eight pounds. Ina had laid her rod down hurriedly upon the bank when she had come to my assistance and when she returned to get it rod and line were nowhere in evidence. The hooked

fish had probably moved farther under the drift, which had dragged them under water. It was a smart loss, as the rod was a fine bamboo and the line braided silk. Two good lines and a rod lost in one morning's fishing; but then we were consoled by our catch and the fun we had had.

Returning leisurely to where we had left Mr. Kelly and father, we found them lying in the shade of a large elm smoking, and, I suppose, spinning yarns. They had caught three mediumsized bass and quite a lot of rock perch. Repairing to camp we soon had a mess of fish that would tempt the palate of a king, and after dinner Mr. Kelly and father went back in the hills to look over a bit of timberland while Ina and I essayed to climb a step hill, and on the summit we were rewarded by finding large, lucious huckleberries in great plenty. We ate of the delicious fruit and filled a three-quart pail, and when about halfway down the hill on our homeward journey we found bee tree No. 2. We were passing directly under a large red oak when a roaring sound arrested our attention and upon investigation we saw a young swarm of bees leaving their home tree, which was the oak.

Squirrels were quite plentiful and woodchucks were numerous. It was a delightful afternoon, and our mood seemed to be in harmony with Mother Nature. The bright sunshine filtered down through the branches of the big trees; birds were singing; wild flowers blooming. Away off on another hill we heard the faint music of a hound pack. Some old fox hunter training his dogs, no doubt. Away down from the river came the dull roar of the falls.

We surprised Mr. Kelly and father at the evening meal by placing a huckleberry cobbler on the table and let me remark that there are but few things to eat which will equal a huckleberry cobbler made in the good, old southern way. The following morning Mr. Kelley and father cut bee tree No. 2 and obtained about three gallons of fine honey in the comb. Wild dewberries were plentiful along the sides of the steep mountain and while they were cutting the bee tree we picked a gallon of those berries. you ever eat wild berries and honey comb with crisp, hot buckwheat cakes? Well, if you have, then you know the joy of such a feast, and, if you haven't, you have missed a rare feast.

Did

It would be taking up too much valuable space in this magazine to relate, at length, every incident of our five days' recreation and fishing; enough to say that we caught fish to our hearts' content and to those who contemplate a fishing trip next spring or summer, we can heartily recommend the "Breaks" of the Big Sandy. But for the best sport, one should go above Elkhorn City. They will find the people hospitable and kind and the high altitude insures a healthful camp site, with cool, pure water and refreshing breezes.

Carter Co., Ky.

44 4

A HUNTING TRIP IN WASHINGTON. I will write an account of a hunt I took part in last fall. There were five of us, Albert, Henry, Johnnie, Dad and myself. We wanted to shoot bears; other game was too small. We started November 5, not in an automobile, but a measley little Ford. Well, there were five of us, a sack of spuds, a pile of bread and other eatables and enough guns and ammunition to supply half the German army, and we were

dressed warm enough for a North Pole expedition, so there wasn't much empty space left in that little old tincan.

Things went along nicely until towards evening a rain set in. As we were driving along a level road along the Pend-Oreille River, we came to a pretty muddy place. Our car stuck in the mud to the hubs. We all piled out into the mud; every time we lifted our feet we would also lift about 250 pounds of the stickiest mud you ever saw. Well, we tore down some rail fence and put rails under the wheels; then we pushed. Albert happened to be just back of the hind wheel when our train slipped off the rails. The hind wheels started to spin around about 1,000

YOUR AVERAGE IS WHAT COUNTS-NOT THE PRICE YOU GET FOR ONE SKIN.

NO COMMISSIONS.

rounds per minute, sending a nice big creamy stream of mud in Albert's face. He didn't stay there very long, let me tell you. Well, after stirring up the mud good for about two miles we came to a better road.

All this time we had our guns ready for bears. This was our first hunt in the mountains. We soon went through some of the finest timber you ever saw, mostly all uphill now. We would push the car up the slippery little slopes; then jump on going down hill. Well, it was about six o'clock when we came to the cabin we were going to stay at. There were plenty of deer tracks along the road, so we had hopes. We unloaded our car of its burden, then started

NO EXPRESS CHARGES.

