The Fur Animals of Louisiana 



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The Rockefeller Wild L.ife Refuge of 86,000 acres lying in Cameron and Vermilion parishes. 



These figures show that the trappers took off the sanc- 

 tuary in the 1923-24 season 4.70 muskrats to an acre, and 

 on the following winter the catch fell off to 2.57 'rats. Due 

 to two drought summers, there was a marked decrease in 

 the catch, but in neither year was the area "skinned," as 

 we have estimated that such areas can contribute 6.75 musk- 

 rats per acre without harming the "seed" or breeding stock. 



It might be interesting to average what the trappers 

 received per acre for the fur take in the 1923-24 winter. 

 Marsh Island land earned $2.46 an acre and the year fol- 

 lowing, due to the rise in the price of 'rats, the earning 

 capacity of the same area was $2.35 an acre, for the value 

 of raccoons and minks are figured the same for both sea- 

 sons, in spite of the fact that the trappers received better 

 prices than indicated in the tables. 



On the Rockefeller Refuge the Jones Brothers, of Grand 

 Chenier, who had the trapping rights on the Cameron end 

 of the sanctuary, consisting of a little more than 60,000 

 acres, estimate their 1923-24 catch was in excess of 200,000 



