December, 1919 
FOREST AND STREA:\I 
643 
In prospecting a district I wear cloth- 
ing that is light and easy to work in and 
carry nothing but my hunter’s ax for 
these first few days of strenuous walking 
and climbing usually go hard with me 
and there is no use carrying unnecessary 
weight. 
Like some other unfortunates, I am 
aflBicted with a good “forgettery” and 
sometimes am infernally absent-minded. 
A note book and pencil of convenient size 
to fit the hip pocket is therefore part of 
my regular equipment. 
As a reminder it is invaluable and I use 
It to note signs, directions and locations, 
I find it does away almost entirely with 
any necessity for blazing, making marks, 
etc. 
During the season I keep In this book a 
complete list of my sets, how made, baits 
and catches made. 
The information derived from these 
notes is almost invaluable. 
In placing my line I don’t attempt to 
hurry. By the time hunting season is 
over many sets will have been placed. 
For the balance, the rate of eight or ten 
a day satisfies me, in this sort of country. 
The “easy installment plan’’ has the ad- 
vantage of familiarizing one with his 
route as he goes along. 
Under separate heading I will try to 
explain the hal/its, tracks and signs of the 
several fur-besirers and the various bait, 
land and water sets found most .suoceissful 
for their capture. 
Muskrats. 
M uskrats, as found in our streams, 
are known as “bank rats,” that is, 
their method of housing is by 
burrowing into the bank from under the 
surface of the water, usually about a 
foot, and then up above water level so 
their living quarters will be safe from 
inundation. These burrows sometimes 
run back from the stream twenty feet or 
more. < 
It is the general impression that any- 
one can catch a muskrat. In many dis- 
tricts the only reason 'his is true is be- 
cause of their gregarious nature. 
Throughout the past season the banks of 
our streanus were literally strung with 
traps. 
Considering the great number of sets 
made, the relatively small percentage of 
rats caught shows conclusively that, here 
at least, they were trap-shy, and much 
warier than commonly supposed to be. 
In fact, taking into consideration the 
number of both kinds of animals which 
frequent our streams and the number of 
sets made for each, the percentage of 
mink caught was far greater than musk- 
rat. 
I don’t wish to convey the impression 
that our muskrats are warier than the 
crafty mink. I only wish to emphasize 
the fact that an “educated rat’’ won’t 
walk into any old trap just because a 
piece of parsnip or apple is stuck on a 
stick above it. 
Those who trapped for mink used very 
special care in placing and makinsr their 
sets. On the contrary the muskrat sets 
Ssere usually crude and poorly placed. 
Muskrats become prime in early spring 
and at that season command best prices. 
■Winter pelts are next best and fall least 
valuable. Black muskrats, of which we 
have a few here, bring a premium. 
(iame laws iu some states prevent fall 
trapping altogether. This is an excellent 
idea because the fall catch shows a large 
percentage of kits and small rats. 
The tracks and signs of this animal 
are familiar to mosi country people but 
for the benefit of those who have not had 
the oppm tunity of studying them, I will 
describe the most contnion. 
Along the stream where the banks are 
muddy or sandy or in the snow one will 
see tjieir tracks. 
The hind foot of this animal is two and 
three-quarters to three inches long from 
heel to tip of center toe and is about 
five times as large as the front foot. 
The print of the hind foot shows five 
toes. The outer ones are about five- 
eighths and the center are about one 
inch long, well spread out; the distance 
between the outer ones being about two 
inches from tip to tip. A track picture of 
ibis animal working along a bank seems 
to be very irregular. The impressions of 
the bind feet will predominate. Being 
so much larger than those of the front 
they will obliterate many of the smaller 
impressions. Among these tracks will be 
seen .several lines made by the dragging 
tail. The track of a muskrat walking 
straight along, however, shows a regular 
stride of five to six inches. The impres- 
sion of both front and hind feet will be 
(Continued on page 672) 
Muskr^ droppings on a fallen tre«b 
