William Hamilton Gibson - Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making
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William Hamilton Gibson >> Camp Life in the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making
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[Illustration]
The writer, in his extreme youth, learned, through dear experience,
the putrid qualities of this noisome quadruped. It was on one bright
Sunday, in New England, and he was out in his Sunday clothing,
gathering wild strawberries. He suddenly discovered a pretty little
playful animal with bushy tail, romping in the grass near him.
The creature was seemingly gentle, and showed no inclination to
run away, and the pet-loving nature of the writer prompted an
irresistible desire to capture so pretty a creature. Encouraged
by its gentle manner, he eagerly ran towards the tempting prize,
and grasping it by the bushy tail, which the animal had raised
perpendicularly, as if for a handle, the pretty creature was locked
[Page 197]
in the affectionate embrace of its youthful admirer. But alas! he
soon repented his rashness, and the treacherous "pet" was quickly
flung away leaving its victim in such a foul state of overwhelming
astonishment as can be more easily imagined than described.
Every article of clothing worn on that eventful Sunday had to be
buried, and it took weeks of Sundays before the odor could be thoroughly
eradicated from the hair and skin of the individual who wore those
Sunday garments. After this adventure, the youth became more cautious
with respect to pretty little playful animals, with black and white
fur and bushy tails.
There is hardly a farmer in the country but what has had some amusing
or serious experience with the skunk, and almost every trapper
has, at one time or another, served as a target for his shooting
propensities. Natural histories are replete with anecdotes of which
this animal is the mephitic hero, and volumes might be filled to
the glory of his strong-smelling qualities.
Perhaps it is through the prejudice of the writer that he cannot
enthusiastically recommend the skunk as a domestic pet; but it
is nevertheless asserted, on good authority, that these animals,
when reared from the young, become very interesting and playful
in the household, and completely shut down on their objectionable
faculties.
Our illustration gives a very good idea of the animal, and it is
so unlike any other creature that a further description will not
be necessary. The prevailing colors are white and black; but these
vary much in proportion, the animal sometimes being almost totally
white, or altogether black. The fur is long, and comparatively coarse,
being intermixed with long, glossy hairs, and is most valuable in
the black animal. The body of the creature is about a foot and a
half in length, exclusive of the tail, which adds about fourteen
inches more.
The skunk is generally nocturnal in its habits, secreting itself
during the day in hollow trees, or crevices in rocks, or wood-piles.
At night it ventures forth in quest of its food, which consists
chiefly of grasshoppers, worms and other insects, wild fruit and
such small animals in the shape of frogs, mice and birds as it can
capture. The poultry yard often offers an irresistible temptation,
and both fowls and eggs often serve to appease his appetite.
The skunk is common throughout the greater part of North America,
and in many localities the numbers increase very
[Page 198]
rapidly unless checked. The young are brought forth in burrows
or holes in rocks during April or May, and are from six to nine
in number.
"Skunk fur" does not sound well when thought of in connection with
a set of fashionable furs; and for this reason the pelt of this
animal is dignified by the name of Alaska sable by all dealers in
the article. When known by this fancy title it suddenly becomes a
very popular addition to fashion's winter wardrobe, and is one of
the leading furs which are exported to meet the demand of foreign
countries. Foul as the animal is, it seldom soils its own fur with
its offensive fluid; and when carefully skinned the fur is as saleable
as that of any other animal.
The Skunk is trapped in a variety of ways; and as the animal is
not cunning, no great skill is required. The steel trap is most
commonly used, as other wooden varieties, box traps or dead-falls,
for instance, are apt to absorb and retain the stench of the animal.
In using the steel trap the size No. 2 should be taken. It may be
set at the entrance to their burrows or in their feeding grounds.
It should be covered with loose earth or chaff, or some other light
substance, and baited with small bits of meat, dead mice, or eggs
placed around it. The enclosure illustrated on page 143 also answers
well, and in all cases the spring pole, page 144, should be used.
The dead-fall, page 107, is often employed, and the twitch-up, page
43, is a particularly effective contrivance for their capture, often
preventing the evil consequences of the odor by causing instant
dislocation of the neck, and this without injuring the fur. A stroke
upon the backbone near the tail, by producing paralysis of the
parts, also prevents the animal from using his offensive powers,
and a dead-fall so constructed as to fall upon the animal at this
part will accomplish the same effect. To manage this it is only
necessary to place the bait far back in the enclosure, so that
the skunk on reaching it will bring the rear portion of his body
beneath the suspended log. The scent of the skunk is as we have
said, almost ineradicable, but we would recommend chloride of lime
as the most effectual antidote.
