I2O FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAFPER. 



a plenty, for he will run up against it often. He will find the 

 mountain streams hard to get along; he will have but little use 

 for a boat as the streams are rapid and full of boulders. In most 

 cases the trapper will be compelled to take his outfit into the 

 mountains by pack horses, and in many cases it will be necessary 

 for the trapper to be the horse. 



The trapper to succeed in a financial way must take in a sup- 

 ply of provisions to last at least until the first of June, for it is 

 during April, M.ay and even June that he must do his bear trapping; 

 for the bear holes up or goes into hibernation down in the lower 

 land and does not show up much in the mountains until spring. 



The trapper must provide himself with a good number of 

 traps of different sizes from the No. 1 for marten to the No. 5 for 

 bear; and that means a whole lot of packing and hard work. 

 He must have at least one pair of snow shoes, arfd should have an 

 extra pair in case of a mishap, in the way of breakage. One good 

 gun is all that is likely to be needed, and don't load yourself down 

 with a lot of revolvers, hunting knives, etc. A good strong pocket 

 knife is all that I have found necessary, though one should have 

 more than one knife no matter what kind he may use. 



Here I will say a word as to a gun especially for the trap line. 

 The manufacturers of guns have as yet failed to make it. The 

 Marble Game-Getter comes the nearest to it of any now made, 

 but that is not just to my liking. We would do away with one 

 of the barrels, and have a single barrel, 44 caliber straight cut, with 

 cartridges for both ball and shot with 15 inch barrel, skeleton 

 stock, similar to the Stevens Pocket shot gun. Mind, I am speak- 

 ing of an arm on purpose for the trap line, and this kind of a 

 gun would do the work and be light to carry. 



Now the expense for an outfit to go into the mountains for 

 a season's campaign is necessarily a considerable item. It is quite 

 necessary that the trapper has a number of camps on his line 

 at advantageous points, for the trapper cannot cover sufficient 

 territory from one camp to make it pay ; besides, a number of 

 camps on the line will relieve the trapper of much hardship. 

 I mention this matter thinking, it might be of some interest to some 

 one whose feet are itching to get into a big game country, and 



