The Trappers' Guide 



Hoop Stretcher 



It may seem peculiar that a book on hunting 

 with the modern fire arms of today should devote 

 a chapter to trapping and traps, but it is not the 

 intention of the writer to identify this subject to 

 the old time style of twitch-ups, dead falls, garot- 

 tes, figure 4 or box traps, but the modern trap- 

 ping of today. 



Where I go into details of the old time plan, I 

 might as well in my chapter on "Hunting," go 

 back to the old flint lock or bow and arrow meth- 

 ods. But as we are now in the 2Oth century, I 

 must necessarily dwell on the methods of the pres- 

 ent time, and not of those that are obsolete. 



If mere riddance "of some obnoxious animal is 

 desired we would not have to confine ourselves to 

 either shot gun or rifle, for it could be done by us- 

 ing the "deadly strychnine,"a portion the size of a 

 small liver pill mixed up in a piece of common 

 fat, tallow, meat or fish would do the deed; even 

 to the laying out of the monstrous Elephant (if 

 right quantity be used) for after swallowing such a 

 fatal poison, it would rarely live a few minutes 

 after, so deadly and rapid is its effect. 



So extremely virulent, however, is this drug that 

 it not only poisons the meat but if left for any 

 time renders even the skin useless, hence is never 

 used by the trapper on this account, except in 

 such cases as afore mentioned on some destruc- 

 tive beast. 



Again, buyers of fur, refuse almost to buy skins 

 that are full of shot holes; a rifle bullet even de- 



