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MUSKRAT TRAPPING
I will try and give you some of my experience on the trap line. I try to set from seventy-five to one hundred traps. I commence on November l0th and trip until the deep snow comes. I use some dead fall and tree traps, but find the Victor 1 1/2 steel the best. I want to tell you of a set that has trapped more skunk for me than any set I ever made. It is this way. Take two flat stones about two feet long and set them up wedge shape In the center place your bait; the head of a rabbit, I mostly use. Set a trap in each end and if skunk or 'coon comes along you sure will get him. I dig out a shallow place for the trap to set in, put some leaves on the bottom to keep them from freezing fast and cover trap and chain in leaves or dead grass. I made this set when there were three or four holes and on visiting my traps next morning I had a fine skunk in the trap and there was two other skunks eating he up. I had a single barrel shot gun with me and I shot at them, killing one and the other one got in a hole before I could reload. I set a trap and next morning I had him. I got seven skunks: that one place.
At another place I had two traps set, one at the entrance of the hole in each side of an old fence. The next morning I had a skunk in one a dandy half stripe. I reset traps and in a few days had a rabbit or part of one. I fixed the sets and the next morning it was raining, I had gone the full length of my line and nothing doing and I said to myself, I won't go up there, as it is no use, so I passed on. There was a strong east wind and when I got by I smelled familiar odor of skunk, so back I went and I had one in each trap, both by the hind leg and they were mad as hornets. The one was waiting for me and he sure got me, too.
Well, boys, did a skunk ever get you in both eyes? This one did me and for the next half hour I could not see a thing.
B. F X
Schoharie Co., N. Y.
Fur, News. Fur News, January 1916.
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