,,mink ,,trapping4    ,illustration3 ,a 
,,large ,,mink4  ,,mink ,,trapping  ,a  
,,book ,,of ,,instruction ,,giving      
,,many ,,methods ,,of ,,trapping--,a    
,,valuable ,,book ,,for ,,trappers4     
,,edited ,,by ,a4 ,r4 ,,harding4        
,,published ,,by ,a4 ,r4 ,,harding      
,,publishing ,,co4 ,,columbus1 ,,ohio4  
,,copyright #aijf ,,by ,a4 ,r4          
,,harding4    ,,contents4    ,i4        
,general ,information   ,,ii4 ,mink and 
,their ,habits   ,,iii4 ,size and ,care 
of ,skins   ,,iv4 ,good and ,lasting    
,baits   ,v4 ,bait and ,scent   ,,vi4   
,places to ,set   ,,vii4 ,indian        
,methods   ,,viii4 ,mink ,trapping on   
the ,prairie   ,,ix4 ,southern ,methods 
,x4 ,northern ,methods   ,,xi4 ,unusual 
,ways   ,,xii4 ,illinois ,trapper's     
,method   ,,xiii4 ,experienced          
,trapper's ,ways   ,,xiv4 ,many ,good   
,methods   ,,xv4 ,salt ,set   ,,xvi4    
,log and ,other ,sets   ,,xvii4 ,points 
for the ,young ,trapper   ,,xviii4      
,proper ,size ,traps   ,,xix4 ,deadfalls

   ,,xx4 ,steel ,traps    ,,list ,,of   
,,illustrations4    ,a ,large ,mink   ,a
 ,mink ,trapper   ,looking for ,food    
,good ,signs   ,nicely ,handled         
,wisconsin ,skins   ,some ,prime ,n4 ,e4
 ,skins   ,large ,iowa ,mink   ,caught  
in ,midwinter   ,northwestern ,skins    
,trapper's ,shack   ,a ,good ,mink      
,stream   ,where ,signs are ,plenty     
,indian ,trapper   ,camping ,out        
,moses ,bone   ,a ,young ,trapper       
,large ,southern ,mink   ,caught in     
,minnesota   ,a ,few ,good ,ones        
,broke the ,fastening   ,trapping ,down 
,stream   ,eastern ,trapper and ,traps  
,barricade ,set   ,northwest ,trapper   
and ,mink   ,northern ,mink ,trapper's  
,shanty   ,a ,few ,days' ,catch   ,three
 ,log ,set   ,some ,new ,york ,state    
,skins   ,pole ,deadfall   ,stone       
,deadfalls   ,board or ,log ,trap   ,a  
,good ,fastening   ,mink and ,other     
,steel ,traps    ,illustration3 ,a4 ,r4 
,,harding4    ,,introductory4  ,while   
there are some excellent mink trappers1 

no one man has studied out all the      
methods1 for the conditions under which 
the trapper in the ,south makes his     
largest catches would probably be of    
little value to the trapper of the ,far 
,north1 where snow covers the ground the
 greater part of the year4  ,conditions 
along the ,atlantic are different than  
the ,pacific1 and as well the methods   
used by thousands of trappers along the 
,mississippi and its tributaries differ 
from the ,eastern or ,western ,coast    
trapper1 for the mink's food is not the 
same along the fresh inland waters as   
the coast or salt water4  ,the methods  
published are from all parts of the     
country1 and many experienced trappers  
tell of their best methods1 so that it  
makes no difference in what part of     
,america you live1 something will be    
found of how to trap in your section4   
,most of the articles are taken from    
those published in the ,h-,t-,t with    
slight correction4  ,a4 ,r4 ,,harding4  
,,mink ,,trapping    ,,chapter ,i4      

,,general ,,information4  ,mink are     
found in nearly all parts of ,america   
living along creeks1 rivers1 lakes and  
ponds4 ,while strictly speaking they are
 not a water animal1 yet their traveling
 for food and otherwise is mainly near  
the water1 so that the trapper finds    
this the best place to set his traps4   
,the mink is fond of fish1 rabbit1      
squirrel1 birds1 mice1 etc4 ,in some    
sections they eat muskrat1 but we       
believe they prefer other animals1 only 
eating muskrat when very hungry and     
other game is scarce4  ,at certain      
seasons scent seems to attract them     
while at other times the flesh of the   
rabbit1 bird or fish will attract them4 
,the trapper who makes mink trapping a  
business should have various kinds of   
traps and sets for them1 such as steel  
traps1 both bait and blind sets1 as well
 as deadfalls4  ,mink1 while small1 are 
quite strong for their size and very    
active4 ,while a ,no4 #j ,newhouse will 
hold them1 the ,no4 #a is usually       

considered the proper trap4  ,as already
 mentioned1 mink travel a great deal    
near water1 so that the place to catch  
them is close to the water or in the    
water4 ,if you notice mink tracks near  
the water1 in some narrow place where   
the bank comes nearly to the water or a 
rock or log projects nearly to the      
water1 carefully dig a hole the size of 
your trap and an inch or more deep1     
covering with a large leaf or a piece of
 paper first4 ,then place a thin layer  
of earth removed over leaf or paper1    
making the set look as natural as       
before4 ,the dirt from the hole for trap
 as taken out should be thrown in the   
water or to one side4 ,one of the great 
secrets in mink trapping1 especially    
blind sets1 is to leave things as near  
as possible as they were before the set 
was made4  ,there are various shades of 
mink--some quite dark1 others brown1    
pale1 and some cotton4 ,the greater     
number1 however1 are brown4 ,in the     
,northeast1 ,maine1 etc41 mink are not  

large1 but the color is rather dark4 ,in
 the same latitude some ten or twelve   
hundred miles west in ,minnesota and    
,manitoba1 ,canada mink are larger but  
not so dark4 ,still further west on the 
coast of ,washington mink are again     
smaller1 being somewhat similar in size 
to the ,maine mink but much lighter in  
color4 ,throughout the central section  
such as ,ohio1 ,indiana1 ,illinois1     
,iowa1 etc41 they are larger than the   
,maine mink but smaller than ,minnesota4
 ,in color not near so dark as the      
,eastern or ,maine mink4  ,the cotton   
mink is found principally in the prairie
 and level sections4 ,in general        
appearance it is much the same as a pale
 or light brown mink1 but on blowing    
into the fur the under portion is white1
 hence cotton4 ,such skins are worth    
much less than the brown and dark ones4 
,in fact1 for years cotton mink sold for
 #aj to #ej cents4  ,during the past    
years the value of mink skins has varied
 a great deal4 ,the number exported     

annually varies from a couple of hundred
 thousand to a half million skins or    
more4 ,this gives but a faint idea of   
the annual catch1 for large numbers are 
used each year by ,american             
manufacturers4  ,there has been a great 
deal said about mink climbing trees1    
many being under the impression that    
they could not or did not unless leaning
 trees4 ,this is a mistake however1 as  
trappers have tracked them in these now 
up straight and good sized trees4 ,they 
will also occasionally tree when close  
pressed by dogs4  ,mink can be tamed if 
caught when young but are rather        
treacherous1 and should never be handled
 bare handed4 ,a few attempts have been 
made to raise them for their fur1 but so
 far no great success has been achieved4
 ,the raising of mink will no doubt be  
undertaken from this on by many1        
especially if prices remain as of late1 
for when skins sell for several dollars 
each the business looks promising4 ,no  
man should engage in the business unless

 he knows something of their habits1    
etc4    ,illustration3 ,a ,,mink        
,,trapper4  ,in the states bordering on 
,canada mink become prime usually by    
,november #a1 while south along the     
,gulf of ,mexico they do not prime up   
until about ,december #a and begin to   
shed by ,february1 so that the extreme  
,southern trapper has only about two    
months when the skins are at their best4
 ,in the central sections such as       
,pennsylvania1 ,ohio1 ,indiana1         
,illinois1 ,missouri1 etc41 the skins   
are prime by ,november #ae but begin to 
get pale in ,february if the winter is  
open4  ,while some fur bearing animals  
den up during severe weather mink do    
not1 and the trapper1 even in the ,far  
,north1 will find mink on the go every  
night4  ,as mentioned elsewhere1 the    
greater per cent4 of the methods        
published in this book are taken from   
the ,hunter-,trader-,trapper1 an        
illustrated monthly magazine1 of        
,columbus1 ,ohio1 devoted to hunting1   

trapping and raw furs4 ,new trapping    
methods are constantly being published  
in that magazine1 as experienced        
trappers from all parts of ,north       
,america read and write for it4         
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,mink ,,and ,,their   
,,habits4  ,the favorite haunts are     
along marshy shores of lakes1 rivers1   
creeks and other swampy places1 and     
where muskrats are plenty there you are 
almost sure to find mink4 ,when hunting 
for mink the best place to find them is 
in old muskrat holes near the point or  
end of an island1 and the next best     
place is under bridges where the        
approaches have been filled in with     
stones or logs2 there are other places  
not so good1 such as stone piles1 heaps 
of fence rails1 hollow logs1 under large
 stumps1 and have even found them under 
snow banks where ,i knew there were no  
holes at all4  ,the principal food of   
the mink is fish1 birds and their eggs1 
frogs1 mice and small snails1 and have  
had them partly eat muskrat while in my 

traps4 ,i do not know whether he can    
kill a muskrat or not1 never having seen
 him do it4 ,no doubt there are many    
other things upon which he feeds of     
which ,i do not know1 but these are the 
principal ones4  ,the mink is an animal 
of peculiar habits1 sometimes remaining 
near his burrow for weeks at a time1 and
 then suddenly disappearing and not     
returning for as much as seven or eight 
days1 and all this time he is roving    
around in search of food1 running all   
night and lodging in the best hole he   
can find when daybreak comes1 and can   
often be seen in early morning or in    
evening at dusk4    ,illustration3      
,,looking ,,for ,,food4  ,the mink is   
not so hard to trap if you know his     
habits2 when you find he has left his   
burrow do not take up your trap1 for he 
will surely be back in a few days2 when 
you come to a place where a mink has    
laid up for the day 7that is1 in a      
temporary burrow71 do not trap on the   
route he has already traveled1 for when 

he comes out he will go straight on just
 as if he had just looked in and come   
out1 but set traps and bait2 when he    
comes out he will be hungry and is sure 
to be your mink4    ,illustration3      
,,good ,,signs4  ,in going from place to
 place mink often travel over the same  
route1 as between two swamps or ponds1  
and at times there is a well defined    
runway through the grass2 this habit can
 be studied in winter when snow is deep1
 and also when swimming from the        
mainland to an island or from one island
 to another2 they will nearly always    
land in the same place4 ,another thing1 
when finding a burrow look around1 and  
if you find his dung heap you may be    
sure he lives in that hole2 minks' dung 
can be told by mice hair and other      
remains1 and if he is feeding on fish   
altogether looks the color of silver or 
the scales of fish4  ,i have had a world
 of experience trapping but very limited
 at catching1 says an ,arkansas trapper1
 yet plenty of both to be fully capable 

of solving the question as to whether or
 not mink are afraid of the scent of    
iron4 ,it is simply this4 ,some mink are
 positively afraid of it and some are   
positively not so4 ,the experience with 
one mink that walks into the properly   
concealed trap and the other old fellow 
who makes the short but invariable curve
 around the same properly concealed trap
 is positive proof of this1 and few if  
any experienced trappers have not had   
this experience4 ,either use a scent the
 mink likes or boil your traps in ashes4
 ,clean1 wipe and keep dry1 and you have
 a better chance on land at both kinds  
of mink4  ,my favorite water set for    
mink is as follows3 ,roll a good sized  
log 7the longer and larger the better7  
to within six inches of the water's edge
 of a stream1 pond1 or lake1 leaving a  
strip of land about six inches deep1    
allowing water to come in and touch log4
 ,throw mud you remove far away4 ,don't 
step on or leave finger or paddle prints
 on your strip of land1 which is certain

 to become a mink path4  ,as soon as    
tracks indicate this1 from land side    
step on top of log and place trap in the
 place you have made and parallel with  
log1 allowing water to cover well4      
,staple to log low down and under water 
between trap and log1 or if you desire  
to use sliding pole1 place upper end of 
same under log at this same prepared    
place and under water4 ,this log is     
better than the same set at root of     
tree1 rock1 or stump1 for the reason of 
its convenience to stand or kneel on and
 avoid leaving sign while making set1   
and because when mink reaches middle of 
his narrow path he does not like to back
 out1 take deep water1 or climb over the
 log4  ,should he have any suspicions1  
should he jump clear of your little     
water neck1 make wider and place two    
traps or use the same width trap in soft
 mud at either edge1 and when he jumps  
he will land deep in your trap4 ,i      
caught the largest mink ,i ever saw with
 the trap in mud at edge this way and he

 pulled the staple and took the trap1   
but ,i found him the same day and the   
trap1 a ,newhouse ,no4 #a1 had him by   
the hind leg above the hock4 ,the old   
fellow had been jumping my little neck  
of water1 so ,i fixed the trap to his   
convenience and he lit in it hard4      
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,size ,,and ,,care   
,,of ,,skins4  ,mink hides handled right
 bring from a fourth to a half more in  
market than the same hides handled      
indifferently1 says an old ,iowa trapper
 and buyer4 ,now ,i will state it more  
plainly4 ,take a medium sized mink1 a   
male one if handled right will be1 when 
stretched properly1 from #bj to #bb     
inches long1 and from #c #a_/b to #d    
inches wide at the tail1 tapering       
gradually to the nose4  ,take the same  
hide1 stretch it over a shingle tapered 
to a point being #f or #h inches wide at
 base and a foot long1 you will get just
 half as much for it as the first one4  
,i have bought small mink hides about #h
 inches long and #f inches wide at the  

base--just as you would stretch a       
muskrat4 ,take the same hide1 stretch it
 #ae or #ah inches long1 and you have   
added #be per cent4 to the value of the 
hide4 ,i shipped two large mink hide a  
short while ago4 ,they were near of a   
size and color as could be4 ,one was    
about #ab inches long1 the other about  
#bb inches and well handled otherwise4  
,one brought #ajj per cent4 more than   
the other4    ,illustration3 ,,nicely   
,,handled ,,wisconsin ,,skins4  ,i take 
common laths heavy as ,i can get1 saw   
them in two in the center1 plane them   
smooth1 taper the ends of the two round 
the edges1 make a tapering center piece1
 stretch the hide over the two outside  
pieces4 ,draw the hide down as far as   
you possibly can4 ,see that the nose    
does not slip off the end of the boards4
 ,now tack the hide on each side of the 
tail1 putting in #d tacks1 allowing room
 for your center piece4  ,now you are   
ready for your center piece4 ,insert it 
at the bottom1 press it through         

gradually1 but be careful not to tear   
the hide from the tacks that you have   
already driven in4 ,the center piece    
will not always go through the full     
length4 ,the size of the mink regulates 
that part of it4 ,one must have         
different sizes of boards or laths4 ,now
 turn your hide over1 pull down the legs
 of the mink as tight as you can and    
tack1 using several tacks4 ,i use large 
tacks ,no4 #ab three-quarters of an inch
 long1 being sharp as needles4  ,most   
trappers use the one piece stretching   
board1 as they claim the three piece too
 much trouble4 ,if the one piece is     
carefully made1 planed on both sides1   
and about three-eighths inch thick1 it  
is a good board4 ,a one fourth board    
after being planed on both sides is very
 good4  ,in this country there are two  
varieties1 which some naturalists have  
supposed were distinct species2 one     
small1 dark-colored1 common in the      
,northern and ,eastern ,states and      
,canada2 the other larger1 with         