It is also said by some trappers that the odor may be dissipated
by packing the garment in fresh hemlock boughs, letting it thus
remain for a couple of days. This is certainly a valuable hint
if true, and is well worth remembering.
For skinning the skunk, see Beaver, Otter and Fox.
[Page 199]
THE WOLVERINE.
This, one of the most ferocious as well as detestable of American
animals, is principally found in British America and the upper
portion of the United States. It has won a world wide reputation
for its fierceness and voracity, and on this account is popularly
known as the Glutton. It is not confined to America, but is also
found in Siberia and Northern Europe.
[Illustration]
The general appearance of this animal, ugly in disposition as in
appearance, is truthfully given in our illustration. It is not
unlike a small bear in looks, and was formerly classed among that
genus.
The general color of the wolverine is dark brown. The muzzle, as
far back as the eye-brows, is black, and the immense paws partake
of the same hue. The claws of the animal are
[Page 200]
long and almost white, forming a singular contrast to the jetty fur
of the feet. So large are the feet of this animal, and so powerful
the claws, that a mere look at them will tell the story of their
death dealing qualities, a single stroke from one of them often
being sufficient for a mortal wound. Although the wolverine is
not as large as the bear, its foot prints in the snow are often
mistaken for those of that creature, being nearly of the same size.
The glutton feeds largely on the smaller quadrupeds, and is a most
determined foe to the beaver during the summer months; the ice-hardened
walls of their houses serving as a perfect protection against his
attacks in the winter time.
To the trapper of the north the wolverine is a most detested enemy,
following the rounds of the traps and either detaching the baits
or tearing away the dead animals which have fallen a prey to them.
The trapper's entire circuit will be thus followed in a single
night, and where the veritable "glutton" does not care to devour
its victim it will satisfy its ferocious instinct by scratching
it in pieces, leaving the mutilated remains to tell the story of
its nocturnal visit.
The wolverine is a dangerous foe to many animals larger than itself,
and by the professional hunter it is looked upon as an ugly and
dangerous customer.
There are several methods of trapping this horrid creature, and
in many localities successful trapping of other animals will be
impossible without first ridding the neighborhood of the wolverines.
Dead-falls of large size will be found to work successfully, baiting
with the body of some small animal, such as a rat or squirrel.
A piece of cat, beaver or muskrat flesh is also excellent, and
by slightly scenting with castoreum success will be made sure.
Several of these traps may be set at intervals, and a trail made
by dragging a piece of smoked beaver meat between them. The gun
trap, as described on page 20, will also do good service in
exterminating this useless and troublesome animal.
Steel traps of size No. 3 or 4 are commonly used to good purpose.
They may be arranged in any of the various methods already described,
the plan of the enclosure, page 143, being particularly desirable. In
all cases the trap should be covered with leaves, moss or the like,
and the bait slightly scented with castoreum. Like all voracious
animals, the perpetual greed of the wolverine completely overbalances
its caution, and thus renders its capture an easy task.
[Page 201]
The home of the animal is generally in a crevice or cave between
rocks, and its young, two or three in number, are brought forth
in May.
In removing the skin, it may be ripped up the belly, or taken off
whole, as described for the fox.
THE OPOSSUM.
[Illustration]
The opossum is found more or less throughout nearly all the United
States. In size it equals a large cat, the tail being about fifteen
inches long, very flexible and covered with scales. The general
color of the fur is grayish-white, slightly tinged with yellow,
[Page 202]
and the legs are of a brownish hue, which color also surrounds the
eyes to some extent.
The fur is comparatively soft and wooly, and thickly sprinkled with
long hairs, white at the base and brown at the tips.
The nature and habits of the animal are very interesting. Its nest
is made in some sheltered hollow in an old fallen or live tree,
or beneath overhanging roots or rocks, and composed of moss and
dead leaves. The young are produced in several litters during the
year, and when born are transferred by the mother to a pouch situated
in the lower front portion of her body. Here they remain and are
nourished by the parent until they are five weeks old, at which
time they emerge and travel with their mother, and their little
ring tails do them good service in holding fast to their guardian.
It is an amusing sight to see a family of young 'possums thus linked
together, and so "attached to each other."
