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other aquatic animals (although not amphibious) 

 Mink had best be drowned. If after Otter, set 

 traps at the top of their slides or better still where 

 they land, which is usually where the waters are 

 shallow (or in their paths leading to these places) 

 and using the clutch or Otter trap (see traps.) 

 These instructions are general and cover aquatic 

 animals; so we will now go into detail about those 

 of the more numerous specie, "the land animal.'" 



In all cases where the use of traps are made 

 baits are necessary mostly only to attract the ani- 

 mal, much more so than the feeding of them. 

 Natural foods abound in plenty. No animal de- 

 pends on trap food or foods put about by man for 

 its existence, that's why they are suspicious of it, 

 no matter how hungry they may be, they regard 

 all such dead food or bait with suspicion. They 

 choose or capture their own foods, (and there are 

 very few foolish animals.) Probably the Skunk 

 and Bear are the only ones who are not suspicious. 

 But this is not because of ignorance, but because 

 nature has given them remarkable powers of de- 

 fence, and they do not fear. That is why they are 

 so easily captured, and called foolish. 



Don't ever think because you have traps set and 

 baited that this is all, for if you do, you will get 

 nothing for your pains. The whole secret is in 

 concealing your traps in such a way as they can- 

 not tell where the traps are, and in passing or 

 reaching over it, they will step on the pan and be 

 caught. Don't ever put bait on the pan (like I 

 have seen many do.) If you use bait, that is most- 

 ly for the purpose of decoying them, and as they 

 step up to it to investigate or possibly reach it, if- 

 they are hungry, it must be so placed that in do- 

 ing so they must set their feet on the pan without 

 knowing it, and when you have mastered these de- 

 tails, you will know a little about traps and trap- 

 ping, and one-half of the battle is won. 



The Other Half-Consists in preparing your traps 

 as the scent of most animals can locate even the 

 iron of which they are made, especially so if it is 

 rusty, requiring no little attention of the trapper to 

 frustrate it. Again, traps should be washed and 

 oiled, even smoked, and as said before, handled 

 with gloves. This, however, is unnecessary where 