lighter-colored1 coarser and less       
valuable fur1 common in the ,western and
 ,southern ,states4 ,the dark-colored   
variety measures from eleven to eighteen
 inches in length from the nose to the  
root of the tail1 and has a tail from   
six to ten inches in length4            
,illustration3 ,,some ,,prime ,n4 ,e4   
,,skins4  ,the lighter-colored is large 
and is found in the states of ,iowa1    
,minnesota1 ,dakota1 ,manitoba and      
adjoining ,canadian provinces4 ,it has  
been known to reach a weight of five    
pounds4  ,trappers claim they have often
 secured pelts1 without over-stretching1
 that were #be inches long1 #d #c_/h    
inches at root of tail and #c #a_/h     
inches at neck4 ,this measurement being 
from root of tail to end of nose4 ,from 
tip of tail to end of nose #ce inches4  
,a few instances of even larger skins   
are fairly accurately established4  ,in 
the ,northeast the skins are much       
smaller for instead of an occasional    
five pound mink one that weighs three is

 considered large4 ,owing to the fine   
fur and darker color it is worth as much
 if not more than skins larger1 but     
caught in a more open section1 such as  
the ,dakotas1 ,iowa1 etc4 ,in the states
 of ,ohio1 ,indiana1 ,illinois1         
,missouri1 etc41 mink are not so large  
as ,northwestern but larger than        
,eastern1 yet are not worth as much     
money owing to their color not being so 
good4  ,in the states bordering on the  
,ohio ,river as well as ,missouri1      
,kansas1 ,nebraska1 etc41 there are some
 cotton mink4 ,in size they may be as   
large as any in the section1 but the    
under fur is light1 in fact often white4
 ,this greatly lessens their value1 so  
that a cotton mink is often classed as a
 ,no4 #c or ,no4 #d4  ,when it is taken 
into consideration the various shades of
 mink1 dark1 brown1 pale and cotton1 and
 sizes from the different sections1 to  
which are added ,nos4 #b1 #c and #d1 it 
can be seen that to know all about the  
value of mink one must be in touch with 

all parts of the country4               
,illustration3 ,,large ,,iowa ,,mink4   
,many have asked for a standard size by 
which to grade mink--large1 medium and  
small4 ,the standard to be based on     
prime skins of course4  ,at first such a
 plan looks reasonable1 but after       
looking at the suggestion from all sides
 it does not appear so4  ,in the first  
place prime1 large mink vary in weight  
from #c to #e pounds1 depending in what 
section caught4 ,the five pound skin1   
usually from an open country1 is pale   
and not so finely furred as a #c pound  
one from the ,northern ,new ,england    
,states or ,eastern ,canada4  ,again1   
were mink graded by a standard size1    
they would be over-stretched4  ,a dealer
 who we believe tries to treat all      
fairly submits the following            
measurements for the three sizes--large1
 medium and small3  ,large1 #bb inches  
long1 #d wide at tail1 #c #a_/b at neck4
  ,medium1 #ah inches long1 #c #a_/d    
wide at tail1 #b #e_/h at neck4  ,small1

 #ad inches long1 #b #c_/d wide at tail1
 #b #a_/d at neck4  ,the figures are    
from root of tail 7tail not measured7 to
 end of nose4  ,the measurements as     
given are intended to be general1       
including skins from ,southern1         
,central1 ,western and ,northwestern    
sections1 with the exceptions already   
noted1 but at the same time it must be  
kept in mind that all skins the same    
size are not worth the same4  ,it is a  
good idea to stretch the pelts as soon  
after removed from the animal as        
possible4 ,if allowed to lay around for 
hours the pelt will be hard to stretch  
to its normal size4  ,if you find a mink
 drowned and thoroughly water soaked1   
take it by the head1 just like you were 
cracking a whip1 then by the hind legs  
and crack it the same way4 ,the mink    
will soon be dry4 ,if muddy it should be
 washed first4  ,pelts should not be put
 on the boards when the fur is wet4     
,they should also be removed as soon as 
thoroughly dry1 that is1 after the skin 

will not shrink4 ,they should be left on
 boards from three days to a week1      
depending on the weather4 ,do not turn  
after removing from boards1 but have    
flesh side out4    ,,chapter ,,iv4      
,,good ,,and ,,lasting ,,baits4         
,animals are not afraid of smoked baits1
 and in the early and late parts of the 
trapping season it is a positive benefit
 to slightly smoke the bait2 it lasts so
 much longer than fresh meat and hangs  
on to the bait stick until almost the   
last shred1 and if an animal turns from 
the trap house without biting it1 it is 
because he is not hungry4  ,the baits ,i
 have found the most enduring and most  
likely to tempt an animal are--first and
 always the muskrat4 ,all animals1 that 
is bear1 mink1 fox and marten will bite 
at this bait when they will not consider
 any other4 ,for a bear trap1 use one   
whole rat1 take out the inside 7because 
the inside will cause it to decay       
quicker71 have the rat slightly smoked1 
just enough to stiffen the meat1 then   

have a sharp pointed stick1 about three 
feet long1 run the stick through the two
 thighs1 up along the back bone1 through
 the neck stopping at the skull4 ,plant 
this in the back of your bear trap house
 and you have one of the best           
inducements for a bear to catch4  ,for  
mink or marten traps a smoked rat makes 
five good sized baits1 neck and head    
one2 each quarter one4 ,do not throw    
away the tail4 ,it stands in the same   
relationship as a tidbit to an animal as
 a beaver's tail does to a trapper4     
,therefore at the trap where you want an
 extra inducement1 twist the tail about 
the rest of the bait and tie it to keep 
in place4  ,during the very cold months 
partridge and rabbit meat keeps good a  
long while in the hard frozen state1 but
 as an all round lasting bait for mild  
or cold weather1 good for either mink or
 marten1 ,i have used with great success
 both the windpipe and tail of the ox4  
,the tail has1 of course1 to be skinned 
while fresh1 and ,i cut off a ring or   

two of either the windpipe or tail and  
run a sharp stick through each piece1   
and carry them in my bait bag with the  
sticks in4 ,when ,i want one for a trap 
,i pull out the stick and the hole is   
there ready to place on the proper bait 
stick4 ,a tail will make ten generous   
baits1 likewise the windpipe4  ,all fish
 bait is good for mink1 but the majority
 decompose so quickly that unless hard  
smoked it drops off the bait stick in a 
few hours and is eaten by the mice on   
the ground1 or very soon disappears by  
the action of the earth and evaporation4
 ,as a lasting fish bait 7unsmoked7 ,i  
have found the sucker or carp the very  
best2 they are a fleshy fish with no    
inside to speak of1 and a very tough    
skin4 ,one of about twelve or fourteen  
inches long will give sufficient bait   
for ten traps4    ,illustration3        
,,caught ,,in ,,midwinter4  ,in setting 
mink traps along the shore of lake or   
river ,i take the fish whole in the     
canoe1 and as ,i set a trap cut off a   

section with my belt axe1 beginning with
 the tail4 ,each bait will be an inch or
 an inch and a quarter broad lengthways 
of the fish4 ,you make your bait stick  
very sharp and run it through crossways 
of the section1 piercing the skin on    
both sides4 ,long after the flesh part  
of the fish has rotted and fallen away1 
the skin ring will be yet in evidence   
shriveled up dry on the stick1 but yet  
useful as bait4  ,in using partridge or 
rabbits for bait1 it is very much       
towards their lasting powers to not     
remove the skin or feathers4 ,cut the   
section you want with a very sharp axe1 
run your bait stick through the portion 
of meat and plaster down close on top   
all the feathers1 hair or skin and tie  
securely if in mild weather4 ,if in cold
 weather1 all that is necessary is to   
place each bait stick1 primed1 out of   
doors over night1 and the next day you  
can carry them in your bait bag like so 
many knots4  ,in conclusion will say    
that a few drops of oil of anise is the 

best alluring scent ,i have found for   
mink4 ,a final word of advice4 ,unless  
your traps in water-set always have a   
tossing pole1 otherwise when you visit  
your line you may have the chagrin to   
find only the paw instead of the animal4
 ,as the minister says1 one more word4  
,if it is your intention to return on   
your tracks when visiting your trap     
road1 be sure and clean out1 bait and   
reset each trap as you go4 ,in mild     
weather or towards spring1 animals run  
as well in daytime as at night1 and ,i  
have often1 by observing this rule1     
found on my return at different times   
almost all kinds of animals caught while
 ,i was at the other end of the road4   
,,chapter ,v4  ,,bait ,,and ,,scent4    
,the mink is very hard to catch1 as all 
or most all experienced trappers tell   
us1 so therefore we must believe them1  
says an experienced ,canadian trapper4  
,some say that mink are afraid of human 
scent4 ,in one sense they are but in    
another they are not1 as ,i will prove  

to you in the following paragraph3      
,while ,i was trapping on ,twenty ,mile 
,creek in ,ontario ,i had an occasion to
 go my rounds very early one morning4 ,i
 had not gone far before ,i ran onto a  
large mink track1 and as the snow was   
only here and there in small patches ,i 
did not follow it4 ,i returned the same 
way to get a skunk ,i had hidden1 and on
 reaching this particular spot ,i saw as
 before1 my tracks going one way and    
,mr4 ,mink's another4 ,i never thought  
any more about it until ,i came to the  
next patch of snow1 and there were his  
newly made tracks beside my own1 and    
some were discerned in the same prints  
as ,i had made1 so that must prove that 
he wasn't afraid of human scent there4  
,if that mink had been afraid of human  
scent he most certainly would have      
avoided my tracks1 but as it was he saw 
me coming and hid somewhere until ,i was
 past4    ,illustration3 ,,northwestern 
,,skins4  ,i do not say that a person   
can drop a trap down anywhere1 set any  

old way1 and catch mink2 but ,i do say  
that it all depends where the human     
scent is4 ,if a man sets a trap and     
handles it with his hands or any other  
foolish thing1 he will catch but very   
few mink4  ,my way of setting a trap for
 a mink is this3 ,find a den or hollow  
log in the vicinity where mink tracks   
are seen4 ,after you have found the     
place where you intend setting your     
trap1 set it in the following way3 ,cut 
a hole in the ground at the entrance    
shaped like a straight stemmed pipe1    
only make it large enough for the trap  
to set in nicely4 ,after that1 set the  
trap1 twisting the spring around to the 
same side of the trap as already        
excavated1 and taking the dirt you have 
the pan1 placing the trap in the place  
you have taken out1 cover the trap with 
it1 being careful not to let any lump or
 pebble lay at the base of the jaws1 as 
it prevents them from closing tightly1  
and your mink may get away4  ,for bait1 
take the tail1 front and hind legs of a 

muskrat1 also a small piece of flesh1 or
 better yet the entrails1 and place them
 in the hole1 being careful not to set  
it too close1 but close enough so that  
the mink will have to step on the pan of
 the trap4 ,it is better to have it too 
far back than too close1 as you then run
 a better chance of getting your mink4  
,also have some musk or some reliable   
scent1 and put a few drops on a stick a 
short distance from the trap4 ,after all
 of this be very careful in brushing out
 all signs1 and make everything look as 
natural as possible1 depart1 and ,i know
 from experience that you can catch a   
mink1 providing you follow the          
directions above4  ,in order to trap    
very shy animals use no bait of any     
kind1 but set your traps where they are 
sure to go and you can capture the      
shyest mink1 says a ,maine trapper4 ,the
 places where mink are sure to go are   
into holes1 dens1 hollow stumps and     
logs1 and to make a success you want a  
trap set at all the places4 ,if there   

isn't any1 make some any time in the    
summer for the coming season4  ,the     
right size and best kind of trap for    
mink is the ,blake  ,lamb ,no4 #a4 ,have
 them free from rust and foreign odors1 
as mink have keen smelling organs2 boil 
them in ashes and water1 also boil them 
again in a kettle filled with fir or    
cedar twigs1 and after they are dried   
and when hot rub them all over with     
beeswax1 and when set cover carefully   
and fasten to something movable4  ,in   
the fall of the year use no scent1 but  
in the spring when they are running     
around use their own musk1 mixed with   
fish oil and salt to preserve it4 ,this 
is my way to trap mink without bait1 and
 ,i have captured large numbers of them4
  ,i claim that animals are their own   
best scent4 ,if experience is worth     
anything ,i am sure of it4 ,about the   
first trapping ,i ever did 7#ahgg7 ,i   
ran out of mink bait and came across a  
rivulet running into the main creek and 
mink track in plenty4 ,well1 what was ,i

 to do8 ,i must set a trap4 ,i took a   
piece of the hind quarter of a mink4    
,being a green hand at the business ,i  
did not know whether it would work or   
not4 ,but the next time ,i visited my   
trap ,i found out the plan was a        
success1 for ,i had ,mr4 ,mink safe and 
sound4 ,ever since ,i have had occasion 
to use the same for bait4  ,another     
illustration ,i will give which proves  
beyond question that this theory is a   
correct one3 ,in #ahgh ,i set a trap in 
a hole in the bank1 the water not       
freezing all winter1 but ran a stream   
over the trap1 out of the hole4 ,i used 
no bait4 ,but ,i believe ,i caught every
 mink coming that way4 ,every mink      
caught of course would freshen up the   
place with his musk4 ,the result was #ae
 mink4 ,i believe other animals are the 
same2 but skunk and civet are not so    
particular what they eat2 anything half 
decomposed or rotten will answer4  ,the 
civet is very troublesome when they find
 your mink trap4 ,in setting in water   

7he will not go in water if he can help 
it7 he will make a hole at one side and 
get your bait in spite of you4 ,at other
 times he will crawl over all your      
stagings and reach in1 like a monkey1   
apparently as limber as ,indian rubber1 
and get your bait4 ,in dry land sets    
they walk right into your trap and you  
can get rid of them4    ,illustration3  
,,trappers ,,shack4  ,a few words about 
scent4 ,i never did believe in mixing a 
lot of stuff together as some say1 says 
a ,canadian trapper4 ,now if a mink is  
attracted by the odor of fish oil or the
 scent of muskrat musk or of blood or   
the scent of the female mink1 that does 
not say that we should mix them all     
together and expect it to catch every   
mink that comes along4 ,would you expect
 the mink to distinguish the smell of   
each of these substances when they are  
all mixed together8 ,if we like chicken1
 sweet potatoes1 chocolate cake and     
mince pie1 would it make it better to   
mix all these things together8 ,i don't 

think we would like it4  ,as for the    
fox1 the very best scent or decoy is the
 matrix of the female fox1 as has been  
described so often1 but it is hard to   
get4 ,next to this ,i think comes skunk 
essence and it should be sprinkled      
around quite freely1 as the fox is not  
afraid of it1 like some trappers are1   
and it also helps to kill the smell of  
the iron of the trap4 ,now don't think  
by this that you should rub it on the   
trap4 ,just sprinkle it around the trap4
  ,but none of these scents will attract
 an animal as far as some seem to think1
 and ,i find that one of the most       
important things is to find where       
animals use and set your traps near     
these places4 ,of course you must study 
the nature and habits of your game or   
you will not know how to set the trap   
after you find the place4 ,then set your
 traps carefully1 work hard1 keep your  
eyes open1 use reason and good sense1   
take care of your furs and you will be  
successful4  ,for mink ,i use a ,no4 #a 

or ,no4 #a #a_/b trap4 ,the latter is   
preferable4 ,for scent that obtained    
from the scent bags of the mink or      
weasel1 mixed with anise oil1 is the    
best decoy ,i ever used1 says a         
,minnesota trapper4 ,this scent is found
 near the root of the tail in two round 
bags about the size of a pea1 and is a  
yellow liquid smelling very strong4     
,after setting the trap ,i scatter      
feathers around and over it4 ,the mink1 
seeing the feathers and scenting what he
 supposes to be a weasel1 will dig up   
the whole works looking for something a 
weasel has overlooked1 and he is mighty 
lucky if he don't get in the trap4      
,canned sardines make good mink bait1   
and the sardine oil is good to mix with 
the scent in the scent bottle4 ,skunk   
scent and feathers attract and allay    
suspicions of all bird eating animals4  
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,places ,,to ,,set4   
,there is one place on my line of traps 
where ,i have caught six mink1 says an  
,iowa trapper4 ,i have no doubt but what

