Medicines Or Scent Baits
Categories: STEEL TRAPS AND THE ART OF TRAPPING.These form one of the most important requisites of the trapper's
art. A trap baited simply with the food of the
required animal, may and often will be successful, but with the
addition of the trapper's medicine judicially applied, success
is almost a certainty. These scent baits are of various kinds,
some being almost universal in their usefulness, while others are
attractive only to some particular species of animal. We give a
few of the recipes of the most valued preparations used by trappers
throughout the land. The application and use of each is fully described
in its proper place hereafter.
More
-
Castoreum Composition
The Barkstone is used both pure and in combination with other substances, the following prescription being much used: Into the contents of about ten of the castor bags, mix two ground nutmegs, thirty or forty cloves, also powdered, one drop essence ... Compound
For ordinary use, a mixture of Assafoetida, Musk, Oil of Anise, and Fish Oil, together with a few drops of the Oil of Rhodium, is especially recommended by our most skilled trappers. This preparation contains the various substances which are known t... Cummin
This is another plant, somewhat resembling the former, and, like it, cultivated for its seeds. It has an aromatic taste, and its strong pungent odor renders it of great value to the trapper. The seeds may be powdered and thus used, or the oil of the... Curing Skins
This department of the trapper's art is one of the most important and necessary, as affecting pecuniary profits. The value of a skin in the fur market depends entirely upon the care with which it is taken from the animal and afterward prepared, and ... Dug-out Or Log Canoe
It's general appearance is well indicated by the accompanying illustration. With the proper tools, one of these canoes is easily made. A sharp axe, an adze, a shaving knife, a round edged adze, and a small auger, are principally necessary; and a cro... Fenugreek
Like the two foregoing this plant is valuable for its seeds, which are used for medicinal purposes. The oil or bruised seeds may be used. ... Fish Oil
This is especially useful in the capture of the majority of the fur tribe, and particularly the water animals. The oil may be bought ready for use, or prepared with little trouble. The common method consists in cutting up fish of any kind, especia... Fly Paper
A sheet of common paper, smeared with a mixture composed of molasses one part, and bird-lime six parts (see page 97), will be found to attract large numbers of flies and hold them prisoners upon its surface. Spruce gum, warmed on the fire, and mi... Fly Trap
Take a tumbler, and half-fill it with strong soap suds. Cut a circle of stiff paper which will exactly fit into the top of the glass. In the centre of the paper cut a hole half an inch in diameter, or, better still, a slice of bread may be placed on... Food And Cooking Utensils
The professional trapper on a campaign depends much upon his traps for his food, and often entirely contents himself with the subsistence thus gained. We encourage and believe in roughing it to a certain extent, but not to that limit to which it is ... Hints On Baiting The Steel Trap
There is a very common and erroneous idea current among amateur sportsmen and others in regard to the baiting of the steel trap; viz., that the pan of the trap is intended for the bait. This was the old custom in the traps of bygone times, but no... Hoop Nooses
This is a variation from the above, the noose being attached to a barrel hoop and the latter being fastened to two stout posts, which are firmly driven into the ground. By their scattering the bait inside the hoop, and adjusting the loops, the contr... How To Tan The Skins Of Beaver Otter Raccoon And Marten
These should be stretched on a board and smeared with a mixture composed of three ounces each, of salt and alum; three gills of water, and one drachm of sulphuric acid. This should be thickened with wheat bran or flour, and should be allowed to dry ... How To Trap
In the following pages will be found full and ample directions for the trapping of all our leading game, together with detailed descriptions of peculiar habits of each species. The various articles contain careful descriptions, whereby the species m... Insect Ointments
These insects seem to have a special aversion for the scent of pennyroyal--an herb growing commonly in sandy localities--and a single plant rubbed upon the face and hands will often greatly check their attacks. The oil of pennyroyal is better, ho... Lavender
This is another aromatic plant, the oil of which, either pure or diluted with alcohol, is much used in the trapper's art. ... Market Value Of Fur Skins
Below will be found an authentic table of the comparative values of the various American furs at the present date of publication. The quotations are those of one of our largest fur dealers, as published in THE HAT, CAP AND FUR TRADE REVIEW, the lead... Medicines Or Scent Baits
These form one of the most important requisites of the trapper's art. A trap baited simply with the food of the required animal, may and often will be successful, but with the addition of the trapper's medicine judicially applied, success is almos... Musk
This substance is a secretion obtained from several different animals, notably the otter and muskrat. The glands which contain it are located similarly to the castor glands of the beaver, and the musk should be discharged into a vial, as previously ... Observations On The History Of Furs And The Fur Trade
In all cold climates, man has availed himself liberally of the warm covering with which nature has clothed the animals around him; but the wealth of the most favored nations has drawn to them the most beautiful furs, in whatever part of the world th... Oil Of Amber
This substance is frequently referred to in the following pages, and is a vegetable product of the amber gum of commerce. The Oil of Ambergris is also sometimes used by trappers, and is likewise known as Amber Oil. The two are thus often confounded,... Oil Of Anise
This is strongly recommended by many trappers as a most excellent universal medicine. It is a vegetable product, and is obtainable at any drug store. ... Oil Of Rhodium
This is a vegetable oil obtained from a species of rose, and is quite costly. Its power of attracting animals is surprising, and it is in very common use among trappers. ... Oil Of Skunk
This, the ne plus ultra, or quintessence of diabolical stench, yields the tempting savor which irresistibly attracts many animals to their final doom. It is contained in a pouch beneath the insertion of the tail of the animal, and is spread abroad b... Plan Of Campaign
The first thing to be considered in reference to a campaign is the selection of a trapping ground, and it is always desirable to choose a locality where travel by water can be resorted to as much as possible. Otter, mink, beaver and muskrat are amon... Quail Snare
which forms the subject of our first illustration. This consists of a series of nooses fastened to a strong twine or wire. They may be of any number, and should either consist of fine wire, horse-hair, or fine fish-line. If of wire, common brass su... Requisites Of A Good Steel Trap
1. The jaws should not be too thin nor sharp cornered. In the cheaper class of steel traps the jaws approach to the thinness of sheet-iron, and the result is that the thin edges often sever the leg of their would-be captive in a single stroke. At ot... Rocky Mountain Sheep
These creatures are natives of the entire range of the Rocky Mountains, and are especially prized on account of the superior quality of their flesh as food. They are much larger and more powerful than the domestic sheep, and the ram is provided with... Shooting And Poisoning
Until the introduction of the steel-trap, shooting was a common method of taking fur bearing animals, and even to the present day it is quite prevalent in some localities. Anyone who has had any experience with the fur trade must have learned that f... Snares Or Moose Traps
These devices, although properly coming under the head of traps, differ from them in the sense in which they are generally understood. A snare naturally implies an entanglement; and for this reason the term is applied to those contrivances which ... Snow-shoes
These commodities are almost indispensable to the trapper where he pursues his vocation in the winter time, during the prevalence of deep snows. When properly made they permit the wearer to walk over the surface of the snow with perfect ease; where,... Squirrels
There are many species of squirrels found in the United States, but their fur is of little value, and of trifling importance in the fur trade; the squirrel fur of our markets being that of a small grey European variety. Squirrels, as a class, posses... Stretchers
The board stretcher is the simplest form and is in most common use among trappers for the smaller animals. These stretchers are of two kinds, the plain and the wedged. The plain stretcher consists of a piece of board a quarter of an inch in thicknes... Sweet Fennel
This plant is commonly cultivated all over the United States, and the seeds are often powdered and used as a scent bait. The Oil of Fennel is preferable, however, and may be had at almost any drug store. ...