Raw Furs.

every

YOUR AVERAGE IS WHAT COUNTS-NOT THE PRICE YOU GET FOR ONE SKIN.

to cook supper. After supper Dad and Henry washed the dishes, while the rest of us got the guns cleaned up. Albert went out to the car to get something that he had forgotten. Henry opened the back window and let out an unearthly scream. The way Albert came in wasn't very slow. He didn't seem much frightened, though he told us he heard a cougar; we all looked wise. We told him we didn't hear anything and thought he must have been drinking something stronger than water while he was out. He said he was certain that he heard one right close to the cabin, so we took our guns and Henry took a candle and went ahead. Albert right behind with a .30-.30, just as brave as a lion. The rest of us stayed close to the cabin.

RAW

When, "By heck" yelled Henry, "there he is," dropped the candle and ran to the cabin. Albert dropped his rifle and ran for dear life. He beat Henry to the cabin alright, scared speechless. We went back and picked up the candle and gun. Then Albert noticed it was a black log that Henry saw and said was a cougar.

The rest of the evening was spent in playing cards and telling the most blood curdling stories about ghosts, Indians and outlaws and encounters with wild beasts (such as cougar). About midnight we rolled in our bunks, and were soon dreaming, I guess. I don't think we slept much, anyhow, because next morning our bed covers were all over the cabin. Guess some one must have had the nightmare. Henry said he thought

London, England

MEMBER MERCHANTS

FUR

ASS'N

RELIABILITY

Paris, France

REFERENCES:

a cougar came in and finding the beds occupied, made a bed on the floor. We ate breakfast and started out to shoot bear. Well, we looked up every hollow tree around, every huckleberry bush and every hole that was big enough to hide a chipmunk, when all at once, Johnnie says, “I see him; its a big black fellow." Sure enough we saw the brush wiggle. John said, "Shall I shoot?" "Shoot if you see him," said Henry. So taking careful aim, Johnnie fired. We all ran to stab the bear and to our surprise he shot a porcupine. The animal was playing in the brush, so we couldn't tell what it was. Well, that .45-70 weakened that porks batteries some, but he still could throw some spark. I saw a rabbit hop across the path. I fired at him and crippled his steering gear and he soon gave up the race. Albert shot a grouse that afternoon. Dad saw a deer, but couldn't get him so that was all the game we got the first day.

Well, we got back to the cabin a little after dark. After supper we played cards; but Albert was tired and wouldn't play. He soon was fast asleep. "Now," says Henry, "I'll wake him up. see if I don't." So he got the broom, tied his fur coat around it, set it up against the door on the outside. Then with a lot of calling and a few lusty jabs in the slats, he finally succeeded in partly waking him. Henry told him to go out and get his grouse as the cougars might get it during the night. Well, Albert yawned, stretched himself, and still three-quarters asleep, walked slowly to the door. He opened it and with a yell like the blast of a fog horn on an ocean steamer, he threw up his arms and jumped backward the full width of the cabin. "Jimminy Grasshoppers!" Guess he would be going yet if the wall hadn't been there, for that dummy cougar fell squarely in his arms and face. Well, Henry laughed so one of his false teeth dropped out of his mouth and fell through a crack in the floor. The rest of us laughed and laughed until the cabin shook, while Albert repeated a little prayer that he said he had learned in Sunday school at Spokane. Henry took up a board and found his gold tooth again.

The next morning we were up early, got breakfast, started out hoping for better luck than the day before. Albert and I followed a trail close to the side of the mountain. Noon found us at

a lake called Brown's Lake. We ate dinner at an old deserted cabin. A party of hunters had been there shortly before we came and left some supplies. There was a stove there, so we were all in luck. Dad had killed a small buck that morning and Henry caught a number of very nice lake trout. That afternoon we met the sheriff and a posse of men looking for a man who had robbed a saloon in a nearby town. In making his escape, he shot and killed two men and wounded another. He then beat it to the mountains. There was a reward offered for him, so we all were anxious to meet the gent. That night Albert thought it about time to have some fun, so he and I cleaned the guns that evening and as the others were busy cooking supper, sneaked the .45-.70, two 30.-30's and a 32 special outdoors and left the .22's in the cabin. Then I went to get some water at a spring not far away. Albert slept close to the window, so he loaded the guns, fixed them solid on the outside just below the window, pointed them towards the hill, tied a string to each trigger, put the strings through a crack in the window. He also tied a string to a block of wood, put it in the attic window (the glass being broken out) ran the string full length of the cabin, which has a good ceiling, and then put that string with the rest at his station. This

all took only a few minutes; then we came in with the water.

Well, we talked about how we would capture the outlaw if he came around that night, and we were all brave as cougars then. It was about ten o'clock when we went to bed, didn't take very long until they were all fast asleep and snoring to beat the band. Albert takes the strings and Bang! went the old .45-.70. Bang! Bang! Crack! went the others in quick succession. Everybody out of bed in a jiffy.