 this particular place is on their      
regular crossing place in going from one
 stream to another4 ,i have a few good  
places but they do not equal this one4  
,at these particular places ,i do not   
remove my traps during the entire       
trapping season4 ,i find a man gets     
fooled quite easy at times by putting in
 traps at places that look extra good1  
when1 in fact1 it proves to be no good  
at all for mink4 ,i often read of       
trappers who say to set traps at hollow 
trees1 in hollow logs1 and every place  
where a mink is liable to go4 ,well1 a  
mink is liable to go any place4 ,also   
just as liable not to go1 too4 ,now if  
you should place a trap in all these    
places you would have traps strung all  
over creation4  ,in my locality after a 
mink leaves a ditch or stream you cannot
 tell what direction he will go4        
,perhaps he will start across some      
farmer's field down between two rows of 
corn4 ,now ,i expect some of these      
nights ,mr4 ,mink is going to take a run

 down through ,farmer ,jones' cornfield4
 ,he is liable to4 ,shall ,i place a    
trap between every row of corn8 ,in my  
locality with snow on the ground they   
travel through fields more than any     
other place4 ,i will tell you boys1 ,i  
have three pet sets that ,i use1 and    
which ,i stay just as close to the      
streams with as ,i possibly can1 for the
 condition of the weather is such at    
most times that it would not pay to     
change the location of traps4  ,some    
trappers will tell you that if a mink   
will throw his scent where he is caught 
you will get another one soon at the    
same place4 ,well ,i do not believe it1 
except from the female at mating time4  
,i think when an animal throws a scent  
it is a danger signal4  ,many trappers  
have told me that a warm night was the  
night to catch mink1 because that was   
the time they ran most4 ,that don't go  
with me either4 ,it is just because mink
 can smell bait better on a warm night1 
as the old trappers around here hardly  

ever set without bait1 and think it is a
 wonder that ,i can catch mink without  
bait4 ,in fact1 mink run well on cold   
and disagreeable nights1 just as well as
 on warm nights4 ,i make it a point to  
have my traps in the very best condition
 previous to a change in the weather1 no
 matter what the change may bring1 there
 will be lots of mink on the move during
 the change4  ,now boys ,i am not going 
to advise you to make any particular    
set1 but if you have two or three good  
ways1 stay with them4 ,they will bring  
good results4 ,a man can spend lots of  
time trying to do something with some   
fake set and perhaps neglect some better
 sets during this time4 ,a few good     
sets1 well handled1 will surely bring   
good results4  ,if ,i am to judge       
results from the conditions in my       
locality1 ,i will say that fifty traps  
are too many4 ,twenty-five gives a man  
plenty of work here4 ,during snowy      
weather you can set your traps with     
northeast east1 or southeast protection 

and it is all right1 until the wind gets
 to the northwest1 then look out1 for   
you will have some digging to yet your  
traps in good condition4 ,by that time  
the wind is in the south4 ,then it      
begins to thaw1 then the water soaks    
through on your traps1 then by the time 
you get around again they are frozen up 
solid4 ,then how a fellow wishes for    
more weather with a sameness about it4  
,an ,eastern trapper says3 ,my favorite 
set for mink is the water set4 ,i find a
 place where the water don't freeze up1 
and if there are any stones around ,i   
lay a stone on each side of the stream1 
and then ,i get a flat stone and lay it 
over the two stones4 ,i place these     
alongside the stream1 making a hole like
 when the water comes out4 ,then for a  
bait ,i use fish1 brook trout if ,i can 
get them1 or most any kind of fresh     
water fish4 ,i put a piece of fish back 
in this hole so it lies in the water and
 set traps in entrance1 and you are sure
 to get most every mink that comes      

along4    ,illustration3 ,a ,,good      
,,mink ,,stream4  ,this set is for      
,november1 ,december1 ,january and      
,february until about the last part1    
when running time begins4 ,then ,i like 
the runways best1 and you will find them
 under driftwood and along banks where  
the water has washed the bank so the    
trees standing on the edge have leaned  
over and made a hollow under the bank4  
,i have taken a good many mink this way 
and also with the water set4 ,i took    
twelve mink last year that ,i kept1 and 
had six get away by gnawing off their   
feet under the jaws of the trap4  ,the  
following is from an ,indiana trapper3  
,here is one of the many mink sets ,i   
have been successful with3 ,go along a  
creek1 find a log1 one that is somewhat 
crooked will be better1 as some part of 
it will sink below the surface of the   
water1 roll same into the creek and tow 
along to a place where the water is two 
to three feet deep1 take a strong wire  
#f or #g feet long and fasten to the    

under side and to one end of the log1   
fasten the other end of the wire to a   
stout stake and drive down solid near   
the middle of the creek4  ,now find a   
place where the water stands above the  
top of the log1 and chop out a place for
 the trap deep enough so the trap will  
be #a or #b inches under water4 ,now    
take some mud and smear over the fresh  
cut place so it will have an old        
appearance4 ,now set your trap and cover
 with a few water soaked leaves and a   
few pinches of mud4 ,this set should be 
made where the water does not run too   
swift4 ,muskrat will bother this set    
some1 as long as there are any near1 but
 they are troublesome about most any    
water set for mink4  ,the fur bearers   
here are fox1 mink1 skunk1 opossum1     
raccoon and rats1 and none of them      
plentiful1 writes a ,tennessee trapper4 
,illustration3 ,,where ,,signs ,,are    
,,plenty4  ,i will tell you how ,i      
captured a shy old mink that had run my 
line of traps for two years4 ,i had made

 up my mind to catch him or trap on the 
balance of my days4 ,i set my trap in   
the spring where he had been wading2 the
 first night he threw the trap and that 
seemed to make him shy of the spring4   
,i took a piece of muskrat and nailed it
 to a root above the trap1 and the      
second morning ,i visited my trap ,i had
 a crow1 not mink1 and the mink had     
killed the crow by biting him through   
the back of the head4  ,that made me    
more determined than ever to get that   
mink4 ,i arranged my traps all nicely1  
and the third morning ,i found a muskrat
 and he was cut up badly by the mink4 ,i
 took the fresh carcass of the rat and  
rebaited again1 and the fourth morning  
to my surprise ,i had another crow4  ,it
 seemed from the amount of tracks that  
they had fought a duel and the crow had 
come out ahead1 for he was still alive4 
,i fixed my trap all back again and the 
fifth morning had a fine muskrat4       
,well1 ,i had about given up all hopes  
of catching him at that place so ,i     

decided to move my set #bjj yards up    
stream1 where there was a log projecting
 out over the water #b feet above the   
water1 where he traveled under4 ,there  
,i gouged a hole back in the bank one   
foot back so the water would flow back  
in enough to cover the trap1 and ,i     
baited with a fresh partridge1 and the  
next morning ,i found my mink4 ,now     
boys1 this does not look as if they were
 very shy of human scent1 does it8      
,first find a den where they have been  
going under the ice or where they have  
been eating a dead rabbit or chicken say
 an ,iowa trapper4 ,next ,i select my   
traps1 ,newhouse ,no4 #a or #a #a_/b or 
,hawley  ,norton #a #a_/b4 ,i examine   
them to see if they are in good order4  
,when setting at a den or where they    
have been eating some dead animal1 cover
 with leaves1 feathers or snow2 fasten  
to a stick that can be dragged a short  
distance4 ,i bait with chicken1 rabbit1 
birds and mice4 ,fish is also good4     
,brush away your tracks and do not      

approach too close4 ,if the traps are   
undisturbed1 ,i leave them for a week4  
,frequently mink do not come out every  
night4  ,when setting where they go     
under the ice1 ,i use a ,no4 #b ,jump   
,trap4 ,if the water is not too deep1   
lay two sticks in the bottom of the     
stream about two inches apart4 ,between 
these ,i lay bait1 generally mice4 ,set 
trap1 and fasten it to a stick on top of
 the ice4 ,cover trap with moss and     
leaves and you will generally get him1  
or1 at least1 that is my luck4  ,i will 
always remember my first mink4 ,i found 
the den4 ,they went under the ice and   
the hole was below the water4 ,i set my 
trap carefully1 baited with sapsucker   
and the next morning ,i had him4 ,set   
trap back and caught another one4       
,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,indian ,,methods4   
,oftentimes while walking through the   
winter wood ,i find the track of a mink1
 that starts or ends in a brook or pond1
 says a ,new ,england trapper4 ,to set a
 trap in this case1 if the snow is      

light1 ,i do as follows3  ,first1 ,i use
 a drag around the woods where the track
 is seen4 ,to make this ,i kill an old  
hen or rooster1 split it open1 and mix  
equal parts of fish oil and the juice   
that comes with oysters4 ,if the track  
is very old1 ,i add an equal part of oil
 of assafoetida1 and put the mixture    
inside the hen1 leaving the entrails in 
and sew it up loosely4 ,then ,i tie it  
to a rope1 and starting at the point    
where the track leaves the water1 drag  
it through the woods1 not very far1     
ending in the brook again4 ,at several  
places along the line ,i secrete traps1 
exactly in the path made by the drag4   
,a mink1 striking the scent will follow 
it1 and1 there being no bait to scare   
him or arouse his suspicions1 will run  
along the track until he gets into one  
of the traps4 ,this is a good set to use
 in woods where a bait would mean having
 your traps lifted by ,john ,sneakum4 ,i
 don't know how it will work with       
others1 but ,i have had fine success    

with it1 especially in the cases of old 
bait-shy mink4  ,here is another set    
shown me by an old half-breed ,indian4  
,we were in a light canoe1 and were     
paddling up a little reed-fringed brook1
 from ten to thirty feet wide4 ,in the  
weeds were several muskrat houses4 ,as  
it was spring1 they were all finished   
and the rats were no longer working on  
them4 ,the old man set two traps on the 
house1 and barely under water4 ,then he 
put a few drops of the scent that is    
found in a sack just under the root of  
the mink's tail1 on a leaf on the very  
top of the muskrat house2 and then      
placed a small piece of muskrat with the
 fur on1 beside the scent1 fastening it 
with a skewer4  ,he said1 mink1 come    
'long and smell 'nother mink an' muskrat
 on top house4 ,he clim' up1 get caught1
 an' all drown good4 ,but1 said ,i1     
muskrats will climb up too1 'cause      
you've got muskrat meat for bait4       
,oh-h-h no6 he chuckled4 ,muskrat he    
heap 'fraid of mink4 ,we have mink      

to-morrer-wonca1 numpaw1 yawha1 yawminee
 mink 7#a1 #b1 #c1 #d mink74 ,you see8  
,then you no call ol' ,in'jun big fool4 
,sure enough next morning he had        
shagipee 7#f7 mink to show for as many  
sets4 ,the principle was that the       
muskrat wouldn't climb up1 for he would 
see the fur and smell the mink scent1   
and think it was a mink4                
,illustration3 ,,indian ,,trapper4      
,mink often follow muskrat trails1      
especially in the fall before the snow  
comes4 ,to set a trap in the trail would
 mean to catch a rat1 and make a meal   
for a mink2 so ,i post a rooster's head 
about two feet from the trail and set a 
,no4 #a #a_/b trap under it4 ,the rat   
isn't likely to leave the trail for the 
head1 but the mink will1 unless he is   
hot after a muskrat4  ,when brooks unite
 and form a ,y there is often a little  
sand pit left in the crotch of the ,y4  
,i hang a piece of muskrat meat with    
mink scent on it upon a small stick     
leaning out over my trap1 which is set  

in two or three inches of water1 and    
staked out so as to drown the mink4  ,an
 ,indian subscriber of the              
,hunter-,trader-,trapper and who writes 
of his experiences occasionally to that 
interesting magazine1 in one season     
caught with dog and trapped in          
,northwestern ,pennsylvania #ajd mink4  
,the name of this ,indian is ,john      
,lord1 and he has trapped as far west as
 ,california4 ,the illustration shows   
him to be a young man4 ,the picture     
shown here was taken in #aije when he   
was hunting and trapping in             
,pennsylvania4  ,the #ajd mink were     
caught during the season of #aije-f1 and
 as the pelts were high then it can be  
seen that he makes considerable money4  
,the fact that he caught that number is 
pretty well established by several well 
known parties4 ,john is an ,iroquois and
 a good fellow and trapper4    ,,chapter
 ,,viii4  ,,mink ,,trapping ,,on ,,the  
,,prairie4  ,as there has not been much 
written on mink trapping on the prairie1

 ,i will give a few hints for the       
benefit of young prairie trappers1 on   
trapping mink1 says a ,minnesota        
trapper4 ,in the first place the steel  
trap is about the only trap that can be 
used2 there being no timber over large  
portions of the ,northwest and ,canada4 
,i wait till ice is frozen over the     
runways and ponds1 then ,i go at it     
making a circuit of the runways4 ,i find
 where the mink go out from the shore to
 some muskrat's home1 which will have a 
pole in it above water4 ,i set two traps
 there1 then look around4 ,close by ,i  
will find a small dump of trash made by 
muskrats1 where the mink go to dung4 ,i 
set two or three traps so when set and  
covered with fine brush they will be    
even with the surface and looking       
natural4 ,i will then go on shore which 
is generally flat1 following the mink   
signs ,i will find where they have dug  
into an old muskrat run4 ,i put two or  
three traps around here close together  
so when caught the mink soon gets in two

 traps1 then he is there to stay4  ,i   
use no bait when setting at a place like
 this2 the first mink caught smells the 
place up so there is no need of any     
patent scent4 ,every mink that gets on  
that swamp1 if it is not over two or    
three miles long1 will visit that place 
in one or two nights4 ,at a place like  
that ,i leave the traps all winter and  
will catch as many mink as a trapper    
that scatters twice as many traps1 one  
in a place1 all over the swamp4  ,there 
are one or two places in every swamp or 
pond where nearly every mink will visit4
 ,it may be a hole in a bank or an old  
muskrat house4 ,you can tell it by the  
signs or by tracks in the snow4 ,there  
is the place1 then you are sure of your 
mink4  ,i make small iron stakes to     
fasten my traps where ,i can get nothing
 for a drag4 ,i make them myself4 ,take 
a rod #a_/d inch thick1 cut in lengths  
#h inches long1 turn one end when hot   
over the ring of trap chain1 sharpen the
 other end4 ,i only lost one mink last  

winter by gnawing his foot off4 ,a fish 
is good bait for mink1 also fish oil and
 fresh rabbits or birds4 ,when buying   
traps1 buy the best1 they are the       
cheapest in the long run4  ,some        
trappers buy the cheap traps and lose   
enough fur the first season to pay for  
good traps4  ,i find that it pays to    
stretch and care for furs well4 ,i have 
bought furs that were not worth one     
third price4 ,mink were stretched #f    
inches wide at tail tapering to a point 
at nose1 being #h inches long1 when they
 should have been #af or #bj inches and 
#c to #d wide4 ,again ,i have got them  
that they were stretched so tight you   
could see through them4                 
,illustration3 ,,camping ,,out4  ,some  
trappers claim the mink is very sly and 
hard to trap1 others that he is very    
easy to trap1 and that they could catch 
an unlimited number if the mink were    
only plentiful in their locality4 ,i    
always like to read anything ,i can find
 on this subject1 says an ,illinois     

