HANDLING RAW FURS AND OTHER NOTES. 251 



season on the furbearers of this state, though I think that they 

 seem to be in favor of a longer open season than will be to the 



trapper's advantage. 



* * * 



Comrades of the trap line, are you awake to the conditions 

 under which we must work? The dog man has no use for the 

 trapper and his traps. Now comrades, while I am a lover of the 

 dog, and have used him on the trap line and trail, I have, never- 

 theless used the dog for a different purpose than it is ordinarily 

 used by the average sportsman. I hope the trappers throughout 

 the country will arouse themselves to the conditions and not 

 allow the legislation of their respective states to pass laws to 

 put the trapper in the hole, at the pleasure of the dog man, as 

 has been done here in Pennsylvania. (This was written Spring of 

 1912.) 



I believe that the dog man and the trapper, are each entitled 

 to equal privileges the dog has no better friend than the writer. 

 Though we do not blame our brother trapper, who will not put 

 up as good a scrap in defense of his traps and his sport and occu- 

 pation, as does the dog man in defense of his dog, and his way 

 of enjoying an outdoor life. But comrades, we are all men and 

 sportsmen in our way, and let us be reasonable in this matter ; 

 but brother trappers, let us not take a back seat because we may 

 not be possessed with as large an amount of worldly goods as 

 some of the dog men may be. 



Express your views upon this matter af the trappers' rights 

 through the columns of Hunter-Trader-Trapper. Also with our 

 respective representatives that they may not pass game laws that 

 the trapper is compelled to ignore, as is the case here in Pennsyl- 

 vania. Here they ask for a bounty on noxious animals, yet, the law 

 forbids the setting of a trap in a manner that would take anything 

 more wary or greater than the weasel. Was this law enacted 

 wholly for the benefit and pleasure of the dog man? 



Now I wish to speak of another matter that I think is greatly 

 to the interest of the trapper, and that is, early and late trapping. 



No, no, I do not mean morning and evening I refer to 

 trapping early and late in the season. And while I do not approve 



