2OO FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



across to the other and close to the roots of the tail on the under 

 side. Work the skin loose around the bone at the base until you 

 can grasp the bone of the tail with the first two fingers of the right 

 hand while you place the bone between the first two fingers of the 

 left hand. Then by pulling you will draw the entire bone from the 

 tail which you should always do. 



Sometimes when the animal has been dead some time the 

 bone will not readily draw from the tail. In this case you should 

 cut a stick the size of your finger about eight inches long. Cut 

 it away in the center until it will readily bend so that the two 

 ends will come together. Then cut a notch in each part of the 

 stick just large enough to let the bone of the tail in and squeeze 

 it out. It is necessary to whittle one side of the stick at the 

 notch so as to form a square shoulder. 



You should have about three sizes of stretching boards for 

 mink and fox. For mink they should be from 4^2 inches down to 

 3 inches and for fox from 6^4 inches down to 5 inches wide, and 

 in length the fox boards may be four feet and the mink boards 

 three feet long. The boards should taper slightly down to within 

 8 inches of the end for fox and then rounded up to a point. The 

 mink boards should be rounded at 4 or 5 inches from this point.- 

 You will vary the shape of the board in proportion to the width. 

 Stretching boards should not be more than ^ m h thick. A belly 

 strip the length, or nearly the length, of the boards 1^4 inches at 

 the wide end, tapering to a point at the other end and about 

 J4 to Y% inch thick. Have the boards smooth and even on the 

 edges. Other stretching boards should be made in proportion to 

 the size and shape of the animal whose skin is to be stretched. 



You should not fail to* remove all the fat and flesh from the 

 skin immediately after the skin is on the board. If a skin is 

 quite wet when taken from the animal it should be drawn lightly on 

 the board until the fur is quite dry. Then turn the skin flesh 

 side out and stretch. 



It is always best if you can go into the country where you 

 intend to trap. This is especially important if the ground is a 

 new field to you. During the summer or early fall, acquaint your- 