trapper4 ,sometimes ,i find methods that
 ,i have used with good success1 methods
 that ,i think would be good1 and       
methods that ,i think would never work  
in any locality4 ,not like the muskrat1 
the habits of the mink are almost the   
same in all localities1 but changing    
some in different seasons of the year4  
,in ,central ,illinois along with the   
change of seasons1 we have wet and dry  
seasons1 and good methods of trapping in
 the dry season will not work at all in 
the wet4  ,when ,i first started        
trapping mink ,i met with very good     
success1 not due to any good method1 but
 as far back as ,i can remember ,i have 
always been a lover of nature1 and ,i   
was not a stranger to the habits of the 
mink4 ,and ,i will say right here to all
 young trappers1 and also to some older 
ones--learn the habits of the animal you
 wish to trap1 and if you are half a    
trapper1 success will be yours4 ,i have 
learned many things that ,i never knew  
before ,i trapped for him1 but ,i would 

not trade what ,i knew before for what  
,i have learned since4 ,i am going to   
try to make plain to you1 brother       
trappers1 some of the methods we use    
here in ,illinois1 and ,i believe these 
same methods will work in all           
localities4  ,this section of the       
country is cut up with small ditches and
 small creeks1 ideal places for mink and
 muskrat4 ,in the dry season all the    
tile ditches and small creeks have very 
little water in them1 and no better     
places can the mink find than a dry tile
 or an old muskrat den4 ,here they will 
live until the water drives them out in 
the spring4  ,when setting the trap at a
 tile1 if the tile is too large1 a      
couple of sticks stuck in front of the  
tile will narrow the opening1 and a trap
 set properly in front of the tile will 
be very apt to catch the mink going in  
or out of the tile4 ,always see that the
 jaws of the trap rest firmly on the    
ground and that there is no danger of   
dirt or sticks or even grass getting in 

between the jaws of the trap1 for if it 
does you will lose your mink even if he 
gets caught4 ,a mink that has once been 
caught in a trap is doubly hard to      
catch1 although ,i have met two         
exceptions to that rule1 and will say   
that they were two of the blindest mink 
,i ever trapped4  ,fine grass1 dried    
willow leaves1 rabbit fur1 or most any  
light material that will not interfere  
with the workings of the trap and will  
not make too great a contrast to the    
surroundings1 will be good to cover the 
trap4 ,always be careful not to disturb 
the surroundings too much1 as a mink    
will notice this quicker than the scent 
you leave on the traps when you set     
them4  ,a good rule to follow is--always
 set your trap facing the way you think 
the mink is going to come1 never        
sideways if possible to set any other4  
,in setting at an old rat den1 if       
possible always set the trap a couple of
 inches inside of the den and pull the  
spring around so a mink going into the  

hole will not step on the spring4  ,if  
you catch a female mink first1 always   
reset the trap1 as the chances are      
greatly in your favor of catching the   
male soon1 and if mink are plentiful in 
your locality you may catch as many as a
 half a dozen males if in the running   
season4 ,if you can find where an old   
rat hole leads down to the edge of the  
water from the top of the bank1 a trap  
set in the lower end of this hole will  
catch nearly every mink that comes      
along4 ,they very seldom miss the chance
 to explore a hole of that kind4 ,the   
old trapper that told me about this set 
said that he caught twelve mink in one  
season at a place of this kind1 and all 
in the same trap1 a ,no4 #a ,newhouse4  
,it had been a wet season this year ,i  
speak of1 and ,i will tell you how ,i   
trapped mink in ,january and with six   
inches of snow on the ground4  ,the     
ditches and creeks all had water in them
 and were either frozen over or covered 
with drifted snow4 ,my best set was to  

set a couple of traps in the warm water 
that came out of the tiles4 ,a mink is a
 great lover of water and will play in a
 place of this kind for half an hour at 
a time1 and two traps will almost catch 
him4 ,whenever there is a small air hole
 in the ice he will investigate1 and if 
you place the trap directly under this  
hole he cannot very well miss getting   
caught4 ,for this set the water should  
not be over four inches deep4  ,after   
the mink makes a hole through the snow  
drift he will always follow the same    
hole1 will come into and go out of the  
water at certain places1 and a trap set 
at any of these places is almost sure to
 catch4  ,as a scent bait1 ,i use the   
matrix of the female mink taken in the  
running season1 and for fresh meat bait 
,i use rat1 but ,i prefer the blind and 
water sets1 and do not use the others   
until these two have failed only in the 
latter part of ,february and ,march4    
,with slight changes ,i believe these   
sets can be used in most localities4    

,my experience in trapping is limited to
 one season1 the last1 during which ,i  
trapped #ci mink1 besides the five that 
left their legs in traps and four taken 
by thieves and dogs4 ,but my success has
 been so much above that of others who  
have tried to duplicate my luck1 that ,i
 want to give some pointers to some who 
have not had satisfactory results in    
trapping mink1 says a ,south ,dakota    
party4  ,this is a well settled prairie 
country1 with one small creek running   
through it1 and an occasional slough4   
,game of all kind is pretty well cleaned
 out4 ,in fact1 it was not generally    
known that any number of mink existed   
here4 ,being quite a hunter with nothing
 to hunt1 ,i conceived the idea to trap 
a mink1 and before ,i got through ,i    
found the sport more enjoyable and      
profitable than hunting4 ,i had no      
trappers guide to help me1 and it took  
me three weeks and more than a dozen    
trips to my traps to catch the first    
mink4 ,but during that time my          

experience and observations were        
teaching me fast4 ,and later when ,i saw
 a trap at about every hole in the      
country with seldom a catch1 it amused  
me4  ,my receipt to a beginner is--get  
three sizes of traps1 ,no4 #j to set at 
holes1 ,no4 #a to set in water or path1 
and ,stop ,thief to set over holes that 
the others cannot be used at1 or for    
sure catch when you know mink to be in4 
,see that your traps have strong        
springs1 and that when set fine the pan 
is on a level with jaws4 ,all traps     
should be alike in this respect4 ,now to
 prevent them from rusting as well as to
 take the scent off1 heat them enough to
 run some wax over them4  ,as to where  
to set them1 you must find some signs of
 mink near water1 tracks in sand1       
droppings1 or best of all1 used holes4  
,now remember you have to deal with some
 of the most intelligent but            
superstitious and shy of animals4 ,i    
kept one at my house for a while and    
found him more intelligent than a cat or

 dog4 ,they get bold and careless some  
times1 but not very often4 ,their holes 
are frequently shallow1 and they are    
suspicious of one's presence4 ,the less 
you frequent the place and tramp about  
his paths1 the better4 ,avoid the hole  
if possible4  ,first choice is to set   
the trap in shallow water on his        
runways1 sticking up weeds if necessary 
to make him go over the traps4 ,the next
 choice is where he goes in and out of  
the water4 ,next in dry path and last at
 his hole where he is the most          
suspicious of disturbance4 ,water set is
 the best and easiest1 but even then the
 trap should be covered with light mud4 
,on dry land you should leave the place 
looking as natural as before4 ,at the   
hole use a small trap1 ,blake  ,lamb is 
the easiest and quickest set4 ,remove   
enough dirt to sink the trap to a level4
 ,set trap with jaws never crossways to 
the hole4 ,have jaws rest so that jaws  
will not tilt if stepped on4 ,now see   
that pan is set just about right1 not   

too easy1 and now you are ready for the 
most important part--to cover--so it    
will stay covered and spring regardless 
of freezing1 thawing1 snowing1 or       
blowing1 and not to clog the jaws with  
rubbish4 ,it is too tedious to get the  
mink over the trap to have something go 
wrong at the critical moment4 ,i use    
brown tissue paper or the fuzz from     
cattails1 which ,i sprinkle with a      
little fine dirt or rubbish at hand1 the
 chain having been previously staked and
 hid4 ,all should now be left looking as
 natural as before1 and one's tracks    
obliterated4  ,a well set trap will not 
reveal itself to the game or to any     
other trapper4 ,a hole set trap should  
not be approached unnecessarily4 ,mink  
will seldom get in the first night1 and 
it takes too long to reset them4  ,mink 
will stay in holes several days if they 
fear danger4 ,i had one stay twelve days
 because there was a ,stop ,thief trap  
over the hole1 but ,i kept it there     
because there was a steam visible at the

 mouth of the hole1 and ,i got her4 ,i  
have used scent to some advantage1 not  
to draw but to detract the mink's       
attention1 but as to baits ,i have      
faithfully tried them all from muskrat  
to a frog1 and ,i have never known a    
mink to approach any of them no matter  
where1 when1 or how left1 except if left
 by themselves4  ,in the fore part of   
the winter ,i caught about all the      
males1 perhaps because they were bolder4
 ,later ,i got the females4 ,the largest
 mink ,i got stretched #db inches from  
tip to tip1 and his hide on a five inch 
board was #bd inches4 ,he was light     
brown4 ,no4 #j held him by two toes4 ,in
 fact1 ,i never lost a mink from that   
sized trap4 ,those that chewed out were 
caught up too high4  ,my experience in  
trapping is altogether in mink and in a 
prairie country1 and it has always been 
a great pleasure and very profitable for
 me1 says an ,iowa trapper4 ,as ,i have 
said1 trapping mink is a science which  
few trappers understand1 and can learn  

only by long experience and close study4
 ,any one taking two or three dozen     
traps and stringing them out1 setting in
 holes and ditches1 can catch a few     
mink4 ,i know men who have trapped for  
years and claim to catch lots of fur1   
but it makes me smile to see how they   
set them2 they simply don't know their  
,a ,b ,c's about trapping mink4         
,illustration3 ,,moses ,,bone4  ,the    
time that ,i have put in trapping mink  
for the last #cg years has paid me      
bigger money than anything ,i ever      
tried2 of course ,i mean buying and     
shipping at the same time of trapping4  
,counting ten hours as a day's work1 ,i 
have cleared from five to twenty dollars
 per day4 ,now as ,i said several years 
ago1 ,i have no secret or ,i would let  
brother trappers have it2 ,i use no     
scent whatever but fresh bait1 which is 
all that is necessary4  ,you must learn 
by experience where and how to set your 
trap4 ,that is all the secret any mink  
trapper has4 ,the method for setting for

 mink1 rats or coon are all the same1   
can catch either in the same trap4      
,water set is my way of setting and far 
better than any other ,i think4 ,in     
ditches or streams where the water is   
shallow enough to set your traps in     
where the current runs against the bank2
 then scoop out a hole #h inches into   
the bank4 ,i have used a butcher knife  
to dig the mud out with2 the water must 
flow into the hole1 which should be two 
inches deep4 ,cut a forked stick1 one   
prong one inch long1 the other #f or #h 
inches long2 sharpen it1 run your bait  
on this1 put the stick in the back of   
the hole which fastens your bait4  ,now 
set your trap1 turn the spring to one   
side1 fasten the chain the handiest way 
you can so it is secure4 ,i never had a 
mink cut his leg off and get away4 ,now 
stick up weeds or sticks on either side 
of the hole so the mink can't get the   
bait without stepping on the pan of the 
trap4 ,the current should run strongly  
over the trap so as to keep the water   

from freezing1 for there are very few   
nights after trapping time sets in but  
that the water freezes in still water4  
,i sometimes dam the water to make it   
run strongly over the trap4 ,everything 
about the trap should be left looking as
 natural as possible4  ,in cold weather 
,i go on the same principle4 ,when      
everything is frozen solid ,i use a     
hatchet cutting a hole in the bank2 use 
ice or chunks of wood to make a lane to 
set your trap in1 and throw your bait in
 as far as you can get it4 ,of course   
you cannot fasten it4  ,to show how well
 animals can scent a bait or anything of
 that kind ,i will relate an incident   
that happened several years ago4 ,there 
was a fresh fall of snow and being warm 
the skunk were out of their burrows1 and
 ,i was tracking one going southeast    
course4 ,all at once it turned square to
 the left going some thirty feet and    
came to an old dried up mole covered    
with the snow4 ,he nosed around it a    
while and then went the same direction  

as before4 ,that showed plainly that    
animals can scent their game4           
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,southern ,,methods4  
,on reading the methods used by the     
,northern mink trapper one is almost    
forced to the conclusion that the mink  
there is a different one from those     
here1 7in ,texas71 but of course such is
 not the case4 ,my limited experience in
 trapping mink here has brought me to   
the conclusion that they are not afraid 
of human scent1 or old musty traps      
either4 ,my opinion is that it is the   
disturbed surroundings that cause them  
to shy from the trap4  ,i once set a    
trap in a mink run in rather rank grass 
at #f ,p4,m4 and the next morning had a 
,no4 #a mink in it 7poor color of       
course74 ,the trap was not baited or    
scented and was set without gloves4 ,of 
course ,i did not tread down or pull up 
the grass to make a nice place to set1  
but stood at the side and slipped it in 
the trail in a slight depression4 ,the  
mink did not seem trap shy although he  

had lost a foot in a previous           
experience4  ,there are any number of   
mink here1 but the catch is rather small
 compared to the catch of other furs4 ,i
 very often ask the trappers1 why don't 
you go after mink1 they will pay you    
best8 ,the answer is invariably1 ,i     
can't catch them1 ,i don't know how4    
,why don't you set your traps in their  
runs1 or at the mouth of the dens8      
,acting on this advice he sails out1    
finds a den1 leaves all his traps and   
other plunder at it1 and hikes out home 
for a spade and old ,towser4 ,they both 
put in half a day1 then give it up4 ,mr4
 ,mink is not at home4 ,can't trap them 
no how4 ,sometimes he accidentally gets 
one4 ,then he goes after them right1    
tears and digs up every den he can find 
until his enthusiasm plays out4 ,by this
 time he has spoiled all1 or a good     
portion of his trapping ground1 when if 
he had placed a trap at the mouth of    
each den1 and done it in a proper       
manner1 he might have caught twenty or  

twenty-five mink during the season4     
,now and then you find a fellow who has 
a good mink dog and catches #ge or #ajj 
worth of them in a season4 ,while this  
is all right for the fellow that owns a 
dog1 it does not fill my ideas of       
getting mink pelts1 as tearing and      
digging out their dens has a tendency to
 cause them to hunt homes elsewhere4 ,i 
have caught four nice mink at the mouth 
of one den in a single season1 and very 
likely ,i shall catch some there this   
season4 ,i do not cover the trap1 nor do
 ,i use scent or bait4 ,i place the trap
 in a depression about four or six      
inches from the mouth of the den2 don't 
cock the trap up so that he can see it  
twenty feet before he reaches it2       
arrange matters so he will have to get  
over the trap to get in the den4 ,when  
he comes next time you will likely get  
him4    ,illustration3 ,a ,,young       
,,trapper4  ,mink here use the prairies 
around ponds and small streams that     
drain the prairies4 ,around rice farms  

is a splendid place for them4 ,they den 
in rank grass and sand knolls1 and      
travel at night1 in all kinds of        
weather1 and very often you see them of 
foggy mornings4 ,they feed on frogs1    
small fish1 crawfish1 birds1 rabbits and
 the like1 and very often they visit the
 poultry yards4 ,my advice to the       
,southern mink trapper is1 find where   
mink use1 follow out their trails and   
runs4 ,by noticing these closely you    
will find the places where he is        
compelled to put his feet or quit the   
trail4 ,here is the place to set your   
trap4 ,take a ,no4 #a of any good make1 
set it and adjust it properly and slip  
it in the trail through the grass1 and  
be sure that the top of the jaws and    
spring are level with the ground4 ,do   
this in order that he can't see the trap
 until he is at1 or in it4  ,in catching
 mink on the branches ,i very often use 
baits4 ,when you find a log crossing the
 stream1 cut a notch for your trap1 and 
smear it with mud so it won't look      