"Did you hear that?" they whispered. "Sure; bet that's the outlaw trying to scare us out so he can get something to eat," says Johnnie. But for some reason no one wanted that reward just then. In about an hour and a half, they were all asleep again. I pulled the string with the wood on it. The block dropped on the ceiling with quite a bit of noise. I pulled, and it started to slide across those two by four's. Bang! Bang! like a man walking heavily across the floor. Johnnie yells, "He's coming in," and we were all up in a second. They deemed it best not to light a lamp. They thought sure the outlaw was trying to scare us out and if we lit a lamp he might shoot us. Albert took a .22 rifle, saying, "I ain't afraid of the ding-busted robber," and went to investigate. I went to the window unobserved and pulled the string hard, and the block of wood went rattling across the ceiling and out through the attic window and hit the rifles and boxes Albert had fixed there with a crash. Dad says, "There he goes!" Just then Albert started to pump lead outside at what they thought was the outlaw. Then all of a sudden they remembered the reward and ail rushed out after the offender. When we explained the joke they looked a little bit cheap. Spokane Co., Wash. Harry Koehler.

T. J. BEGGS, AN ONTARIO FOX RANCHER, WITH A FIVE MONTHS OLD SILVER BLACK FOX.

THE TRAPPER'S PRAYER.

By Arthur R. Macdougall.

Oh Lord, help me to walk from day to day,
That others, too, may follow in your way.
Forgive, for in life oft I have erred,
Though I've forgotten all the flowery
Sermons in boyhood I have heard.

I've always found your sermons in the rocks and trees and rills,

For Nature as you left it in the valley or in the hills.

There's something very God-like about the mighty falls;

Are you one who has yet to learn, thru many bitter disappointments, that the house which quotes the highest prices does not always pay the best returns?

Our quotations are plain, straight from the shoulder, no double meanings,
one price only on each article; a glance at our price list tells you exactly
what you will get. We do not charge commission; we pay all
shipping charges, except in unusual cases, where the shipping
charges exceeds ten per cent of the entire value of the shipment.
Let us suggest that you bale up your furs today and enclose a
card saying, "Hold this shipment separate and subject to my
order," we will follow your instructions and keep your furs in
good order, until you have had plenty of time to O. K. our
returns.

THE OLD RELIABLE

F. N.

If you want the most money for your furs, tear off and mail this Coupon today

NORTHWESTERN HIDE & FUR CO. 200-204 1st ST. NORTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN

(Established 1890)

Northwestern Hide & Fur Co. 200-204 1st St. N. Minneapolis, Minn. Gentlemen: Please send me your FREE ILLUSTRATED PRICE LIST AND MARKET REPORTS, showing all Fur-bearing Animals of North America.

Name.

Address..

TRAPPING VARIOUS ANIMALS.

Will tell you how I trap the skunk, weasel, civet, mink and muskrat.

Weasel-It is a blood thirty animal and is very fond of fresh meat, such as rabbits, chickens, or birds. Take a No. o trap to a place where there are signs. First scatter a bunch of feathers on the ground, or on the snow. Then set the trap in the midst and cover very lightly with feathers, or rabbit hair. If you have a good manufactured bait, you can use it. Skunk and civet cat are easily caught because they are not trap shy. A No. I trap will do for trapping them. If you can locate their den, set your trap at the entrance, well staked. Another set is to build a pen out of rocks or brush. In the back part place bloody meat and in the entrance set a No. I trap covered lightly with feathers, or rabbit hair.

Muskrat is an animal which lives along streams and in ponds and swamps. Set a No. 1 trap at the entrance of their den and at the foot of their slides, or find a narrow place where the creek is about one foot wide. Set your trap in the middle under two inches of water and any muskrat coming up or down stream will swim right into your trap.

Mink is a very trap shy animal which prefers to travel along small winding streams and here it makes its home. Its food consists of fish, fresh meat, and clams. For this animal I have two kinds of sets, namely, land set and water set.

Water set: Take a fish or a bird and tie it on the end of a two foot stick and push the other end in the ground, then sprinkle a good prepared scent on the bait, if you have it. Then set a No. I trap one foot beneath the bait under two inches of water. Land set: Take a bunch of feathers and scatter on the ground. Then set a No. I trap in the middle and cover with more feathers.

Another good water set is to take an old wooden pump to a stream and lay it in the water so it is filled half full of water. In the center place bait and at each end set a No. I or No. I 1-2 trap and any mink coming along will be yours. Alvin Schlichting.

