288 FUR FACTS 



woodshed and hauled forth a tangled mass of chains and traps. 

 Tomorrow I would start preparations for another trapping season. 



Bud, I learned, had secured a job on the railroad, so I had no 

 immediate prospects of company for my journey. This, however, 

 was no serious handicap from my point of view. I had grown to 

 love the solitude of field and forest until the very solitude itself spoke 

 to me in a language more potent than words. 



I embarked on the morning of October 30th, just as the yellow 

 Autumn sun cleared the horizon. I pulled down the river and camp- 

 ed in what was known as the Shepherd Woods. 



And talk about your coons! I never saw them so thick in all 

 my life. Caught 48 in one week. Mink and muskrat were also 

 plentiful, and by the end of November I shipped several hundred 

 dollars worth of furs to Funsten. 



Cold, squally weather ushered in the month of December. The 

 river froze over solid, putting an abrupt end to my trapping success. 

 I climbed the bluffs and set a few traps, catching, during the week, 

 one skunk, one mink and one red fox quite a perceptible slump 

 from my previous week's record. 



By this time my rations were reduced to a half a loaf of rye bread 

 (stale) and a can of beans. I prepared one grand spread of bread 

 and beans, took my luggage to a farm house and went home for the 

 holidays. 



January 15th I was back again with a fresh supply of beans, bacon, 

 bread, corn meal and various other commodities. Securing my boat 

 and supplies again I pushed out into the river which was about two 

 feet below low water and filled with great cakes of floating ice. The 

 trees, covered with a glistening mantle of white, presented a panorama 

 of rare beauty. It was truly a grand sight. I could look for miles 

 around me and trace the course of the river by the vast bluffs and 

 rocks that rose on either side. 



It was too cold for trapping the first week or so, but warmer days 

 soon followed. Then I began to catch furs again. I caught a nice 

 lot of red foxes, using a special set which was made in this way: 



I would go to a sand bar where they played; then I would dig a 

 hole about six inches deep, throwing the sand back as a dog would 

 do in digging. I would then set my trap down in the hole and cover 

 with tissue paper and sprinkle fine sand over just enough to hide it; 

 then cover spring and chain and drive trap stake down level with the 

 sand and smooth over nicely. 



