FUR FACTS 147 



in other parts of the country who are anxious to get started raising 

 this valuable furbearer. 



Most golf clubs have lakes or ponds on their courses, and as 

 animal life is a constant source of interest both to old and young, es- 

 pecially children, they should stock their lakes and ponds with musk- 

 rat and beaver. It will be found to be a constant source of interest to 

 watch the beaver building their dam and watch them at their work 

 and play, and at the same time will be a source of profit. If every 

 golf club in the United States were to install a family of beaver or 

 muskrat the supply of furs would take a big jump in the next few 

 years. 



How to Trap Beaver 



Before you start out to trap beaver become familiar with your 

 game laws. The fact that there are beaver in your neighborhood and 

 that you know where they have their lodges and dams, is not suf- 

 ficient license for you to trap them. Some states have very drastic 

 laws relating to beaver, and they can not be trapped or killed in any 

 shape or form, and their pelts can not be taken and disposed of, nor 

 can their houses or dams be tampered with. The larger fur houses 

 houses will not handle beaver that have been unlawfully taken. 



In those sections where beaver trapping is permitted at certain 

 seasons of the year, the following suggestions and methods will be 

 successful. These methods have been used successfully by trappers 

 who have long experience in the trapping of beaver, and will be 

 found useful both to the professional and amateur trappers. 



Winner of First Prize for Best Method of Trapping Beaver 



"They can be caught in various ways, as with a deadfall, with the 

 figure 4, and a green popple stick for spindle and calamus root for 

 bait to draw them, and by leak in dam, with trap set so as to catch 

 them when repairing leak; but this only causes them to be much 

 wilder or to leave altogether. My method is this: Fix places along 

 sides of streams where banks are steep; dig bottom level at all steep 

 places, so you will have flat places for traps. If bank is too steep, 

 dig off some. Leave very slanting, so they can not climb out here. 

 Do this early in the fall. Dash water on any fresh digging, so every- 

 thing will look natural. Two or three weeks before you want to trap 

 them, begin to bait them to all the places you have made. Dig some 

 fresh calamus or sweet-flag root. Place a few roots at each place, 

 just above water. Next time put bait a little higher up on bank- 

 Watch, and when you see them begin to store up their winter supply, 