fresh4 ,it is the same with logs laying 
up and down streams4 ,on these sets ,i  
use bait and a slight covering of fine  
trashy leaves4 ,put the bait under the  
trap1 stake the chain to the side of the
 log1 then place on the slight covering4
  ,in most sets in water ,i make them   
blind1 but should surroundings require1 
,i bait4 ,while ,i use a very small     
amount1 ,i am not averse to using bait  
where ,i consider it required1 and can  
say the same of covering for traps4 ,as 
for scent1 have never used any1 but am  
of the opinion it would be of great help
 at certain seasons4  ,mink is about all
 there is to trap in this part of ,north
 ,carolina1 and ,i have studied out a   
good many things about trapping them4 ,i
 live where the country is hilly and has
 a good many branches and creeks1 yet it
 is so thickly settled that mink are    
scarce4 ,up to within a year ago there  
was scarcely any trapping done about    
here4  ,everybody seems to have a spite 
against the little mink1 and whenever   

the dogs start one everybody lays aside 
everything to help kill the pesky       
varmint1 and whoever kills it demands a 
chicken pie1 whether he gets it or not4 
,and for just such reasons as this they 
are very scarce1 and it is very seldom  
that ,i can find the track of a real    
large one4 ,i think they must get out of
 this neighborhood as soon as they are  
grown4  ,i have to conceal my traps very
 cautiously to catch these small and    
medium mink4 ,when ,i am looking for a  
place to set my trap ,i select a narrow 
sand bar where they wade down into the  
water4 ,i then dig out a place for the  
trap so it will set level and under     
water about a quarter of an inch2 ,i    
then take some large water soaked leaves
 and cover trap1 then cover leaves with 
fine dirt or sand like that around trap4
 ,if the water is perfectly still1 and  
nothing to bother covering1 ,i prefer a 
piece of wet paper1 a little larger than
 trap1 instead of leaves4  ,i will say  
to those trappers who never use anything

 but leaves to cover their traps1 that  
they could not get many mink around here
 that way1 for ,i have tried it1 and    
they would either go around trap or jump
 over it4 ,always carry some kind of    
firearms2 it will more than pay for its 
trouble4 ,then too1 it leads others to  
believe you are hunting and they won't  
be so apt to see you setting traps1 and 
if you let as few as possible see you   
set traps you won't have to accuse      
,sneakum so often4 ,it doesn't matter   
what you are trapping1 cover your traps 
the best you can1 and then it won't be a
 fine job2 don't leave any loose dirt1  
tracks or anything else around trap that
 looks odd or unnatural2 when you get   
your pelt1 don't tear it off any old    
way1 take your time and you will get big
 pay for it4  ,in the following words ,i
 not only express my sentiments but the 
views of all trappers ,i have conversed 
with on the subject1 writes a ,texas    
trapper4 ,our mink are not at all       
educated4 ,they are easily caught in    

traps not even concealed4 ,the mink1 as 
we all know1 is fond of having food at  
all times1 and when hungry does not     
appear to consider the trap an          
impediment4  ,many are caught in ,stop  
,thief ,traps in this community4 ,i was 
the first to introduce that trap in this
 section1 and it has met with favor     
because it deprives the mink of the     
privilege of gnawing off his foot or    
leg4 ,they are trapped both in water and
 on land4  ,i have always had better    
success trapping mink than other        
animals1 often catching them by their   
tails1 which1 by the way1 is the best   
kind to hold4 ,if the mink here were    
trap-shy it would be better for them1   
for there are very few of them that have
 not met the trapper's fate4            
,illustration3 ,,large ,,southern       
,,mink4  ,a ,southern trapper writes as 
follows3 ,when ,i was about fourteen    
years old ,i got hold of a price list of
 raw furs and a kind of trapping fever  
got hold of me and ,i purchased a       

trapper's guide1 and when ,i had studied
 it my father and ,i set to work to make
 some traps4 ,when we got them done ,i  
went down to a branch near here and set 
them the best ,i knew how for mink4 ,i  
tried him every way but never got a     
smell4 ,so ,i tried a year without      
success4 ,then ,i gave it up for several
 years and thought ,i would have to     
content myself working in the shop1 as  
,i am a mechanic by trade and not a     
trapper4  ,in later years ,i thought ,i 
would try it again as the mink were     
giving the poultry around here trouble4 
,so ,i set out again1 and in the        
meantime ,i received a price list and ,i
 noticed they advertised animal bait for
 sale4 ,i ordered a bottle of mink bait 
and thought ,i would catch them4 ,when  
,i received the bait ,i found where an  
old mink or two had a runway in a small 
branch4 ,they would come up the branch  
every night4 ,i killed some birds and   
used some mink bait on them and hung    
them over my traps4 ,one old dog mink   

would come within six inches of the bait
 and my traps and did not pay any       
attention to it4 ,i had some of my traps
 in water and some on sand bars         
concealed the best ,i knew how1 but ,i  
did not get him that way4  ,one evening 
,i was at the shop and ,i told my father
 ,i was going down to place my traps and
 see which was the smartest1 the mink or
 me4 ,i had noticed he would go by my   
traps and climb up a little bank and    
jump down over a root1 so ,i set the    
trap there and covered with leaves4 ,i  
had four traps set close together1 and  
when ,i went to the sets the next       
morning ,i found him with a foot in     
each4 ,he didn't dig and gnaw everything
 in reach as he was too badly tied up4  
,i thought ,i would get them all now1   
but ,i never got any more till last     
season4 ,i wrote to the ,oneida         
,community for a price list of traps and
 they mailed me one1 and sent an        
advertisement of the ,h-,t-,t4 ,so ,i   
subscribed at once and received the     

,october number4 ,in reading the letters
 ,i saw ,brother ,f4 ,m4 ,frazier's     
letter headed1 ,advice to ,young        
,trappers4 ,i was impressed with the old
 gentleman's tone of writing so ,i wrote
 to him and asked him for help1 and     
explained my difficulties to him4 ,he   
gave me some fine sets and told me      
things ,i never thought of or heard of  
before1 although ,i have since learned  
that they had been published in the     
,h-,t-,t4  ,i purchased about           
thirty-nine second hand traps ,nos4 #a  
and #a #a_/b4 ,december #cjth found me  
setting traps for mink4 ,i carried out  
,brother ,frazier's plans and           
directions4 ,i made thirteen blind sets1
 and on ,monday morning went around to  
see if anything was doing4 ,the first   
trap ,i came to was sprung and had a    
mink's toe in it4 ,i felt pretty bad1   
but that was more than ,i had gotten in 
a good while4 ,so ,i went to another    
trap1 and before ,i got there ,i saw    
everything gnawed up1 and on going      

closer up jumped an old mink on a log   
near the trap4 ,his eyes sparked but ,i 
soon put an end to him1 and ,i have been
 catching mink ever since4  ,on         
,february #ast ,i moved some of my traps
 down a river near here4 ,i made most of
 my sets in water and used rabbit for   
bait4 ,i made enclosures and put bait in
 back end of same and the trap at the   
entrance4 ,i noticed a hole near the    
creek that emptied into the river and ,i
 set a trap at the hole4 ,i have noticed
 that hole for several years and had    
been seeing a large mink on that creek  
for eight or ten years4 ,i have seen his
 track where he would go in that hole   
every time he would go along by it1 but 
when ,i set my traps there ,i didn't see
 any tracks4 ,the next time ,i went     
there ,i found a large brown mink in my 
trap1 but it wasn't the big one4  ,i    
didn't get any more there for some time1
 neither had ,i seen the big mink track 
since ,i set my traps down there1 but on
 going to my traps one morning ,i saw   

that something was doing4 ,when ,i came 
close ,i saw that there was something   
big in the trap and had dragged the trap
 back in the hole the full length of the
 chain4 ,i took hold of the chain and   
began to pull4 ,i soon pulled him out as
 far as his hind legs and he looked so  
big ,i let go the chain and he went back
 in the hole4 ,i pulled him out and put 
a #bb between his eyes and that settled 
him4 ,he measured thirty-two and a half 
inches from tip to tip on the board4    
,how is this for a large mink1 brother  
trappers8    ,,chapter ,x4  ,,northern  
,,methods4  ,as for sets1 ,i think it   
all depends upon the country and        
seasons4 ,for mink in my country1       
,ontario1 ,i prefer a hollow tree turned
 up at the roots1 setting a ,no4 #a     
trap1 baited with either fish or        
muskrat4 ,such a set should be on the   
bank of a lake or river1 as a hungry    
mink going along the shore is always    
running in such old roots and logs4 ,as 
for water sets1 they keep freezing up1  

and another thing1 it is not natural for
 a piece of meat to be hanging on a     
string4  ,a ,michigan trapper writes as 
follows3 ,now brother trappers1 are you 
energetically putting in your leisure   
time during ,september and ,october     
looking up new grounds for hunting and  
trapping and finding signs and trails of
 coon1 mink and fox1 or are you lounging
 around and putting all this off till it
 is time to take out your line of traps8
  ,september and ,october is the time to
 ascertain where the game is1 and if you
 wish success and good sport and        
increased revenue1 it is to your        
interest to do a little hustling and by 
watching their moves in your            
neighborhood4 ,i have made mink trapping
 a specialty and for twenty-five years  
,i have been successful in trapping him1
 and it did not take me long to         
appreciate one point1 that is1 ,i was up
 against a little animal of almost human
 intelligence1 and today this animal is 
as smart and as shy as they ever were4  

,illustration3 ,,caught ,,in            
,,minnesota4  ,there are three rules    
very essential in trapping any kind of  
animals1 one of the secrets of success  
is to know how1 where and when to set a 
trap4 ,another is to get a dependable   
trap1 which in my estimation is a       
,newhouse ,no4 #a and ,no4 #b4 ,i use   
these traps for every purpose from a    
weasel to a large coon4 ,the third one  
,i never vary from1 and that is to set  
every trap as carefully as possible1 as 
though it was intended to catch a shy   
mink or coon1 as one of those animals   
will often happen around when one least 
expects it4  ,it is best to set a trap  
in good shape and always take time and  
conceal each trap carefully4 ,i have    
before now set traps all around in wood 
and field for skunk4 ,i have gone the   
rounds to my skunk traps and found a    
fine big coon or weasel instead of a    
skunk1 or to my rat traps and found a   
large mink or raccoon instead of a rat1 
and these lucky surprises occurred      

because my traps were well set and      
concealed4  ,i will not outline my      
method how to set1 but you may bet your 
old hat you will take ,mr4 ,coon or     
,mink1 or whatever animal happens along 
in your neighborhood1 and you know where
 their trails are4 ,from ,october until 
trapping time look for their signs and  
tracks along water edge1 in woods1 in   
old roads1 cow paths in woods1 pastures 
and fields1 and under fences1 keeping   
all these places in mind until the time 
for trapping comes4 ,then take with you 
lots of traps1 then you know where to   
set4  ,smoke your traps before setting1 
handle everything with gloves on1       
cultivate the habit of leaving the place
 with as little change as possible1 and 
finish the job by brushing away your    
tracks immediately around the traps4    
,then visit your traps regularly and    
without any unnecessary company4        
,trappers often notice that fur bearing 
animals have disappeared from the       
localities where once they were         

numerous4 ,there are many reasons for   
this disappearance1 the destruction of  
their dens or trees in which they live4 
,no true trapper will cut a coon tree or
 dig out dens of mink1 skunk or fox1 if 
he wishes to ever trap on the same      
ground again4  ,now ,i am not a         
professional trapper1 says a ,minnesota 
trapper1 but ,i make all animal habits a
 very close study1 and love to be among 
them in their wild homes and love to set
 a trap once in a while just for        
experience1 and never fail to get my    
game4  ,the other day ,i went rabbit    
hunting4 ,we have about two inches of   
fresh snow4 ,i got one rabbit and found 
a fresh mink track so ,i concluded to   
follow him4 ,inside of a hundred yards  
,i found another hole where he came out 
dragging something4 ,i still followed4  
,another fifty yards further ,i found   
where he went in another hole 7it was in
 a bog7 and found a muskrat half eaten  
up and a fine place to set two traps4   
,i had no traps with me1 so ,i marched  

home about four miles and got two traps 
all rusted up and tied with a piece of  
copper wire4 ,i greased them up with    
sewing machine oil and started back4    
,when ,i got to the place it was getting
 dark and ,i had to set the traps by    
match light4  ,i will tell you how ,i   
set the traps to fool the mink so he    
could not smell the traps or machine    
oil4 ,i took the muskrat and rubbed all 
over the traps with the bloody side and 
set the traps one in each hole1 and took
 an oak leaf and smeared blood on and   
laid it on the pan of each trap1 and    
then laid the muskrat in the center of  
the two so he would have to cross either
 trap to get the rat4 ,i then covered   
the hole up with the same dirt and moss 
that ,i dug out1 and went home4 ,at five
 o'clock the next morning ,i left home  
to get my prize4  ,i got there by       
daylight and there was ,mr4 ,mink caught
 in both traps1 one on each foot4 ,he   
was the largest mink ,i got that winter4
 ,he was brown and when stretched       

measured exactly thirty-five inches from
 tip to tip4  ,i almost always trap mink
 in the winter with blind sets1 says a  
,wisconsin trapper1 by chopping a place 
for the trap so it will be1 when set1   
about level with the surface of the     
mink's trail in front of the holes that 
the mink makes in the snow4 ,i then take
 cat tails that grow in the marshes and 
spread some on trap bed2 ,i then place  
my trap and next some more cat tails    
spread on top of trap1 and last some    
snow which ,i spread over it all with a 
twig carefully so it will be nice and   
smooth4 ,the cat tail ,i spread under   
the trap is to keep the trap from       
freezing fast at the bottom4 ,i have had
 very good success with this set4 ,i    
used to use bait altogether1 but very   
few mink can now be caught around here  
with bait4  ,i once set a trap for a    
mink alongside of a log which lay across
 the stream1 setting the trap on shore  
near the ice while standing on the log2 
there was about #bj inches of snow on   

the ground1 so it left a space behind   
the trap in which ,i placed a piece of  
rabbit4 ,the next morning ,i should have
 had a mink but instead of that the mink
 had that piece of rabbit1 and a larger 
hole alongside the log showed that it   
had been dragged further back under the 
snow4 ,i then set my trap again1 tying  
fast another piece of rabbit1 but ,mr4  
,mink had enough rabbit for a while1 so 
about five days afterwards ,i had a     
squirrel in it4  ,i then threw the      
rabbit away and put the squirrel in the 
snow along the side and above the trap1 
with only the tail out of the snow4     
,about three days more and something had
 happened4 ,the trap laid sprung in the 
place ,i had set it and in it was the   
tip of a squirrel's tail1 and the       
squirrel ,i had laid for bait was gone4 
,this might seem untrue but it is only  
too true1 although just how it might    
have happened ,i cannot account for4  ,i
 then kicked up the snow and found that 
the mink had come from under the ice on 

the other side of the log and circled   
the end of the log1 coming in behind the
 trap after the bait1 all the way       
traveling under the snow4 ,i have never 
gotten that mink1 but have learned      
better ways since that time1 and find   
that where mink are trapped much the    
blind set is by far the best4           
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,unusual ,,ways4  ,we 
can hardly approve of some of the       
methods herein described1 but they will 
doubtless continue to be employed so    
long as they are not prohibited by law4 
,occasionally too1 there might be       
circumstances to justify resorting to   
the most objectionable of them1 writes a
 trapper and hunter of ,maine4  ,the    
first of those ,i shall speak of        
requires a good dog1 one that will      
follow the mink's track and drive him to
 hole4 ,nearly any intelligent dog1 with
 a fair amount of the hunting instinct1 
can soon be trained to do this by       
allowing him to smell a few mink        
carcasses while skinning1 and calling   