Ida Co., Iowa.

44 4

SKUNK TRAPPING.

Skunk are found throughout the United States and are about the easiest animal there is to trap.

One of the best ways to trap skunk is to take an old dead hen and place her in an old hollow log and set a trap at each end. I have not yet mentioned the proper size of trap to use for skunk.

The best are Newhouse, Victor and Jump No. II-2. The No. 91 is a good trap for

skunk, because it is impossible for him to gnaw

a foot off.

My next method to trap skunk is find a den which they have been in the habit of using, or where there are some signs. Dig a bed for the trap and cover over with dry grass. If you happen to catch a rabbit, take his entrails and throw them back of the trap and you will catch them with this set. Before I close on the skunk question, I will tell you how to make a good scent for skunk.

Along through the summer about August catch a few minnows or eels and cut them up and put them in a bottle with the cork on lightly and let stand for about three weeks and strain through a cloth and then the fish oil is ready for use.

The best way to kill skunk is to hit them over the head with a club. I do not believe in drowning them, as it spoils the fur. Augusta Co., Va.

44 4

R. J. Huffman.

WEASEL TRAPPING.

I have sent in my renewal for the Fur News, which I find I cannot do without. It beats any magazine of its kind I have ever read. As I have the time, I will add a word about trapping weasel in the winter. At this time of the year they will pay little, if any, attention to a set baited with meat. They want blood and they want it fresh and warm and they seldom have much trouble getting it. This is the set I use for them. Weasel follow old weedy fences and poke around old brush piles. At these places set traps in corners and convenient places and set them so they will spring at slight touch, as he is a very light animal. Cover your traps with grass. Now on the end of a stick or weed put a piece of pith from a weed or sunflower and Suspend the pith over the trap and put a few drops of good weasel animal bait on the pith. The pith absorbs the liquid and gives off a constant odor and lasts a great while without renewing. Zeke, The Trapper,

Minnesota.

4 4 4 COYOTES.

I will write and tell you how I caught my first coyote. We had an old horse die, so I took the mules and pulled him out in the pasture. Then I took a bushel of hen manure, staked my trap about thirty feet from the horse and piled the hen manure over the trap stake and set the trap on top of the pile of manure and put a piece of cotton under the pan of trap; then covered the trap and brushed it down smooth.

The first morning I went nothing had been there; the second morning he dug the trap up. Then nothing was there for about a week; then

Game is not very plentiful here because there are so many trappers here. When any farmer finds a trap and even some trappers will take or break a trap belonging to others. I have taken 19 skunk and two muskrats in two weeks work and now I am going to set out again. There are so many holes around here that it is not necessary to use bait. I only use bait when I find a good place where skunk run about at night and hunt for food; then I hang a rabbit up on the side of a tree and place a trap or two near the tree. I mostly take my furs out of holes or in rock piles. There are many weasels found in rock piles. The weasels are also found in holes and brush piles. The weasels are so light that you must keep your traps in good working order.

In trapping muskrats I take a head of cabbage or carrots and hang on top of a stick eighteen inches long; if there is ice on the water you can place the stick on the ground. If it is not frozen over you may put the stick in shallow water and place four or five traps around the stake about one foot from the stake. I have caught as many as four this way at one stake with one cabbage in one night. I also set traps in their runways. Dig a hole in the ground, just large enough to put

Last fall I started to trap the tenth of November and trapped until March. I want to give you a couple good methods to trap the skunk. My favorite set is as follows: I get two logs, place them lengthwise about six inches apart, place No. 1 or No. 1 1-2 Newhouse trap at each end of the logs, so the skunk cannot get between the logs without stepping into the trap and in the center put a bird or a piece of chicken. Set the trap at each side of the stakes, but be sure to put the trap stakes far enough apart so one skunk cannot get in both traps and you will likely get two skunks.

Another method, I go along until I find an old stone wall. Skunk like to travel beside them to hunt for mice and insects. I travel along beside them until I find some signs of skunk and then I build a house about three feet long and ten inches wide. I make it of stones and leave an opening at both ends and in the center of the house, place a piece of meat and place traps at both ends and fasten to a fence post, or something that gives when he pulls. I use No. 1 Victor and No. 1 Oneida Jump traps and find them very satisfactory. In making a set for 'coon, I usually find a spring that has a small overflow. Then I notice what lies across it, or alongside. I find an old log, hollow out the end for about eight or ten inches and put a piece of chicken or fish in the hollow place. I take good care that the trap is well concealed.

Always Mention FUR NEWS When Writing to Advertisers