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    Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy
    Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy
    Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy
    Ebook221 pages2 hours

    Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy

    By Frank Tose

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    About this ebook

    This vintage book contains a complete guide to taxidermy, with instructions for trapping, tanning, fleshing, mounting, and all other related aspects. Complete with detailed diagrams and a wealth of useful tips, this classic handbook is highly recommended for the beginner, and would make for a fantastic addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: “Traps”, “Care and Handling”, “Devices used With Steel Traps”, “Deadfalls”, “Mink Deadfall and Walking Trap”, “Snares”, “The Muskrat”, “The Weasel”, “The Mink”, “The Marten”, “The Fisher”, “The Coyote or Prairie Wolf”, “The Red Fox”, “The Canada Lynx”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on taxidermy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateApr 16, 2013
    ISBN9781447493440
    Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy

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      Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy - Frank Tose

      PREFACE

      In placing this book before the public it is my earnest wish that it may prove a source of much pleasure and profit to those who are interested in one or all of the subjects of Trapping, Tanning and Taxidermy. I have endeavored to make the lessons as plain as possible, and to this end I have illustrated the various processes with line drawings so as to make them easily understood.

      I have further omitted all scientific terms so as not to confuse the beginner unduly, and have given only such processes as are used in the best business establishments of the country,—methods which are used with a view to excellence of workmanship, and at the same time adequate financial returns.

      My most sincere thanks are due to Mr. Beam and his son Milton Beam, Mr. J. A. Bryan, Mr. Joe Sterers and Mr. George Manson, all trappers of wide experience in various sections of Canada and the United States for their kind assistance in that portion of the work dealing with trapping.

      FRANK TOSE.

      TRAPPING

      THE trapping of fur-bearing animals can be made a source of both pleasure and profit to those who undertake it. No small proportion of the fur that is produced in this country is taken by farmers and those who reside in our rural communities. The proceeds derived from the sale of the pelts secured would, in a great many cases, be much greater if they were caught in proper season, and handled in the proper manner. While it is true that the price lists of many firms which deal in furs are inflated, and the returns seemingly out of all proportion to the prices offered, the fault is not always with the buyer. The writer has had to disappoint many when buying furs from them for this reason. I have also seen many seemingly good furs spoil in the tanning through wrong handling in the hands of the trapper. Imagine yourself in the place of the furrier or taxidermist who has paid a high price for a fur only to find that it is practically devoid of hair when it comes out of the tan.

      Many who read these pages will, no doubt, take advantage of the instructions on tanning and taxidermy and make up their own fur rugs, robes, etc. To those especially I would say there is only one time to start a job right and that is at the beginning. There are very few of the fair sex to whom a set of fine furs does not appeal. In addition to their use as a means of adornment they are an absolute necessity in most sections of our country owing to its rigorous winter climate. There is also a great deal of satisfaction in doing a job from start to finish and the additional knowledge that the article is genuine and not a cheap imitation as in the case of many of the furs sold today.

      In the pages to follow I shall endeavor to give not only my own observations and experiences but also that of others for whose experience in this line I can vouch.

      It may be well to state in advance that every precaution should be taken to use and set traps in such a way as will cause as little suffering to the captured animals as possible. Their nervous system may not be quite as finely organized as ours, there is no doubt however that they are highly sensitive to pain and it would be inhuman to cause needless suffering. If for this reason only, your trap line should be visited regularly. Another reason for being on the job is that in many cases your traps will cover with snow. It is best to set traps in such places that the snow will be least likely to drift. In some sections of the country there is also a danger that traps which are set on the banks of streams and rivers will cover with water and then be frozen in, due to the changing temperature and consequent rise and fall of the water.

      Let it be also understood that there is no place for a dog on a trap line. In many cases where evidence of your own presence must be so carefully obliterated the presence of a dog would make trapping impossible. I shall not dwell on the use of poison for securing fur bearers for the reason that I do not approve of its use except in extreme cases where absolutely necessary to control vermin and in such cases it should be used with extreme caution. In settled districts where poison must be put out, the neighbors for a considerable distance around should be notified. Many valuable dogs and other domestic animals are killed by poison set out for fur bearers.

      Also many of the animals for which it is set out crawl away and die in remote places and become merely carrion which is just needless waste.

      TRAPS

      By far the greater number of fur bearers are caught by the use of steel traps. These are so well illustrated and detailed in the advertisements of their makers and in the various sporting magazines that it would be a waste of space to go into a detailed description of them here.

