expense and should be protected to this extent. Beaver should be limited and heavy penalty should be imposed upon a man that has more than the limit. Shooting bea- yer should be prohibited, as too many are wounded and are not re- covered, dying in their houses. By having a season from March 1 to April 30 the trapper has plenty of time to trap his limit legally.
 A bounty should be placed on vol verine as we'll as coyote and wolves, as the wolverine is much more de- structiye than any other animal. They not only destroy the fur bear ing animals and their food, but they also destroy the young of mountain sheep, caribou and moose.
 saw a place on Iron Creek in the Talkeetna district where a wolver- inc caught some mountain sheep crossing from one mountain to an- other, got them in the deep snow where they could not run away, and killed five full grown sheep. He ate only a small portion from one carcass. A wolverine will follow trap line, and destroy the animals caught in the traps. He will destroy the caches of food supplies of pros pectors and trappers and is a nui- sance in every way.
 If these recommendations were complied with, it would tend to in- crease and protect the supply of fur hearing animals. The trapper would have a continuous season to trap legally, and the game wardens could enforce the laws as there would be no excuse for catching fur out of season. Times.