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
Good springs were not so common where water sets could be made as in
Pennsylvania. We could find occasionally a good log crossing where we
could get in a set for wolf, but suitable places of this kind were
not plentiful. We worked for beaver all we could. We would break a
notch in their dams and then set a trap just on the edge of break in
water just deep enough so the beaver would spring the trap. It was
while trapping here that I learned to make the bait set for beaver.
This is to use the kind of wood beaver were feeding on for bait.
We caught three or four wolves on the ice close to the bank.
Sometimes the ice would settle along the banks and the water would
run over the ice too close to the shore and then freeze. This made a
good path, or rather place for the wolf to travel. Now, where a
spruce or cedar tree would fall into the lake so as to leave a narrow
space between the boughs on the tree and the bank, was a good place
to set. We would watch the weather and when it began snowing we would
go to one of these trees from the ice or water side, cut a notch in
the ice, put in some ashes or dry pulverized rotten wood. The notch
cut in the ice must be just deep enough to let the trap down level
with the surface. The clog was concealed under a bough of the tree.
Now, I wish to say that I was never able to catch a timber wolf
unless I was able to outwit him, and in order to do this the
conditions and surroundings must be perfect for making the set. Where
we found good places to make a set of this kind we would place the
carcass of a deer several yards from shore out on the ice. This would
entice the wolves to come around, and of course increase our chances
of making a catch.
We were bothered some by having a wolverine follow a line of
deadfalls, tear down the bait pen and take the bait, but we did not
allow him to do his cussedness long before we would put a trap in the
way.
We would sometimes have the parts of a deer taken down by a lynx
where we had hung up venison so that it would be convenient to use
for bear bait. We never objected much about it for we were willing to
trade venison for a cat almost any time, for deer were very
plentiful.
In April, when we were taking up our traps and getting ready to start
down the river as soon as the water dropped so that we dare start, we
were going onto a stream one day to take up three or four traps that
we had set for beaver, our route led us across the point of the
ridge. The point faced to the southeast, and the snow was off in
spots on this point. When we went over this point in the morning we
saw many deer run from these bare spots, so when we came back along
in the afternoon we were as careful as possible and kept the highest
ground so as to get a good view on this bare point to see how many
deer we could count. There were upwards of forty in sight at one
time. How I wish I could have had that picture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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