his attention at every opportunity to   
the trails of the animals along the     
streams1 following them up and making an
 effort to bag the mink1 with his help1 
as often as possible4 ,the first snows  
afford good conditions for the          
rudimentary training1 as the trail can  
then be plainly seen by the trapper 7or 
rather hunter as he should be styled in 
this case7 while a good scent is left   
for the dog4  ,having qualified the dog 
for tracking1 the next requisite is a   
partner4 ,this1 of course1 means a      
division of the profits1 but is         
unavoidable1 as the work cannot be      
performed satisfactory by one alone4    
,indeed1 it will more often be found    
convenient to have yet a third hand1    
which may be a boy to manage the dog and
 assist generally4    ,illustration3 ,a 
,,few ,,good ,,ones4  ,a meadow brook1  
not too large1 with low1 spongy banks1  
can be worked to best advantage4 ,look  
the ground well over in advance1        
acquainting yourself with the haunts of 

the game1 and all the holes and other   
places in which a mink is likely to take
 refuge when pursued4 ,for an outfit you
 need at least a crowbar and shovel     
7sometimes a sharp pointed1 hardwood    
stick can be made to answer for the     
former7 and each man should have a gun4 
,go to the brook in the early morning1  
before the scent has had time to cool4  
,allow the dog to hunt along the borders
 and under the banks1 and when he picks 
up a track1 work along with him until he
 has the game in hiding4 ,you will find 
it necessary to assist him considerably1
 as mink by no means always travel on   
land4 ,when one takes to the water1 as  
they usually do at short intervals1 the 
trail is broken beyond the ability of   
the strongest nosed dog to follow at    
such times as this1 that is when ,mr4   
,mink takes the brook for it1 one should
 go ahead with the dog and find where he
 resumed dry footing4 ,it will probably 
not be far1 for he is in and out every  
few yards or so1 and if you go far      

without striking the trail you had      
better turn back1 for he is most likely 
hiding in the bank somewhere behind you4
  ,after locating the hole where he is  
hiding1 let the dog dig him out while a 
man stands a little distance up and down
 the brook respectively1 with gun ready 
cocked for him when he comes along4 ,if 
the hole extends some distance back into
 the bank1 the rear end may usually be  
reached1 after a few trials1 by         
thrusting the bar down from overhead1   
which will have the effect to send the  
hunted animal forth in a hurry4 ,often1 
however1 the spade will have to be      
brought into requisition and used freely
 before the object is accomplished4  ,at
 first he will probably forsake one hole
 only to take refuge in another1 but    
when he finds that you are really after 
him1 and that there is1 moreover1 a dog 
in the racket1 he will try the dodge of 
swimming under water4 ,then is your     
time4 ,watch for him at the shallow     
places1 where he will prove an easy     

mark4 ,have guns loaded light and aim to
 have charge strike a little to one side
 of body4 ,the concussion will be       
sufficient to stop him1 and the fur will
 not be injured as in firing point      
blank4 ,it is exciting sport for the    
mink is like greased lightning in his   
movements1 and if given the least chance
 will outwit both dog and man and       
escape4  ,an old ,new ,hampshire gunner 
told us that he and his partner once got
 sixteen mink this way in one week1 the 
best of which brought them twelve to    
fifteen dollars a skin4 ,he knew        
absolutely nothing about trapping so    
resorted to this method instead4 ,we    
have mentioned spade1 bar and guns as   
comprising the necessary outfit1 but of 
course various other implements of one's
 own invention and manufacture can often
 be used to advantage4 ,some make great 
account of a piece of wire with a sharp 
hook at one end for thrusting into the  
hole and drawing the mink to the light1 
as a trout from the water4 ,others use a

 long handled spear to thrust under     
banks1 or to pinion the game when going 
through shallows4 ,a truly barbarous    
practice besides the further objections 
of greatly damaging the pelt of the     
animals taken thus4    ,illustration3   
,,broke ,,the ,,fastening4  ,another    
mode of capturing the mink is to lie    
about the streams on wet and foggy days 
and shoot him4 ,they travel a great deal
 in such weather4 ,by selecting a spot  
where you can keep well hidden1 yet     
commanding a long stretch of beach under
 some overhanging bank1 you stand a good
 chance to secure a shot if you have    
plenty of patience4 ,of course you would
 not be apt to get many in a day1 but   
one mink represents a pretty good day's 
work at the price they are selling now4 
,one characteristic of the animal should
 be borne in mind when pursuing this    
method of hunting him1 and that is his  
persistency in going whichever way he   
wishes to go4 ,if a mink starts to go up
 a brook he's going up before he gets   

through with it1 or lose his life       
trying2 and down the same4 ,the more    
anybody or anything tries to prevent    
him1 the more desperate and reckless he 
grows in his efforts to accomplish his  
aim4 ,so if one sees you and turns back 
startled don't follow him1 but just     
crouch down in a convenient hiding place
 and wait for him4 ,the chances are     
ninety to one that he will soon be back 
again4  ,i have known trappers to have  
good success taking mink with a common  
box trap such as is used in catching    
rats about the house and barn1 and ,i am
 inclined to think that aside from its  
bulkiness this is a pretty good sort of 
trap4 ,some use poison as for the wolf1 
but the use of this on animals was      
always repugnant to me4  ,perhaps the   
queerest method of which ,i ever heard  
was that mentioned by a gentleman in    
,illinois4 ,he claimed to have caught   
mink with an ordinary fish hook1 baited1
 and attached to a piece of wire4  ,i do
 not believe1 however1 that any of the  

methods mentioned in this article are   
equal for effectiveness and true sport  
to the regular way with steel trap or   
deadfall4 ,some of them1 it seems to me1
 ,i could not be induced to make use of 
on any account4 ,and yet1 as already    
stated1 one might find himself in       
circumstances that would justify their  
adoption4    ,,chapter ,,xii4           
,,illinois ,,trapper',s ,,method4  ,i   
for one will say that the mink is a very
 shy animal1 but ,i do claim he can be  
caught if you study him and set your    
trap in the right place4 ,i will suppose
 that you are trapping along a small    
stream4 ,all you need is plenty of      
traps1 a belt with a small hatchet      
attached1 a small caliber pistol1 and a 
pair of hip rubber boots4 ,a pair of    
these boots are as necessary in a       
trapper's outfit as the main spring is  
in the watch or clock4 ,be sure to have 
your traps in good working order4  ,oh  
yes1 ,i forgot the scent4 ,this you can 
make yourself by cutting up a couple of 

cats and muskrats in fine pieces and let
 them rot good1 then add some fish oil  
and four or five different kinds of oil 
that you can buy at a drug store4 ,to   
make this scent all the better you had  
better put in about one-half pound of   
limburger cheese4 ,now then you got her 
to smelling just right1 and every mink  
that gets a whiff of this perfume will  
say1 oh joy1 and hike off in the other  
direction as fast as his legs can carry 
him4 ,i took a little bottle of this    
great scent with me once on a trapping  
trip4 ,i carried it in my coat pocket4  
,i was leaning over some roots setting a
 trap when the cork came out of the     
bottle--well1 you know the rest4 ,i     
never need to hunt for this coat when ,i
 want to put it on1 for it always makes 
itself known4  ,you are now ready to set
 your traps4 ,you might take a couple of
 dogs and several small boys to help    
track up the ground4 ,this the mink can 
see and smell1 and it makes them easier 
to catch4 ,now then with your traps on  

your back1 get down into the water1 and 
be careful when going in and out of the 
water and not make tracks in mud and on 
side of bank4  ,the place to set your   
trap is on the edge of the water4 ,walk 
along in the water and examine every    
hole just even with the water's edge4   
,some of the holes may come out several 
inches under water4 ,set your trap here 
in water #b #a_/b inches deep1 turn     
spring to right and cover trap with a   
muddy leaf1 fasten trap with a stick run
 through ring1 and have chain stretched 
out in deep water as far as it will     
reach4 ,you will see that you haven't   
touched a thing but your trap and stake4
 ,as for the trap1 the running water    
will clean it of any scent you may have 
left on by handling1 but the stake ,i   
splash with water and wash a little4 ,if
 in setting the trap you touch or step  
on the bank1 wash out your tracks with  
water4  ,now then move on1 and if you   
come to a tree on the bank that has lots
 of roots just even with the water1     

examine it close1 for here is a good    
place for a mink den4 ,if you find a    
hole set your trap as before1 being     
careful to leave things as they were4 ,a
 place where the bank guides the mink   
into the water is a good set4 ,if you   
set a trap and have reason to think that
 the mink will walk around it1 then     
stick up small sticks and little bushes 
so as to make a fence to guide your mink
 into the trap4 ,a mink is not afraid of
 it1 for he sees bushes in the water1   
and it will not scare him a bit4  ,the  
way just spoken of1 of sticking sticks  
across the water1 is a very important   
way to catch mink1 and ,i advise all    
trappers to give it a little more       
thought4 ,if you trap along a ditch or  
very small stream just try it4 ,stick   
your sticks across the stream just like 
a little fence1 leaving three gaps1 one 
at each end and one in the middle4 ,set 
your three traps in here1 and ,i bet you
 will get nearly every mink that goes up
 that stream4 ,of course1 stand in the  

water while you are doing all of this1  
and your success will be doubly better4 
,when you put out a line of traps where 
there are mink1 hide every trap as      
carefully as you can4 ,suppose you set a
 trap uncovered at what you suppose to  
be a muskrat hole1 you don't know but   
what some mink might come along1 and on 
entering the hole he sees the           
trap--well1 it don't take him long to   
leave the place4 ,then boys1 the very   
next hole that mink goes into he will   
look for another trap4 ,you don't need  
to fool a mink very often until he      
becomes educated1 and then catch him if 
you can4    ,illustration3 ,,trapping   
,,down ,,stream4  ,to catch mink        
successfully you must have open water4  
,i very seldom set for mink when water  
is all frozen up4 ,did you ever notice  
that you made your best catch of mink on
 a snowy or rainy night8 ,now1 why is   
this8 ,it is because your tracks and    
scent were either washed out or covered 
up by snow4 ,a mink is not a hard animal

 to catch if you have water and weather 
just right1 and you are careful about   
setting your trap4 ,but he is a very shy
 animal1 and boys if you are not careful
 to study his habits you will pay dear  
for every pelt you get4    ,,chapter    
,,xiii4  ,,experienced ,,trappers'      
,,ways4  ,at first when ,i started to   
trap ,i thought ,i could catch mink     
every time1 says an ,iowa trapper4 ,that
 was three years ago this last          
,february4 ,well ,i caught two mink that
 spring and seven the next winter and   
sixteen the next4 ,that was the first   
season that ,i was able to catch every  
mink that trots or lopes my way1 big1   
little1 old and young are treated all   
alike2 sometimes it takes a mink three  
or four days to come out of a hole when 
you track him in4  ,a water set is a    
pretty good set for mink but you cannot 
find many springs that you can set a    
trap in the winter time1 so ,i set dry  
sets for them4 ,at a hole is a good     
place4 ,put a piece of muskrat carcass  

in the hole to keep the rabbits from    
going in and set a ,blake  ,lamb trap in
 the entrance4 ,chop a hole in the      
frozen ground large enough for the trap 
and cover it with tissue paper and      
thinly with dry dirt4 ,be sure to put   
some dry material of some sort under the
 trap to keep it from freezing down1    
have the surface of the ground level    
after it is covered over with dry dirt  
so you cannot tell just exactly where   
the trap is yourself1 or in other words 
don't have a high place where the trap  
is when it is covered over4 ,fasten the 
trap to a drag of some sort4 ,if you    
fasten to something solid the mink will 
pull out if he is only caught by the    
toes4  ,i caught two mink one winter    
that only had three legs4 ,they were the
 ones that pulled out of my traps       
because ,i had the trap fastened too    
solid4 ,one mink ,i caught was only     
caught by one toe and was tied to a     
little brush drag2 when ,i tracked him  
up ,i found that he had gone about ten  

rods4 ,when ,i got in sight of him he   
got stout and pulled out and started off
 at a pretty stiff gait1 and ,i had to  
let the dog catch him for he was geared 
up too high for me to catch4  ,trappers1
 have you not had your mink trap set and
 baited under a shelving bank and seen  
mink tracks going up and down by the    
bait and they would not touch it8 ,get  
some sticks and stick them from bank    
down into water that is five or six     
inches deep1 is the advice of a ,maine  
trapper4 ,leave a place for trap up next
 to bank where he travels and cover     
nicely with fine rotten wood1 and you   
will get more mink setting this way than
 you will with all the bait you bother  
with1 that is1 if you pick out such     
places along the brook and stick up     
sticks close enough so he cannot get by 
without going over trap4                
,illustration3 ,,eastern ,,trapper ,,and
 ,,traps4  ,i don't mean to say that    
bait isn't good1 because ,i have caught 
a good many with bait1 and there are    

lots of times when ,i can't find such a 
place and of course use bait and scent4 
,some say mink are afraid of human scent
 and set the trap with gloves1 and that 
they are foxy and hard to catch4 ,i     
don't think a mink knows any more than a
 skunk1 and ,i can catch them just as   
easy4 ,last winter ,i went to my trap   
one morning and found two toes of a mink
 in one and one toe in another1 and     
inside of a week ,i had both of them in 
the same trap and in the same place4    
,mink are not very plentiful in some    
places which makes some people think    
they are hard to catch1 and others don't
 know how to set a trap right for mink4 
,the first requisite in trapping mink is
 water1 either a lake or river1 says a  
,minnesota trapper4 ,small streams are  
to be preferred1 and the swifter the    
current the better4 ,why8 ,because      
swiftly running water does not freeze so
 quickly1 a fact every boy knows4       
,next1 select a spot on the shore where 
the bank is steep1 ascending directly up

 from the water1 and place your trap 7a 
,no4 #a or #a #a_/b of any good make7 in
 about two inches of water and about six
 inches from the bank1 and fasten trap  
by driving a stake full length of chain 
out in the water4 ,many trappers        
advocate the use of both bait and       
sliding pole or spring pole1 but        
personally ,i do not care for either1   
unless there is danger of trap lifters  
swiping your game2 in such cases the    
sliding pole is the best1 as it is more 
humane and game is entirely concealed4  
,if the bank is not too high set your   
trap from the top and place in position 
with a stick1 for by so doing you do not
 make any muss around the trap4  ,now   
let me caution young trappers about     
setting too many traps for one mink4    
,one trap well set is better than a     
dozen just slung in or even well set and
 carefully concealed4 ,it is not        
necessary to have four or five traps    
within a radius of six feet as young    
trappers often do4 ,i discovered a case 

of this kind once4  ,for two weeks once 
,i was after a sly representative of the
 mink family but without success4 ,every
 trick in my command was tried without  
success1 but one morning ,i determined  
to try for him up a small spring creek1 
where he was in the habit of going4 ,i  
hesitated about putting my traps on this
 creek4 ,i had hesitated about putting  
my traps on this creek as the owner     
usually lifted all traps found there4   
,as there was no snow there except small
 patches ,i was not aware of another    
trapper's work on this brook1 but a few 
drops of blood on a patch of snow caused
 me to open my eyes1 and ,i was not long
 in discovering his traps4 ,a blind man 
could have done that for they were      
literally thrown in1 some almost upside 
down and others with the spring half out
 of the water4  ,i followed his line for
 about twenty rods1 and then discovered 
the place of capture4 ,six traps were   
set in as many holes1 and all in a      
radius of five feet1 but they had done  

the business4 ,was ,i mad8 ,i shall     
leave it to the reader to guess4 ,boys1 
let me tell you this capture was an     
accident and not the result of skill4   
,i have endeavored to explain as simply 
as possible one set for mink1 but this  
method will not answer all winter1 for  
all the streams will freeze during      
extreme cold weather4 ,on nearly all    
lakes and rivers springs can be found1  
and here is the place for your traps in 
cold weather4 ,common sense will show   
you the most suitable spot for the set4 
,all minks have a weakness for wading in
 such springs1 and a trap carefully     
placed and concealed will get a mink if 
there are any in the vicinity4  ,it was 
early in the fall of #aija and ,i was   
working on the farm4 ,i one day saw     
signs of mink under a bridge near home  
so ,i had a friend who was working for  
us set two traps for him that day1      
writes another party from ,minnesota4 ,i
 set the traps a few inches under water1
 covered them with wet leaves1 thinking1

