ADVICE FROM A VETERAN. 24! 



trapping last winter." His reply was, not much only got one or two 

 foxes. Old Shaw has dogged them out of the country (referring to 

 a man who hunted with dogs). I said, "Charley, don't you think 

 that poison business had something to do with it. He replied, "Oh, 

 h 1 there will be foxes after I am dead." This man called himself 

 a trapper, and is quite an extensive fur buyer. Thomas Pope says, 

 "Man's inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn." 

 But, in this case, I think it is the dumb animal that mourns and 

 not the man. The trapper who makes the greatest mistake of his life 

 is the one who does not subscribe for the Hunter-Trader-Trapper. 

 * * * 



In a former article I undertook to give the most practical 

 way of killing a skunk, as I have found it, but owing to a mis- 

 take, it left the method of killing rather hard to be understood, 

 so I will try again. I do this, owing to the many requests that I 

 have from trappers to give a method for killing skunks, without 

 the skunk scenting themselves as well as the trapper. Practically, 

 there is no way of killing a skunk without causing the skunk to 

 discharge his scent. Their scent is a skunk defense, and they will 

 use it when in danger. 



Now my way of doing the job is to go at it without hesitation. 

 We have an old adage, "If you would grasp a nettle, grasp it as 

 a man of mettle." Now my plan is to wear clothes on the trap 

 line to be discarded as soon as the day's work on the trap line is 

 finished. When I come to a trap that has a skunk in it, I ap- 

 proach the skunk, advancing a single step at a time, with a good 

 strong stick about four feet long, with the stick drawn up in 

 readiness to strike as soon as close enough. Now when I am 

 close enough to make the blow sure I strike the skunk a hard 

 blow across the back, and immediately after, I place my foot on 

 the skunk's back, holding the animal tight to the ground. At the 

 same time giving the skunk a sharp rap or two on the head with 

 the stick to make sure that it is dead. Then pick up the skunk 

 and remove it a little to one side of the place where it was killed. 

 Rip the skunk across from one leg to the other close to roots of 

 tail, skinning around the scent glands at the roots of tail, so that 



