Sentence:  It [the wolverine] is so cunning as rarely to enter a <WSD>deadfall</WSD> itself, but will carefully pull it to pieces and then eat the bait in safety. I was informed by hunters at Selkirk Settlement that they sometimes lost the successful result of several days' trapping by a single wolverine, which, following their path, would pull down every <WSD>deadfall</WSD>, or destroy any animal already caught. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A kind of trap for animals, consisting of a heavy board or log that falls on to the prey.