February, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
63 
Following a trapping line through the wilderness 
one little trait, even the trapper of the 
long trails would have a difficult job of 
keeping up with the “black cat.” If it 
makes a big kill or finds the paunch of 
a deer left by a hunting party (or pur- 
posely by the trapper) the pekan eats 
its fill and travels on — but, in a short 
circle right back to the bait. The circle 
may be a mile or two, but the fisher is 
sure to make periodical visits in accord- 
ance with the demands of its appetite 
until the food is devoured. Consequently 
when the trapper finds the fisher has fed 
on his bait or an animal of its own kill- 
ing, he can reckon with some degree of 
certainty that the animal will make a 
second or third visit. This gives the op- 
portunity to hide a trap in the logical 
place for a capture. The fisher isn’t a 
particularly difficult animal to trap, once 
its habitat is located, but it takes an ex- 
tremely substantial trap to hold it. 
The fox, shrewd and wary, follows in 
the wake of Mr. Pekan, at a safe dis- 
tance, knowing he is a ruthless slayer 
and liberal cacher. The fox is a sort 
of parasite, in this respect. In extreme 
weather when all the North country is 
buttoned up in a snow blanket and wild 
life is struggling for existence, it well 
knows the fisher is sleek and fat and the 
pickings good on its trail. So after we 
have placed a heavy No. 3 trap near the 
cache of the fisher, another one is set on 
a knoll, “blind,” but well concealed. Mr. 
Fox, playing safe invariably mounts the 
most convenient knoll to view the scen- 
ery — and prospects of a feed. Here is 
where he is caught off his guard. 
The marten is a gregarious animal 
and this feature of their life makes the 
trapping of them a highly speculative 
venture. The trapper gambles on locat- 
ing a ridge or belt of green timber where 
they are fairly plentiful. Since their 
pelts are worth several dollars each and 
they readily walk into an unconcealed 
trap, the finding of a rich marten fur 
pocket is extremely profitable to the 
trapper. The marten has no more fear 
of a steel trap than a skunk or red 
squirrel. 
The lynx is an animal of the far back 
swamps and deep woods. Its natural 
food is the rabbit, though it also feeds 
on grouse and squirrels quite frequently. 
The taking of this animal might bother 
the professional trapper but for one soft 
point in their nature, and that is, they 
cannot resist the odor of beaver castor. 
The trapper treats a rabbit skin with 
this “medicine” perhaps doped with fish 
oil, and places the lure in the back end 
of a cubby pen built near a trail or in a 
lynx infested swamp and goes the rounds 
with the assurance of a catch on the 
next trip. 
The weasel is undoubtedly the most 
blood-thirsty animal in the category of 
fur bearers. One trapper tells of a wea- 
sel that came into his camp, caught hold 
of a rabbit freshly killed, lying on the 
floor, and even clung to it for some time 
after he caught hold of the other end. 
I have caught them in traps set around 
the camp where we had deer meat. The 
odor of fresh blood will cause them to 
disregard all precaution. Once I walked 
within ten feet of a weasel near the 
camp eating on a discarded shank of 
venison. Although it would ordinarily 
have heard my approach and fled, the 
satisfying of a ravenous appetite dulled 
its sense of precaution. A 22 pistol bul- 
let added a dollar pelt to the collection. 
The beaver, plugger of the isolated 
spots, has a favorite food and that food 
is the bark of the popple bush. The 
trapper knows the beaver is a wise ani- 
mal with a keen sense of smell, so he 
doesn’t stay near their habitations any 
longer than to get a general idea of the 
lodge and “logging” location. He also 
knows their one trait to his advantage is 
thrift. After winter has frozen up the 
pond and food isn’t too plentiful, the 
trapper walks over the ice, setting out 
his traps. Near a lodge or runway along 
the bank he chops a hole in the ice and 
sticks a popple stick down to the ground. 
Near the bait he places a No. 3 or 315 
beaver trap, perhaps one with teeth on 
it, knowing thrifty Mr. Beaver will en- 
deavor to save the popple pole, even if 
he is not very hungry at the time. 
While the bear is ordinarily a dweller 
of the wilderness, coming out occasionally 
to the clearings to terrorize the settlers 
and perchance tote away some pork, it 
will go anywhere even to a farmer’s 
door yard for honey. The bear has a 
great sweet tooth and if the trapper is 
on the job, he provides for bruin with an 
inviting cubby pen smelling of the 
apiary. 
S OME fur bearers have habits that 
are similar, and trapping methods 
that apply to the one will as aptly 
produce results with the other. For in- 
stance, both the mink and otter are wide 
rangers, covering miles of territory, and 
a trap set for one is likely to catch the 
other. The only difference in their trav- 
eling habits is that the mink cannot 
make the fifty to one hundred mile cir- 
cles of its big cousin. Also the otter does 
not explore the same holes and burrows, 
(continued on page 90) 
The snug home of a Northern trapper 
