Evening star., 1937-01-31
Wilderness of Northwest Canada
Lures Seekers of Valuable Furs
By Jim Emmett.

n YER since the first white man
- set foot on this continent the
lure of furs has attracted men
- to the wilderness. AS frontiers
extended, trappers sought farther
afield to find fur-bearing animals in
sufficient numbers to make trapping
worth while: until today we find that
almost unpeopled wilderness stretch
ing the length of the majestic Mac
kenzie River in Northwestern Canada,
and the wilds of Yukon and Alaska,
the section most popular with men
who make their living following the
trap line.
Present-day trapping is as much a
business as farming or ranching
farther south, and with equally as
much work and usually as little ro-
nance. Successful trappers now are
men with better than average educa-
ton: men who are able to select their
territory intelligently by consulting
government fur survey reports, who
have sufficient capital to buy ample
Winter supplies and an elaborate out
At. and who have the business ability
to search out dealers and to sell their
furs at the best prices.
All this is in direct contrast to the
trapper Of not so many years back,
the familiar figure of fiction who over
trapped a territory and failed to give
the animals opportunity to reproduce.
and who depended on the local trader
for his Winters grubstake. In return
for this he had to turn over his catch
Of furs to the trader at prices which
left little, If anything, as his profit.
SUCCESSFUL trapping is a $3.50
proposition, with freighting in Of
supplies and preparing for the long,
hard Winter OF equal importance to
actual trap-line work Winter sets in
early in the North country. Septem-
Der finds the trapper with his outfit
collected at the end OF steel, or where
the railroad ends. 1t Is vitality i'm
portant that nothing be overlooked.
because where he is going the nearest
neighbor is apt to be a good three
days hike away, and the mail comes
in but once in nine months time:
even then one must mush a long 10
days trip to get it.
Today, trappers do not depend on
the canoe for freighting supplies up
and down the large rivers which are
the highways into the wilderness, even
though one may be towed astern for
later use OH the shallow ponds. A
f1at-bottomed river boat is used, and
an outboard motor is fastened astern.
Northern rivers have treacherous
rapids along their length, and one
must navigate carefully when an ex-
pensive outfit Of traps. food. clothing
and other necessities, as we'll as ones
life. are at stake.
1t Is always at least a four-day run
on the river before country is reached
which previous study or inquiry has
led the trapper to believe will be good
territory for operations. Once there, a
sheltered spot is chosen, near the
river. but above the high-water mark,
as a site, and cabin is built of logs,
Abe Lincoln style. When it is chinked,
a cache and a fish stage are made high
up on poles, out of reach of animals.
THE long. winding trap line is then
laid out, being usually around $50
miles long, with three or four over
night cabins built along its length.
Then there are ducks to be shot, fish
to be caught, and a nice, juicy bear
trapped, and all salted down for the
Winter.
About the last of October snow falls
and fur signs appear. To make a de-
cent living, one man must set and keep
in working order around 400 traps
these from freezing down
or showing under and arranging them
so mice, squirrels and owls do not steal
the bait is big job.
The trap line is followed until
All the time the cold is most
severe, with the thermometer often
going lower than 40 below. Time does
not pass slowly. Sometimes another
trapper drops in for a day or two;
there are pelts to be handled at night,
and trappers now have battery radios
as relief against loneliness.
With the gradual disappearance Of
ice in April, rat and beaver trapping
commences. And once on its way to
the north country, warm weather
comes as quickly as did Winter. By
June is the fur season is over. traps