The opossum is a voracious and destructive animal, prowling about
during the hours of darkness and prying into every nook and corner in
hope of finding something that may satisfy the cravings of imperious
hunger. Rats, mice, nuts, berries, birds, insects and eggs are all
devoured by this animal; and when not content with these he does
not hesitate to insinuate himself into the poultry yard, and make
a meal on the fowls and young chickens. His fondness for fruit and
Indian corn often leads him to commit great havoc among plantations
and fruit trees, and his appetite for the fruit of the persimmon tree
is proverbial. While feeding on these fruits he frequently hangs
by his tail, as seen in our illustration, gathering the persimmons
with his fore paws and eating them while thus suspended. He is a
most agile climber, and his tenacity and terminal resources in
this direction are admirably depicted in that well known Methodist
sermon, as follows: "An' you may shake one foot loose, but 'tothers
thar; an' you may shake _all_ his feet loose, but he laps his tail
around the lim' an' he clings forever."
He is an adept at feigning death, "playing 'possum" so skilfully
as frequently to deceive an expert.
"'Possums" are hunted in the Southern States much after the manner
of coons; and to the negroes a "'possum hunt" signifies most unbounded
sport."
Though cunning in many ways, the opossum is singularly simple in
others. There is hardly any animal more easily captured; for it
will walk into the clumsiest of traps, and permit itself to be
ensnared by a device at which an American rat would look with utter
contempt.
[Page 203]
The dead-fall, garrote, or stout snare may all be employed, being
baited with any of the substances already described. The steel
trap 2-1/1 or 3 is most commonly used, being set in the haunts of
the animal, and slightly scented with musk.
See Fox and Beaver, for directions for skinning, stretching, etc.,
etc.
THE RABBIT.
The rabbit or "cotton tail," as he is familiarly termed, is too
well-known to need any description here. From Maine to Texas our
woods abound with these fleet-footed little creatures, of which
there are several American species. They are the swiftest of all
American quadrupeds, and have been known to clear over twenty feet
in a single leap. They are all natural burrowers, although they
often forego the trouble of excavating a home when one can be found
already made, and which can be easily modified or adapted to their
purposes. The common rabbit of New England often makes its home or
"form," beneath a pile of brush or logs, or in crevices in rocks.
Here it brings forth its young, of which there are often three
or four litters a year. The creature becomes a parent at a very
early age, and by the time that a rabbit is a year old it may have
attained the dignity of a grand parent.
The food of the rabbit consists of grasses, bark, leaves, bulbs,
young twigs, buds, berries and the like, and of cultivated vegetables
of all kinds, when opportunity favors. When surprised in the woods
it manifests its alarm by violently striking the ground with its
feet, causing the peculiar sound so often noticed at their first
jump. The animal is fond of pursuing a beaten path in the woods,
and is often snared at such places. Its enemies, beside man, are
the lynx, and other carnivorous animals, hawks, owls, and even
the domestic cat.
The rabbit is a favorite game with all amateur sportsmen, and the
devices used in its capture are multitudinous. It is by no means
a difficult animal to trap, and a glance through the second and
fourth sections of our book, will reveal many ingenious snares
and other contrivances, commonly and successfully used.
The Box trap, page 103, is perhaps the most universal example of
rabbit trap, but the Self-setting trap, page 110, and Double-ender,
page 109, are also equally effective where the animal is desired
to be taken alive. If this is not an object, the snare is to be
recommended as simple in construction and sure in its result.
[Page 204]
The above constitute the only devices commonly used for the capture
of the rabbit, the steel trap being dispensed with. On page 109
will be found additional remarks concerning the rabbit, and many
hints no baiting, etc., are also given under the heads of the various
traps above alluded to.
The skin of the rabbit is very thin and tender, and should be carefully
removed, either as described for the fox, or in the ordinary method,
by incision up the belly. Full directions for curing and tanning
the skins will be found under its proper head in a later portion
of this work.
THE WOOD-CHUCK.
This animal also called the marmot, is so well-known to most of
our readers, that a detailed description will not be necessary,
suffice it to say that the general color is brownish grey above,
changing to reddish brown on the under parts. The head, tail and
feet partaking of a darker color. The length of the animal is about
a foot and a-half, exclusive of the tail, which is four inches
long.
The woodchuck is a clumsy looking animal, and anything but active
in its movements. It is very unintelligent, and is always too ready
to use its powerful teeth on the hand of any one who may attempt
to handle it. It is naturally a timid animal, but when cornered
or brought to bay, it fights most desperately.
