FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



The bait pen is usually made by driving stakes in a circle from 

 one of the trap stakes to the other stake on the same side of the 

 bottom log. This style of a deadfall is alright as to handling bait, 

 but I do not consider it a sure trap, as often the animal will set 

 off the. trap befpre it is far enough under the drop to make a sure 

 catch. I prefer a trigger that will cause the animal to get at 

 least one fore leg over the bottom piece before the trap is sprung. 



In making this style of a deadfall it is not necessary to use 

 a string and the forked stakes with the cross stick in the forks; 

 all that is necessary is to have two upright standards, one locked on 

 to the other by just a notch cut in the standard that the drop 

 rest on and catch the other end of the standard resting on the bed 

 place. This standard is made slightly wedge shape so as to rest 

 firmly in the notch in the upper standard. The notch should be 

 about two-thirds the distance from the lower end of the stick up 

 and just long enough to come down and rest against the side 

 of the crossbar or treadle, which, as before stated, should be about 

 two inches above the bed piece. 



The stone deadfall with the figure 4 trigger, I have found in 

 common use in nearly all sections where large flat rocks were to be 

 had to use in making the trap. This stone deadfall is alright in 

 mink trapping and smaller animals but it is not favored much in 

 coon trapping. There are many other styles of deadfalls which I 

 will try to describe later. 



As to animals taking bait, will say, I have never had much 

 trouble in getting meat or carnivorous animals to take bait, but 

 sometimes it is necessary to use a different bait than what they will 

 take at other times. This, undoubtedly, is owing to what the ani- 

 mals have been accustomed to feeding on. If the animal is fed on 

 a certain kind of food and will no longer take readily to it as a 

 bait, then use something different. For instance, I found it difficult 

 on the Pacific Coast in the vicinity of Vancouver to get mink to 

 take flesh as a bait, while they readily took other baits. When the 

 mink will not take bait readily, then oi course the deadfall does 

 not make a successful mink trap. While the deadfall cannot take 

 the place of the steel trap, yet a well constructed deadfall under 

 some conditions has advantages over the steel trap. Often a d<^d- 



