﻿34 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Afognak 
  region 
  the 
  fur 
  of 
  the 
  foxes 
  is 
  prime 
  in 
  December 
  and 
  

   January 
  only, 
  according 
  to 
  one 
  dealer. 
  Another 
  says 
  from 
  November 
  

   1 
  to 
  April 
  1 
  ; 
  another, 
  from 
  November 
  16 
  to 
  March 
  1 
  ; 
  and 
  still 
  another, 
  

   during 
  December, 
  January, 
  and 
  February. 
  The 
  present 
  regulation 
  

   provides 
  an 
  open 
  season 
  from 
  November 
  16 
  U) 
  March 
  1, 
  which 
  seems 
  

   to 
  meet 
  the 
  conditions 
  fully 
  and 
  the 
  approval 
  of 
  the 
  trappers 
  and 
  

   dealers. 
  

  

  The 
  usual 
  method 
  of 
  capture 
  is 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  steel 
  traps 
  and 
  

   "khpses," 
  a 
  Russian 
  device, 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  trails. 
  This 
  method 
  is 
  prac- 
  

   ticed 
  mitil 
  the 
  snows 
  become 
  heavy; 
  after 
  that 
  a 
  favorite 
  method 
  is 
  

   still 
  hunting 
  on 
  moonhght 
  nights. 
  

  

  Ermine. 
  — 
  Ermine, 
  or 
  weasels, 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  

   Afognak 
  region. 
  Formerly 
  they 
  were 
  very 
  plentiful, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  

   becoming 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  scarce 
  every 
  year. 
  About 
  the 
  villages, 
  

   where 
  even 
  the 
  children 
  do 
  trapping, 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  rare. 
  In 
  the 
  less 
  

   frequented 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  particularly 
  along 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  

   shores, 
  they 
  are 
  still 
  rather 
  common. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  great 
  

   irregularity, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  these 
  Uttle 
  animals, 
  just 
  

   as 
  there 
  is 
  with 
  rabbits; 
  one 
  year 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  numerous, 
  the 
  

   next 
  year 
  very 
  scarce, 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  year 
  abundant 
  again. 
  

  

  The 
  weasels 
  feed 
  chiefly 
  on 
  birds 
  such 
  as 
  ptarmigan, 
  sparrows, 
  pine 
  

   siskins 
  and 
  redpolls, 
  and 
  mice, 
  shrews, 
  fish, 
  and 
  any 
  other 
  flesh 
  they 
  

   can 
  get. 
  They 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  store 
  their 
  food. 
  They 
  breed 
  in 
  April 
  

   and 
  May 
  and 
  produce 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  young. 
  The 
  usual 
  methods 
  of 
  capture 
  

   are 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  figurc-4 
  traps 
  and 
  deadfalls. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  open 
  season, 
  November 
  16 
  to 
  March 
  15, 
  appears 
  to 
  

   cover 
  properly 
  the 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  fur 
  is 
  prime. 
  

  

  Brown 
  hear. 
  — 
  The 
  brown 
  bears 
  of 
  Afognak 
  and 
  neighboring 
  islands 
  

   are 
  classed 
  as 
  game 
  animals 
  by 
  the 
  Alaska 
  game 
  law. 
  As 
  they 
  are 
  

   also 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  their 
  consideration 
  in 
  this 
  report 
  is 
  proper. 
  

   Brown 
  bears 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  on 
  Kodiak 
  and 
  Afog- 
  

   nak 
  Islands, 
  and 
  probably 
  a 
  few 
  occur 
  on 
  Raspberry 
  and 
  Shuyak 
  

   Islands. 
  The 
  species 
  on 
  Kodiak 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  known 
  as 
  Vrsus 
  midden- 
  

   dorffi, 
  Merriam. 
  Probably 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  found 
  on 
  Afognak, 
  

   Shuyak, 
  and 
  Raspberry 
  Islands, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  fact. 
  

   Very 
  little 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  about 
  the 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  these 
  

   big 
  brown 
  bears. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  Afognak 
  hunters 
  claim 
  that 
  they 
  breed 
  

   at 
  any 
  time. 
  No 
  one 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  who 
  claimed 
  to 
  have 
  seen 
  one 
  

   of 
  these 
  bears 
  carrying 
  unborn 
  young. 
  Some 
  hunters 
  think 
  they 
  have 
  

   three 
  cubs 
  at 
  a 
  litter, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  fewer, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  breed 
  

   every 
  year. 
  

  

  Their 
  food 
  consists 
  chiefly 
  of 
  fish, 
  roots, 
  and 
  berries. 
  They 
  go 
  into 
  

   hibernation 
  in 
  December, 
  several 
  occupying 
  one 
  hole, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  

   come 
  out 
  until 
  in 
  March 
  or 
  early 
  April. 
  

  

  The 
  pelts 
  are 
  in 
  prime 
  condition 
  from 
  November 
  15 
  to 
  May 
  31. 
  

  

  