The Log Coop Trap
Category:
TRAPS FOR LARGE GAME.
This is commonly set for bears, although a deer or a puma becomes
its frequent tenant. As its name implies it consists of a coop of
logs, arranged after the principle of the Coop Trap described on
page 67. The logs should be about eight feet in length, notched
at the ends as described for the Log Cabin, page (244). Lay two
of the logs parallel about seven feet apart. Across their ends in
the notches, lay two others and continue building up in cob-house
fashion until the height of about six feet is reached. The corners
may be secured as they are laid by spikes, or they may be united
afterward in mass by a rope firmly twisted about them from top to
bottom. Logs should now be laid across the top of the coop and
firmly secured by the spikes or rope knots. There are several ways
of setting the trap. A modification of that described on page 67
works very well, or an arrangement of spindle and bait stick, as
in the Box Trap, page 105, may also be employed. In the latter
case, the bait stick is either inserted between the logs at the
back of the coop, or a hole is bored through one of them for this
purpose. For this mode of setting, the coop should be constructed
beneath some tree. It is set by means of a rope attached to the
upper edge of one of its sides the rope being thrown over a limb
of the tree and the loose end brought down and secured to the bait
stick by a spindle, as described
for the trap on page (195). The limb here acts in place of the
tall end piece of the Box Trap, and by raising the coop up to such
an angle as that it will be nearly poised, the setting may be made
so delicate that a mere touch on the bait stick from the interior
will dislodge the pieces and let fall the enclosure. The simplest
mode of setting the trap is that embodied in the snare method on
page (52). The rope is here provided with a knot, which must pass
easily between the logs, or through the hole at the back of the
coop, the length of rope being so arranged as that the coop shall
be sufficiently raised where the knot projects into the interior. The
introduction of the bait stick beneath the knot will thus prevent
the latter from being drawn back, and thus our trap is set. The
bait stick in any case should be about two feet in length; and with
this leverage but a slight touch will be required to spring the
pieces. In the latter method the limb of the tree is not necessary.
A stout crotched stake driven into the ground about twenty feet,
at the back of the coop, will answer every purpose, and the coop
may be constructed wherever desired. This is a most excellent trap
for large animals. It secures the game alive, and is thus often
productive of most exciting sport. For the bear, the bait should
consist of honey or raw meat. Full directions for baiting all kinds
of American game are given under their respective heads in another
part of this book. The Coop Trap may be constructed of any dimensions,
from the small example on page (67) to the size above described.
There are several other inventions commonly used for the capture
of large animals in various parts of the globe, which would be
of little avail in this country. Such is the African Corrall, or
Hopo, by which whole herds of quaggas, elands, and buffalo are
often destroyed. The trap consists of two hedges in the form of
the letter V, which are very high and thick at the angle. Instead
of the hedges being joined at this point, they are made to form a
lane about two hundred feet in length, at the extremity of which
a giant pit is formed. Trunks of trees are laid across the margins
to prevent the animals from escaping. The opening of this pit is
then covered with light reeds and small green boughs. The hedges
often extend miles in length and are equally as far apart at these
extremities. The tribe of hunters make a circle, three or four
miles around the country adjacent to the opening, and gradually
closing up are almost sure to enclose a large body of game, which,
by shouts and skilfully hurled Javelins, they drive into the narrowing
walls of the Hopo. The affrighted animals rush headlong to the gate
presented at the end of the converging hedges and here plunge pell-mell
into the pit, which is soon filled with a living mass. Some escape by
running over the others; and the natives, wild with excitement,
spear the poor animals with mad delight, while others of the brutes
are smothered and crushed by the weight of their dead and dying
companions. It is a most cruel and inhuman device, and its effects
are sometimes appalling.
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The Pit-fall
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