The woodchuck is an expert excavator, and where the animals exist
in large numbers great damage is done by their united burrowing. They
generally remain in their burrows during the day, only venturing out
casually to see what is going on, and keeping near their entrance.
Towards evening they start out to feed, devouring certain grasses
and weeds, and also pumpkins and green corn with avidity, ever
and anon sitting upright on their haunches, to see if the coast
is clear. In case they are surprised in their meal, they hurry
home in a pell-mell sort of a way, giving as much the appearance
of rolling as running, but, nevertheless, getting over the ground
with fair speed for such an unwieldy animal. The skin is loose and
very tough, and possesses no commercial value, being principally
used for whiplashes. Their burrows are generally on the slope of
a hill, and often at the foot of a rock or tree. These tunnels
vary from ten to thirty feet in length, sloping downward from the
opening, afterward taking an upward turn and terminating in a roomy
chamber, in which the animal sleeps in
[Page 205]
winter and where the young from three to eight in number are brought
forth. The woodchuck is found throughout nearly the whole of the
United States, and is especially abundant in New England, where
it is a decided nuisance. It is found as far south as Tennessee,
and westward to the Rocky Mountains. The flesh of the woodchuck
is by many much esteemed as food, particularly in the Fall. When
used for this purpose, the animal should be skinned and carefully
cleaned immediately after death, taking especial care to remove the
masses of fat which lie inside of the legs, as these, if allowed
to remain, are sure to taint the flesh in cooking.
The animals are easily caught by setting the traps at the entrance
of their burrows, and carefully covering them with loose earth,
no bait being required. They may also be captured by the aid of
a spring-pole, with noose attached, the pole being bent down and
caught under a notched stick, and the noose being arranged at the
opening of the burrow, see page 43, the Woodchuck in passing in
or out will become entangled in the noose, and in his efforts to
escape the pole will be loosened from the peg, thus lifting the
animal in mid-air. Woodchucks are also sometimes drowned out of
their holes, and the turtle is often put to good use for the purpose
of smoking the animals from their subterranean dwellings. A ball of
wicking saturated with kerosene is attached by a wire to the tail
of the reptile. When the ball is ignited the creature is introduced
into the entrance of the hole, and of course in fleeing from its
fiery pursuer it traverses the full length of the burrow, and as
another matter of course drives out its other occupants, which
are shot or captured as they emerge.
The woodchunk's skin is generally taken off as described for the
muskrat, and stretched accordingly.
THE GOPHER.
This remarkable little animal somewhat resembles the Mole in its
general appearance and habits. It is also commonly known as the
Canada Pouched Rat, and is principally found west of the Mississippi
and northward. It is a burrowing animal, and like the Mole drives
its subterranean tunnels in all directions, throwing up little
hillocks at regular intervals of from five to twenty feet. Its
body is thick set and clumsy and about ten inches long, and its
Mole-like claws are especially adapted for digging. Its food consists
of roots and vegetables, and its
[Page 206]
long and projecting incisors are powerful agents in cutting the
roots which cross its path in making its burrow. The most striking
characteristic of the animal, and that from which it takes its
name, consists in the large cheek pouches which hang from each
side of the mouth and extend back to to shoulders. They are used as
receptacles of food which the animal hurriedly gathers when above
ground, afterward returning to its burrow to enjoy its feast at its
leisure. It was formerly very commonly and erroneously believed
that the Gopher used its pouches in conveying the earth from its
burrow, and this is generally supposed at the present day, but
it is now known that the animal uses these pockets only for the
conveyance of its food.
The color of the fur is reddish-brown on the upper parts, fading
to ashy-brown on the abdomen, and the feet are white.
In making its tunnels, the dirt is brought to the surface, thus
making the little mounds after the manner of the mole. After having
dug its tunnel for several feet the distance becomes so great as
to render this process impossible, and the old hole is carefully
stopped up and a new one made at the newly excavated end of the
tunnel, the animal continuing on in its labors and dumping from
the fresh orifice. These mounds of earth occur at intervals on
the surface of the ground, and although no hole can be discovered
beneath them, they nevertheless serve to indicate the track of
the burrow, which lies several inches beneath.