 ,i will have you tomorrow4 ,well1 the  
next morning we came along but no mink1 
so in the afternoon we looked at them   
again and ,mr4 ,mink got in one trap1   
pulled it in between two logs1 and the  
other trap was sprung4 ,i then pulled on
 the other chain and the mink was in the
 trap4 ,i pulled and all at once his    
foot slipped out4 ,this taught ,mr4     
,mink a lesson4  ,i set my traps again1 
and after this he sprung traps about as 
fast as ,i could reset them4 ,so ,i set 
six more traps and got some ten and     
twelve inches under water4 ,i used to   
reset the traps before ,i went to       
dinner1 and after dinner he had every   
one sprung and the water looked very    
muddy4 ,i laid for him but never did see
 him4 ,i trapped for that mink every    
year until #aijd4 ,i saw his tracks on  
the snow so ,i got out some snow sets   
and one ,january morning ,i found him   
dead in the trap4 ,he was a large dark  
mink and had lost all his toes by traps4
  ,a good place to catch mink is at the 

mouth of a spring4 ,get your traps well 
under water and cover up with wet       
leaves1 as a mink usually goes up such a
 small stream4 ,i will say to the       
beginner1 never get cheap traps1 as they
 are the dearest in the end4 ,never     
catch fur until it is prime4  ,i find no
 difficulty in catching mink if they are
 plenty1 but thin them down to one or   
two well educated animals and your task 
is different1 says an ,ohio trapper4    
,where plenty ,i set in riffles1        
building stone walls or staking across  
not too high1 a foot is plenty1 leaving 
one or more openings1 according to      
width4 ,place a trap 7,no4 #a or #a     
#a_/b ,newhouse is best7 in each        
opening4 ,i invariably stake at such    
places for if attached to shunks1 bushes
 or small logs1 the trap is liable to   
float away in sudden rising of high     
water4 ,place a trap at mouth of tiles1 
ditches or drains1 staking well out from
 trap4    ,illustration3 ,,barricade    
,,set4  ,i have caught a great many mink

 along where the over-hanging sod had   
curled down1 leaving a space between sod
 and bank sometimes of a good length4   
,this is a capital place to catch mink1 
as every one that goes up and down that 
side will almost always go through4 ,all
 trappers know mink are very inquisitive
 about such places1 and if the place is 
formed in summer or early fall they will
 already have used it as a runway4      
,after finding such a place1 put a trap 
at one or both ends of hole4 ,set trap  
level and cover well but not too deep1  
and ,i am sure if there are any mink    
traveling the stream you will stand a   
fair show of getting them4 ,i have      
caught two mink at such places1 one in  
each trap in the same night1 more than  
once4  ,an old hollow log is also a good
 place for mink with a trap at each end4
 ,you will notice when there is a light 
shift of snow that mink cross old logs1 
limbs1 boards and dams that are across  
streams4 ,put your trap in the center of
 crossing place1 as you cannot tell     

where he will get on or off at4 ,always 
cover traps when not setting in water4  
,old hollow stumps1 trees1 openings in  
fences1 stone walls1 or flood-gates1    
drifts and the like are good places to  
set traps for mink2 path openings in    
brush1 in fact anywhere you see signs of
 their travels1 as they most generally  
have a route which they follow more or  
less4 ,i have followed them across      
country from the headwaters of one      
stream to another1 to swamp and swales  
where the muskrat abounds1 turning every
 hole inside out1 so to speak1 and they 
seem to know them all4  ,for bait ,i use
 fish oil1 you can get it almost        
anywhere and it is cheap and good1 the  
older the better4 ,place a few drops on 
the end of a tile1 roots of a tree or   
stone1 or in fact anywhere you have a   
trap but not on your trap4 ,i never put 
it on dead bait but just sprinkle it    
around4 ,a mink likes to kill his own   
game4 ,make him think there is some     
around and hunt for it1 which he surely 

will do if there is nothing but the     
scent to find4  ,to be a successful mink
 trapper you must study his trails and  
set your trap accordingly4  ,most       
methods that ,i read for trapping the   
mink are for trapping in the north or   
far north4 ,now some of them are good1  
while others are useless here4 ,from my 
observation of the habits of the mink in
 ,virginia1 ,i don't think they have any
 fixed abode 7in trapping season any    
how74 ,wherever is most convenient after
 a full meal or light overtakes them    
they den up for the day1 and the next   
day may be snugly sleeping under the    
roots of a blown over tree or under the 
banks of a creek five miles away4 ,the  
building of barricades of rocks1 old    
chunks or pens of sticks and bait within
 is time and labor thrown away4 ,now1   
young trapper1 ,i am going to give you  
four of my favorite sets for mink1 that 
if you will follow will give you some   
success1 if there are any mink where you
 are trapping4  ,follow along ditches   

and find where they cross1 usually      
called secret ditches1 which come into  
the main one1 set your trap at the      
entrance of the covered one a little    
under water1 and cover with water soaked
 leaves4 ,do not use bait but may use   
scent1 or a decoy4 ,one may be fixed by 
making a box about #f inches square1 #ab
 or #ah inches long1 of old boards1 with
 hoe plant in bank at desirable place so
 as to look natural4 ,set your trap in  
front4  ,another is to get a piece of   
hollow log #c or #d feet long1 place in 
mouth of ditch or branch where it comes 
into creek1 anchor with stakes or weigh 
down with stones1 close one end1 place  
trap at other1 under water if possible2 
place bait in log4 ,this is a sure set  
for coon4 ,it took me nearly half a day 
last ,september to cut a log1 get it in 
branch and weigh down with stones to    
keep high water from washing away1 but  
caught four mink and two coon at the    
entrance4  ,another is where banks are  
steep along small streams4 ,set trap in 

water1 cause anything that may come     
along to pass over trap by a row of dead
 sticks1 weeds or a bunch of old weeds4 
,i have also caught many by placing two 
old logs five or six feet long1 four or 
five inches apart in shallow water near 
a steep bank1 cover with a larger log4  
,if you have plenty of traps you can set
 one in each end4 ,do not use bait but  
can use scent4 ,be sure to search out   
all the old hollow logs near streams and
 set trap in or near entrance--place    
bait in log4 ,by following these rules  
any one1 where game is fairly plentiful1
 can catch some mink4    ,,chapter      
,,xiv4  ,,many ,,good ,,methods4  ,last 
winter ,i knew of at least eight        
trappers who were trapping for mink     
along the same stream where ,i was      
trapping1 and while all of them combined
 caught four mink1 ,i had the good luck 
of catching thirteen in my traps and ,i 
shot one one morning1 making fourteen in
 all1 says an ,ohio trapper4  ,i wonder 
how many readers have ever heard a mink 

scream when in a trap8 ,i think it is   
the most blood-curdling hair-raising    
noise ,i have ever heard2 it is equal to
 the scream of a panther4 ,i had great  
sport last winter by sending some young 
boy trappers out to track a mink to his 
den4 ,i told them that all they had to  
do was to follow him to the last hole he
 crawled into and then set their traps1 
but after following him for about three 
miles they came back discouraged and    
disappointed4 ,they said he had gone    
into about one thousand holes1 but had  
always come out again1 and such was a   
fact4  ,i don't know how they do in     
other parts of the country1 but here it 
is next to impossible to track one down2
 it looks as if they never stop4 ,i have
 followed them for six miles already and
 they were still going on2 ,i don't     
believe that they have any regular den  
or hole after the breeding season is    
over2 you just have to catch them on the
 run4  ,one evening last fall ,i was    
sitting on the creek bank fishing when a

 very large mink came up the creek by me
 and he was a curiosity2 his tail was   
just as white as snow4 ,i tried awfully 
hard to get hold of him last winter1 but
 failed4 ,i presume he never stopped    
until he reached the north pole4  ,i    
have two methods for trapping them2 one 
is to find a hole along some stream1 an 
old muskrat or woodchuck hole is best4  
,if there are no holes it is an easy    
matter to make one4 ,it is a well known 
habit of the mink to be crawling into   
every hole he comes to1 and ,i have     
known them to go one hundred yards out  
of their path1 just for the pleasure of 
investigating an old woodchuck hole4    
,after finding a suitable hole for      
setting your trap1 throw a piece of     
muskrat liberally doped with equal parts
 of oil of peppermint and sweet oil back
 in the hole1 and set your trap at the  
entrance2 use a little care in          
concealing the trap and sprinkle a few  
drops of the above oil over the trap1   
and you may be sure of having the       

pleasure of skinning the first mink that
 comes along4  ,i have caught them as   
far as two miles from any stream in my  
coon and fox traps1 so that goes to     
prove that they do not stay along the   
streams altogether4  ,another method ,i 
use1 and the one ,i consider the best1  
is to go along the banks of some stream1
 where you are sure that mink are in the
 habit of traveling1 then get four old  
boards1 six or eight feet long and six  
inches wide1 7if necessary logs can be  
used instead of boards7 then stake them 
down on their edges so that they will   
form the letter ,x1 only instead of     
crossing them leave a small opening of  
three or four inches like this ,x for   
the mink to run through1 then set the   
trap a few inches either way from the   
center1 or two traps can be set1 one on 
each side of the center4 ,they will     
never jump over the boards1 but instead 
they will guide them over the trap4     
,after an experience of #cd years in    
trapping mink ,i presume ,i can give a  

few points1 writes ,mr4 ,moses ,bone1 of
 ,iowa1 that may help younger trappers  
who wish to trap mink4 ,the mink is very
 cunning and hard to catch in a steel   
trap unless you know how and where to   
set1 which is about the only secret     
there is in catching mink4 ,i have had  
people write to know what scent ,i used 
and how ,i set traps4 ,a man can learn  
better methods as long as he            
traps--experience is the best           
teacher--and unless he is willing to    
work hard he will never make a          
successful trapper of any kind of game4 
,a trapper simply wants to shoulder his 
traps early in the morning and travel   
ten1 twenty and perhaps thirty miles a  
day2 he must foot it1 for no other      
method of traveling will do4 ,the writer
 has done it many times1 starting before
 daylight and not getting home until    
after dark4  ,as before stated1 my      
experience as a mink trapper began #cd  
years ago1 my brother and ,i trapping   
together1 and we began putting out our  

traps the first week in ,november1      
#ahfg4 ,there were very few trappers    
then and mink were plentiful4 ,in four  
weeks we caught #aja mink and #ej       
muskrats4 ,the mink were mostly in prime
 condition and brought #cjj4jj4 ,rats at
 this time were worth #be cents each4   
,at the beginning of the trapping season
 my brother in one night caught #ae     
mink1 the largest catch ,i ever knew4   
,in #ahgc ,i caught #aj mink in one     
night1 but it took two days to visit my 
traps1 walking #fj miles4 ,in #ahgh ,i  
caught #ae mink in one hole where the   
water ran all winter1 and ,i never had  
to bait the trap as the scent was enough
 to attract every mink coming near4 ,in 
the past three years ,i have caught #ij 
mink within a mile of home4 ,several    
years ago ,i caught #h in one place4  ,i
 use steel traps1 not so many as ,i used
 to1 as trappers are numerous nowadays4 
,water set was always my favorite way of
 catching mink1 setting about two inches
 under water1 in a spring1 ditch or     

where the water ran swift1 otherwise the
 water will freeze over4 ,of course when
 very cold weather comes1 dry land sets 
must be resorted to4 ,i always use ,no4 
#a steel traps4 ,no4 #a #a_/b is better 
for skunk or coon4 ,for bait use        
chicken1 rabbit1 or still better1       
muskrat1 but they must be strictly      
fresh4  ,in order to make mink trapping 
interesting one must make it pay1 and   
where there are plenty of the animals   
the scientific trapper can make it pay1 
for they are about as easily caught as  
any other game when you understand your 
business4 ,mink fur is not good and     
prime before the middle of ,november in 
,iowa and states in same latitude1 and  
it is useless to catch them earlier4    
,when you see signs of the mink set your
 trap as near as you can get to a       
spring1 ditch or running water with a   
steep bank a foot or more high4 ,here   
dig a hole in the bank #f or #h inches  
inward and low enough to let the water  
flow in4 ,now get a forked stick1 cut   

off one fork say an inch long1 leaving  
the other #f or #h inches long4 ,sharpen
 the end of the long fork and run it    
through your bait 7remember bait must be
 fresh7 up to the fork4 ,the bait is now
 fastened on the stick and run it in the
 bank back in the hole as far as you    
can4  ,if any mink comes along they will
 find it4 ,set your trap near entrance1 
but always in the current4 ,take weeds  
or sticks1 say a foot long1 stick them  
in the mud1 making a lane so the mink   
must pass over the trap in order to get 
the bait4  ,if you wish a good scent to 
draw mink in the spring of the year1    
collect the scent bags of the muskrat   
and preserve them in alcohol1 to which  
is added #e cents worth of oil of cumin 
if you like4 ,i discarded all scents1   
however1 #cj years ago1 finding nothing 
better than fresh bait1 the more bloody 
the better4 ,the mink has a good        
smeller4 ,for dry land set ,i go on the 
same principles1 but cover traps with   
leaves1 grass or fine rubbish4  ,this   

method is very successful for mink1 and 
in fact for almost any fur bearing      
animal that travels up and down a creek1
 says an ,illinois trapper4 ,the first  
thing to do is to set your trap near the
 shore so it will be about two inches   
under water4 ,stake the trap or fasten  
it to a drag1 just as you like4 ,the    
trap should be a ,no4 #a #a_/b or you   
can set two or three ,no4 #a traps      
together4 ,now after the trap is set1   
get some weeds or brush and begin at the
 trap and make a ,v shaped pen1 leaving 
an opening where the trap is about ten  
inches wide if you are trapping for     
coon4 ,the brush or weeds1 whichever is 
used1 should extend several feet from   
the trap in either direction4  ,after   
you are through it should be like       
illustration ,no4 #a4 ,this1 we will    
suppose1 is for catching animals coming 
down the creek4 ,now go down the creek a
 few rods and set another trap1 but have
 the narrow opening of the pen pointing 
up the creek1 as in the illustration    

