FUR FACTS 261 



is sharpened. The ring of the trap chain is placed on the pole and 

 the sharp end pushed firmly into the bed of the creek or pond in deep 

 water, the trap being set in shallow water. The idea is that when the 

 trap springs, the ring sliding along the pole will guide the muskrat 

 to deep water and the weight of the trap and the slant of the pole will 

 prevent him from getting back to shallow water. The pole of course 

 should be pushed well into the mud and held in such a manner that 

 it will resist the efforts of the animal to escape. Another adoption of 

 this same principle is to use a stout wire securely fastened to the 

 bank with a rock on the other end anchored in deep water. 



One of the latest inventions for successfully taking the muskrat 

 is the Two Trigger Trap. This trap is so designed that it not only 

 catches the animal in the same manner as the smaller steel traps, but 

 it also kills the animal instantly, and is used by the muskrat trappers 

 of Louisiana and the marsh trappers of Maryland very successfully. 



Trappers have different ideas of their own about securing their 

 traps, but the most practical way is to use the Double Hook drag or 

 to drive the staple into a small bush, or the chain can be fastened 

 over a forked bush in such a way that it can be pulled away. The 

 size of the bush will depend entirely upon the animal you are trapping 

 for and more especially on the size of the trap. 



A good way is to use the "Double Hook Drag" which is an in- 

 genuous drag hook for small traps. It consists of a double hook 

 fastened to the trap chain which will drag along and catch into any 

 object that it comes in contact with, and there is enough spring in it 

 so that it will not be rigid and allow the animal a dead pull so that it 

 can break away. 



Another method is to securely fasten the trap ring to a chunk of 

 wood or anything that will drag along. The whole idea in fastening 

 a trap is to arrange the trap so that it will not be fastened solid. 



Another method is to secure the trap to the end of a young sapling, 

 or to cut a smooth pole from a wood that will bend easily, and then 

 fasten the trap ring to one end. Bend it down and catch the end in 

 a notched peg or root in such a way that the least struggle of the 

 animal after it is caught in the trap will release the pole which will 

 immediately spring up and hold the animal high in the air. The 

 Funsten Two Trigger Trap is recommended for this set, for the reason 

 that it not only catches the animal but also kills it instantly, and this 

 trap attached to the spring pole is very effective. 