The Gopher is a great pest to western cultivators, and by its root
feeding and undermining propensities does extensive injury to crops
generally. They may be successfully trapped in the following manner:
Strike a line between the two most recent earth mounds, and midway
between them remove a piece of the sod. By the aid of a trowel
or a sharp stick the burrow may now be reached. Insert your hand
in the tunnel and enlarge the interior sufficiently to allow the
introduction of No. (0) steel trap. Set the trap flatly in the
bottom of the burrow, and then laying a piece of shingle or a few
sticks across the excavation replace the sod. Several traps may
be thus set in the burrows at considerable distances apart, and a
number of the animals thus taken. The traps are sometimes inserted
in the burrows from the hillocks, by first finding the hole and
then enlarging it by inserting the arm and digging with the hand
beneath. The former method, however, is preferable.
The skin of the Gopher may be pulled off the body either by cutting
up the hind less, as described in reference to the Fox,
[Page 207]
or by making the incision from the lower jaw down the neck, as decided
for the muskrat, a simple board stretcher being used.
THE MOLE.
Of all the mammalia the Mole is entitled to take the first place
in the list of burrowers. This extraordinary creature does not
merely dig tunnels in the ground and sit at the end of them, as is
the case with many animals, but it forms a complicated subterranean
dwelling place with chambers, passages and other arrangements of
wonderful completeness. It has regular roads leading to its feeding
grounds; establishes a system of communication as elaborate as
that of a modern railway, or, to be more correct, as that of the
subterranean network of the sewers of a city. It is an animal of
varied accomplishments. It can run tolerably fast, it can fight
like a bull-dog, it can capture prey under or above ground, it can
swim fearlessly, and it can sink wells for the purpose of quenching
its thirst. Take the mole out of its proper sphere, and it is awkward
and clumsy as the sloth when placed on level ground, or the seal
when brought ashore. Replace it in the familiar earth and it becomes
a different being, full of life and energy, and actuated by a fiery
activity which seems quite inconsistent with its dull aspect and
seemingly inert form.
We all know that the mole burrows under the ground, raising at
intervals the little hillocks or "mole hills" with which we are
so familiar; but most of us little know the extent or variety of
its tunnels, or that the animal works on a regular system and does
not burrow here and there at random. How it manages to form its
burrows in such admirably straight lines, is not an easy problem,
because it is always done in black darkness, and we know of nothing
which can act as a guide to the animal. As for ourselves and other
eye-possessing creatures, the feat of walking in a straight line
with closed eyelids is almost an impossibility, and every swimmer
knows the difficulty of keeping a straight course under water,
even with the use of his eyes.
The ordinary mole hills, so plentiful in our fields, present nothing
particularly worthy of notice. They are merely the shafts through
which the quadruped miner ejects the material which it has scooped
out, as it drives its many tunnels through the soil, and if they
be carefully opened after the rain has consolidated the heap of
loose material, nothing more will be discovered than a simple hole
leading into the tunnel. But let us
[Page 208]
strike into one of the large tunnels, as any mole catcher will
teach us, and follow it up to the real abode of the animal. The
hill under which this domicile is hidden, is of considerable size,
but is not very conspicuous, being always placed under the shelter of
a tree, shrub, or a suitable bank, and would scarcely be discovered
but by a practiced eye. The subterranean abode within the hillock
is so remarkable that it involuntarily reminds the observer of the
well-known "maze," which has puzzled the earliest years of youth
throughout many generations. The central apartment, or "keep,"
if we so term it, is a nearly spherical chamber, the roof of which
is almost on a level with the earth around the hill, and therefore
situated at a considerable depth from the apex of the heap. Around
this keep are driven two circular passages or galleries, one just
level with the ceiling and the other at some height above. Five
short descending passages connect the galleries with each other,
but the only entrance into the keep is from the upper gallery,
out of which three passages lead into the ceiling of the keep. It
will be seen therefore that when the mole enters the house from
one of its tunnels, it has first to get into the lower gallery
to ascend thence into the upper gallery, and so descend into the
central chamber. There is, however, another entrance into the keep
from below. A passage dips downward from the centre of the chamber,
and then, taking a curve upwards, opens into one of the larger burrows
or high roads, as they may be fitly termed. It is a noteworthy
fact that the high roads, of which there are several radiating in
different directions, never open into the gallery opposite one
of the entrances into the upper gallery. The mole therefore is
obliged to go to the right or left as soon as it enters the domicile
before it can find a passage to the upper gallery. By the continual
pressure of the moles upon the walls of the passages and roof of
the central chamber, they become quite smooth, hard, and polished,
so that the earth will not fall in, even after the severest storm.
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