      In purchasing traps it is very necessary to see that the working parts are in good order and that the spring works freely on the jaws. It is better to purchase those with thick rather than thin jaws as they tend to hold the animal better. Thin jaws often cut the flesh and bone and thus assist the animal to amputate its limbs and escape. In this respect it is also better to set traps rather smaller than would be deemed necessary as a trap too large will also break the bone and you may find only a foot when you visit it. With very few exceptions it is an error to bait the pan of the trap. It has been found better to place the bait in such a position that the animal will step on the trap in its endeavor to secure that which its appetite craves.

      Steel traps are made in various sizes from No. 0 to No. 6. The smaller sizes are made with a single spring and in the large ones the spring is double. The best sizes to use will be given in the description of the various animals and their mode of capture.

      CARE AND HANDLING

      Traps should be kept well oiled and free from rust. The scent of the majority of fur bearing animals is very keen, and they will soon detect the presence of man. It is therefore best to handle all traps with buckskin gloves. In the case of animals of such keen scent as wolf, fox, etc., it is essential as a further precaution to place traps, gloves, etc., in a pile of horse manure for some time previous to setting. Another good plan has been related to me by M. Beam and that is, where possible to dip the traps for wolf, etc., in the blood of a pig or other animal, two or three times. This will coat the whole, chain as well, with a thin enamel of blood. This method he states has given him great success.

      In setting traps in water for beaver, otter, etc., it is best to work from a boat where possible or at any rate to wear rubber waders and approach and conduct all operations in the water.

      DEVICES USED WITH STEEL TRAPS

      Steel traps often need to be supplemented with various devices for several reasons which we will explain.

      A spring pole is often used to keep the animal from gnawing itself free and also to hoist it out of the reach of any other species that may be disposed to make a meal of it. Various ways of using this spring pole are described in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

      Fig. 1.

      Fig. 1 illustrates the method of using a spring pole for large sets where they are placed near a tree. A large sapling is stripped of its branches and split at the end. The ring of the trap is then placed over the end and a wedge is driven into the split and secured to prevent the ring slipping off. A large spike with the head cut off is now driven into the tree in the manner shown. In its struggles to escape the animal will loosen the pole which will suspend it at least partially in the air thus minimizing its chances of escaping.

      Fig. 2.

      Fig. 2, which is explained at length elsewhere, will do very well to attach a trap to in some cases if the noose is omitted. Another good way is to make a small notch in two trees or sticks and cut a stick of sufficient length to just catch, Fig. 3.

      Fig. 3.

      Regarding these and the other illustrations of the various contrivances used, it is hardly necessary to state that although traps, chains, etc., have been shown exposed for the sake of a more clear and definite explanation, they must at all times in actual use be covered and made as inconspicuous as possible.

      Another addition which is known as the clog and is used for such large animals as the bear, cougar, lynx, wolf, etc., is simply a log of sufficient size to impede the movements of the captured animal, but not too heavy for it to drag slowly. It is well to leave it with a number of snags and branches to catch on trees, shrubs, etc., and thus further delay the animal in its efforts to get away. Needless to say the chain must be firmly secured to the clog.

      A third contrivance is known as the sliding pole and is used on such animals as the muskrat, otter, mink and beaver. It consists of a long smooth pole with a fork at its upper end, the ring is placed over the pole and it is pushed down into deep water, the trap being generally placed in shallow water. The animal when caught makes for deep water and is guided there by the ring sliding on the pole. Once there the weight of the trap and the position of pole hold it and it speedily drowns. This is illustrated in Fig. 4. The pole must of course be pushed well into the mud or else be held in such a manner as will resist the efforts of the animal to escape.

      Fig. 4.

      Fig. 5.

      Another adaptation of this is shown in Fig. 5. It consists of a stout wire attached to a fork at one end and a stake or anything convenient at the other. The rock is then sunk in deep water. Some trappers prefer this to the pole.

      DEADFALLS

      Having considered broadly the use of steel traps, we will now turn our attention to those devices which man, brought face to face with the necessity of capturing the various animals and having no other means at hand than perhaps an axe and a knife, has discovered and adapted. Some of these devices have been in use for countless years. Others are of more recent origin.

      Most deadfalls are operated by means of triggers or light pieces of wood placed together in such a manner that the slightest touch will cause them to collapse.

      Fig. 1.

      Fig. 1, will show what is known as the figure four. It is composed of three pieces of wood about 5/8 of an inch wide and 3/8 of an inch thick. No. 1

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