Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper: Autobiography, experiences and observations of Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock during his fifty years of hunting and trapping. — John Shaqi
Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper: Autobiography, experiences and observations of Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock during his fifty years of hunting and trapping.Woodcock, E. N. (Eldred Nathaniel)
General
Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper: Autobiography, experiences and observations of Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock during his fifty years of hunting and trapping.
Woodcock, E. N. (Eldred Nathaniel)
Hunting; Trapping
As it was only about the middle of October we went to work at once on
a good supply of wood for the camp. We did not quit until we were
sure that we had plenty to last the winter, for we intended to stay
as long as it was either profitable or a pleasure. After the wood was
cut and piled up near the shanty door, we next set the bear traps, as
we had brought bait for the purpose.
After the bear traps were set we next looked over the deadfalls that
I had built for marten the fall before, putting in a new stake where
necessary. We also set crotches and laid poles on them, then covering
with hemlock boughs to keep the snow from falling directly on the
trap. We fixed up the two deadfalls I had made for bear, as we wished
to get all the bear traps out that we could, as we had already seen
several signs.
We also built a number more deadfalls for marten on different ridges
farther up the stream where I had not set any the fall before. We
built a number of deadfalls along the streams for mink and coon. It
was now getting well along towards the last days of October, so we
put in a couple of days hunting deer, as we had to have bait to set
our marten and other traps with.
The first day's hunting we did not get a deer, though we each got a
running shot but missed. The second day I did not see any deer but
Bill killed a good sized buck before noon. We now began setting the
traps that we had built. Bill baiting and setting the deadfalls,
while I commenced on the steel traps. We had not baited and set any
of the deadfalls that we had built up to this time. The steel traps
we set for fox and wildcats, as there was a bounty of two dollars on
wildcats at that time.
In setting out the fox traps the knowledge that I had got of the
locality was of much benefit to me. I had kept a watch out for warm
springs and other good likely places to catch a fox or other animals.
After we had all the deadfalls and steel traps out but three or four
otter traps, we set one or two at the drift where I caught one the
fall before. The others we set where we found otter signs.
While setting the traps we got a marten or two, as well as one or two
mink and coon. We had had one or two little flurries of snow, but we
did not leave the traps to hunt deer. Now that the traps were all
set, we divided up the trap lines as best we could for each one to
attend to while hunting deer. In dividing up the lines in this way we
saved much time, as we would not both be working the same territory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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