,no4 #b1 which will catch an animal     
traveling up the creek4 ,if these pens  
are made right1 then a mink will walk   
into the pens and through the opening   
nine times out of ten instead of walking
 around them4 ,try this method once and 
be convinced4 ,these pens should be     
about a foot high4    ,illustration3    
,,northwest ,,trapper ,,and ,,mink4  ,if
 brush is used it should be fine so it  
will lie close together so a mink cannot
 pass through4 ,if there is danger of   
the creek washing the brush away1 then  
fasten it by driving a few small stakes 
in the ground to hold it4  ,remember    
that no bait or scent should be used4   
,if footprints are left on the ground1  
then splash water on them4 ,remember    
that half of the pen is on the shore and
 the other half is in the creek1        
providing the creek is a wide one2 this 
depends on the width of the creek4 ,it  
is a good idea to trap on both sides of 
a creek2 one is sure then of catching an
 animal whether it goes down on one side

 or the other4 ,this is the only method 
,i use and it has proven to be          
successful4  ,if a mink is hungry and   
finds bait that has been left for him he
 will pay no attention to human scent1  
while if he is not hungry he will not   
take the bait be it ever so fresh4 ,a   
mink will sometimes make a trail in the 
fresh snow by passing several times over
 the same route and then never use that 
trail again4 ,i have known otter to do  
the same4  ,i caught two mink last      
winter in a ditch1 setting trap in the  
water4 ,the first night ,i caught a     
medium sized mink and the third night ,i
 caught a small one1 and would have     
caught every mink that went up that     
ditch if it had not frozen up and snowed
 so during the time that ,i could not   
keep the traps properly set4  ,if a     
person sets out a line of traps in this 
country1 ,iowa1 while there is snow on  
the ground1 he is simply going to a     
great deal of trouble to give them to   
some one4  ,in trapping mink ,i watch   

for signs1 and when ,i locate a mink ,i 
consider it mine and it generally is1   
while if you bait up a trap somewhere   
that you may think is a good place to   
catch a mink1 it often happens that you 
may make a good many trips to your trap 
before you get a mink1 and you may say  
to yourself that it is human scent that 
keeps them away1 when perhaps there has 
not been a mink near the trap4 ,my      
advice to young trappers is not to set  
where a mink may go but set it where you
 know he is going1 and you will find it 
no trick to catch mink4  ,i have many   
different ways of trapping the mink1    
says a ,pennsylvania trapper1 as ,i set 
my traps only where ,i see their signs1 
and as the signs are often different1   
and found in different kinds of places1 
one way is not enough4 ,i use ,blake    
,lamb ,no4 #a traps mostly for mink4 ,i 
never stake a trap down except in water 
set4 ,on dry land ,i fasten to a brush  
clog4  ,if one sets only where he sees  
the signs1 and only sets one or two     

traps for each mink1 from one to two    
dozen traps are all that are required4  
,in fall and early winter ,i set my     
traps is natural enclosures in old      
drifts1 in hollow logs1 under roots of  
trees1 etc41 baiting with fresh muskrat1
 fish1 rabbit1 chicken1 mice or birds1  
using fish oil or muskrat musk for      
scent4  ,i do not believe in using mixed
 scents4 ,in late winter and early      
spring ,i set traps in the same kind of 
places but without bait1 using the musk 
of mink for scent4 ,the mink is not     
looking for food then1 and such scents  
as fish-oil and muskrat musk are not as 
good as the musk of the mink itself4    
,the traps should always be covered with
 some light substance1 which will not   
look out of place4 ,never smoke your    
traps1 boil them in walnut hulls1 maple 
bark or sweet fern4 ,mink may also be   
caught by tying a rabbit in a shunk of a
 hollow log1 blocking one end shut and  
setting his trap in the other end4      
,when streams are open the shyest mink  

may be caught by putting several small  
live fish on a string and stretching the
 string in a ,v shaped enclosure1 in    
shallow water1 setting the trap at the  
open end4 ,mink are easily caught by    
setting the trap at the foot of a steep 
bank which they use4 ,if the trap is    
properly set1 the bank will guide the   
mink into the trap4  ,there are many    
other ways of trapping the mink1 where  
the signs are different1 and found in   
different places4 ,an experienced       
trapper can trace a mink for miles1     
where another person would not see a    
sign4 ,a trapper must be able to read   
signs as he would read a book4 ,as to   
human scent1 that is all nonsense4 ,the 
scent will not hang to the trap or bait 
more than a couple of hours4  ,i find a 
stream where mink frequent1 look for    
tracks either in or out of water1 close 
to edge1 however1 says an ,arkansas     
trapper4 ,now don't set your trap on a  
track thinking you will get a mink1 but 
look for a slide2 mink have a slide same

 as otter2 don't set on slide but go    
above slide along bank where water is   
not over four inches deep4 ,set a ,no4  
#a or #a #a_/b trap1 cover spring1 don't
 disturb bank but just lay a small pole1
 attach your trap chain to this1 cover  
trap and chain with old wet leaves4     
,don't take your hands1 get a stick and 
rake the leaves over it1 and do not let 
any one cause you to think that mink are
 not afraid of human scent4 ,be sure to 
crowd your trap against bank as a mink  
travels close to the bank4 ,this is one 
way4  ,another is1 find a tree that has 
the earth washed away from the roots to 
the water1 it being right against the   
bank1 look in the shallow water around  
roots for mink tracks1 if any1 set trap4
 ,again crowd bank with trap and you may
 expect mink from under that tree4      
,another way is in looking along the    
bank of stream you will notice small    
holes straight back in bank just under  
water1 extending back perhaps #d or #f  
inches2 a mink did it4 ,look a little   

further and you will see a hole         
extending back in bank4 ,it may be #f or
 #h inches across1 extending back to #d 
to #h inches4 ,every time a mink travels
 this stream he visits these holes4 ,he 
dug them to get crabs and small fish to 
bed in them4 ,he catches them on his    
rounds4 ,now set a trap at mouth of hole
 and you can get a mink4                
,illustration3 ,,northern ,,mink        
,,trapper',s ,,shanty4  ,i have used    
bait4 ,when ,i do ,i prefer red bird or 
woodpecker4 ,fix your bait always so    
mink cannot get at it without crossing  
or getting over trap4 ,i believe this is
 sufficient1 however1 an old trapper or 
an experienced one needs no pointers1 he
 will get the game4  ,two years ago last
 fall ,i had a line of traps consisting 
of a few fox traps and the rest mink    
traps1 about fifteen in all1 says a     
,maine trapper4 ,my partner1 ,dan1 was a
 very young trapper1 having caught only 
a few mink and skunk4 ,i would rather   
have trapped alone1 but as ,i was just  

starting in ,i thought ,i would rather  
have some one with me that knew a little
 more about it4 ,so one ,november       
morning we started out all aglow and    
pushed on by the cool morning air we set
 the above named traps and returned home
 very tired and weary1 but the thought  
of bringing back a fox or a nice mink   
the next day gave me more life1 and ,i  
retired happy enough for my day's work4 
,the next morning we were up early and  
made our rounds1 but to our great       
disappointment we found that we had only
 a skunk and a striped one at that1 but 
we didn't lose heart at that but kept   
right on1 now and then changing a trap  
or two4  ,at last one morning my partner
 said to me1 ,i think ,i have found out 
what the trouble is with our trapping4  
,that's good1 ,i said1 tell me about it4
 ,well1 went on ,dan1 you see all the   
traps we've got set on that brook are   
along the banks4 ,well now the stream is
 all frozen over tight so that nothing  
can get into the brook from the outside1

 so ,i don't see why a mink coming1 up  
that brook under the ice--for under the 
ice they must come or we would see their
 tracks somewhere along the bank--can   
smell the bait on the outside1 so what  
,i think best is this3 ,take an axe and 
cut a long hole about #h inches wide    
clear across the brook4 ,now get some   
sticks about #c or #d feet long1 it all 
depends on the depth of the water1 and  
drive them into the mud1 beginning at   
one side of the brook4 ,now drive until 
you get to the middle of the brook1 then
 do the same on the other side1 leaving 
a place about the width of the trap in  
the middle4 ,care must be taken to get  
sticks near enough together so he can't 
get through only just at the middle4    
,now if the water is very deep so he    
can't get through only just at the      
middle1 we can build up until about to  
the surface or say #d inches from the   
surface4 ,now set your trap on the thing
 you have built up1 and just between the
 posts1 and ,i think you will have him4 

,this advice was acted upon at once and 
the next morning we had a fine mink     
measuring about #bh inches4 ,the next   
morning we had another and in a few     
mornings another1 and so on until we had
 caught just nine mink from that place4 
,some trappers say it is hard to catch  
mink1 others say that they are as easy  
to catch as muskrats4 ,now which is     
right8 ,i believe here in ,washington   
that where there are lots of quail1     
rabbits and other wild fowl that the    
mink is harder to catch with dead bait  
that he would be if game was more       
scarce4 ,but that ought not to interfere
 with the mink being hard to catch4     
,when he can get a warm meal he would be
 a fool to take cold and sometimes stale
 meat4  ,i will tell you the way ,i     
catch them when they refuse dead bait4  
,first see that there are no broken     
links in your trap and that the jaws    
close together good1 for many trappers  
never look to this and thereby lose a   
valuable pelt1 and worst of all it      

teaches the mink to be more careful next
 time4  ,now that you have your traps in
 order1 go to some small stream where   
you see fresh mink tracks4 ,go up until 
you find there is a log across the      
creek1 and nine time out of ten you will
 see where the mink go under the log1   
and now there is the place to nab him4  
,first block up all space under the log 
so as to force the mink into the water1 
stones1 stick or anything handy is good 
to stop their runway4 ,now set your trap
 in about two inches of water4 ,if it is
 too deep shovel in some dirt and if too
 shallow dig a trench4 ,then fasten your
 chain to a sliding pole and your set is
 complete4 ,splash some water on the    
ground where you have stood and you have
 a good set that will catch mink4  ,some
 say that mink are afraid of iron4 ,well
 in some cases they are1 but in others  
they are not4 ,for instance a mink goes 
out in search of food and comes to a    
wire fence or a railroad track4 ,i do   
not think he will shy of that for he is 

used to the smell of iron and rust at   
that place4 ,but jam an old rusty trap  
in his den and not cover it or set a    
rusty trap under old rotten bait4 ,i    
don't think any mink will get caught    
there4 ,i catch as many mink with bait  
as without it1 but when ,i bait ,i bait 
with strictly fresh bait4 ,muskrat1     
quail1 rabbits and fish are all good    
baits4 ,when ,i bait with muskrat ,i use
 the glands for scent and fish oil when 
with fish4 ,but have the traps free from
 rust in all cases4  ,go along a stream 
where the mink frequents and look for   
holes in the bank1 most of which are    
made by the muskrat1 and set the trap   
just on the outside squarely in front of
 it1 says an ,iowa trapper1 ,never set  
inside the hole4 ,now the reason for    
this is that the mink will very often   
just take a peep in and then go on1 in  
which case if the trap was set inside   
you would fail to get him4 ,when if it  
were on the outside you would stand a   
chance4 ,then turn the spring to one    

side and set the trap so the mink will  
step between the jaws and not over one1 
for in stepping over them the jaw       
strikes the foot and throws it upwards1 
catching by the end of the toe or       
failing to catch at all4 ,cover trap    
lightly and carefully1 being careful not
 to get anything on the jaws to hinder  
them from closing on the foot4  ,another
 good set is at the root of a tree which
 has a small hole in it4 ,set the trap  
the same as at the hole in the bank4    
,still another is where the muskrats got
 an opening through the ice or frozen   
bank4 ,mr4 ,mink is always looking for  
such places and is very easily caught at
 them4 ,i caught six mink in one week at
 a place of this kind last winter1 and  
would have caught still more if the     
water hadn't spoiled the place4 ,a good 
way to kill a mink is to strike him on  
the end of the nose and stove towards   
the eyes4 ,this will kill them quicker  
than pounding their heads into a mush1  
and then the head is easily skinned4    

,in regard to mink being afraid of human
 scent1 that is all nonsense1 says a    
,maine trapper4 ,they are no more afraid
 of human scent than a skunk1 and every 
trapper knows that a skunk is not4 ,now 
the way ,i catch mink mostly is in      
ditches and springs and runs at the head
 of marshes and around rivers and trout 
brooks4    ,illustration3 ,a ,,few      
,,days ,,catch4  ,find a ditch and pick 
out a narrow place and where the bank is
 quite steep on each side1 so that when 
a mink goes up and down he will have to 
walk on the bottom of the ditch4 ,now   
get some dry sticks and begin on each   
side and stop up the ditch all but in   
the center1 the bigness of a ,blake     
,lamb trap1 have the sticks ten inches  
high and put them very close together1  
because a mink will go through a very   
small place4  ,scoop out a hollow where 
the trap sets and be sure to set the    
trap with spring pointing straight up or
 down the ditch1 because if it sets     
crossways and he steps on edge of pan1  

the jaw will knock the foot out of the  
trap4 ,now don't forget about setting   
the trap right and be sure to stop every
 little place so he will have to go over
 the trap4 ,do a good job and you are   
sure of your mink4 ,you don't have to   
have any bait when you set this way4    
,always keep your eyes open1 look into  
every hole and ditch1 and when you see  
mink tracks in a place that is the place
 to put your traps4 ,i never fail to get
 them when ,i find signs of them4 ,for  
the benefit of those who haven't a marsh
 or ditch this is another way that ,i   
use1 and know it to be all right4 ,go   
along the brook and find the roots of an
 old tree in under the bank4 ,build a   
coop with sticks1 bark or rocks1 cover  
it over with stuff to make it tight4    
,make it eight inches long and wide     
enough so a trap will fill the entrance4
 ,remember about the spring pointing in 
or straight out4 ,hollow out a place for
 trap1 and cover trap1 chain and all1   
with fine dry grass or leaves1 and have 

the trap set level with the earth4 ,now 
for the bait1 shoot a red squirrel and  
cut him open from one end to the other  
and hang him up in back end of coop1 and
 you will get them if there are any     
around there4  ,i have used all kinds of
 bait including muskrats1 fish1 birds   
and chicken heads1 but find squirrel to 
be the best4 ,i have caught more mink   
with this bait than all the others put  
together4 ,in setting traps for any     
animal be sure to set your trap as near 
as possible where they are in the habit 
of traveling4 ,some set down anywhere   
and think they ought to catch everything
 that comes along4 ,you can read lots of
 ways of trapping but you can't learn it
 all4 ,experience and practice is what  
teaches any one to be a successful      
trapper1 and when you learn anything    
yourself you know it to be a fact4  ,a  
mink1 like a man1 prefers dry footing   
when traveling up stream1 says a        
,wisconsin trapper1 and will always run 
along on an old log if they can1 in     

muddy places or across small bays along 
the bank of a stream4 ,find a place     
where a mink makes small detours around 
soft places and lay a chunk of log about
 #f inches in diameter across the place4
 ,put a trap on the end of it4 ,arrange 
it so he will have to make a long jump  
on the up stream end to reach hard      
footing4 ,he will naturally put his feet
 as near to the end of the log as he can
 so as to make the jump1 and you will   
have him4 ,use no bait or scent and     
leave no signs of your presence4 ,make  
the place look natural4  ,it was while  
running a line of traps up ,deer ,creek 
last ,november that mink got to         
disturbing my muskrat sets1 says an     
,indiana trapper4 ,mr4 ,mink would wait 
until the muskrat drowned1 then he would
 spoil the pelt4 ,as usual1 he got in   
his work rainy nights4 ,one morning ,i  
found a rat pretty badly torn and ,i    
began scheming at once to catch the sly 
chap4 ,i observed a shallow sand bar out
 in the middle of the creek1 just in    

front of my set1 so ,i laid my plans at 
once4 ,i cut out a piece of sod one-half
 foot square1 placed it on the sand bar2
 this made the water over the sod two   
inches deep4 ,i now took the muskrat and
 placed him in the center of the piece  
of sod1 putting his head under the water
 so he would not appear dangerous1 as a 
mink is afraid of a large muskrat4 ,i   
fixed him so that one half was under    
water and the other half above4 ,i left 
the fur on1 you understand1 so as to    
make it appear more natural4  ,i now    
took four ,newhouse ,no4 #a traps and   
placed one on each side of the rat1     
staked out in deep water1 full length of
 chain1 so anything caught in one trap  
would not disturb the others4 ,i covered
 the traps well with water soaked       
leaves1 the grass on the sod helping to 
cover traps some4 ,you will observe that
 the traps are well concealed1 being two
 inches under water4 ,it is well to     
drive stakes out of sight under the     
water also4 ,the next morning the set   

was not disturbed1 but the following    
morning1 it having rained some that     
night1 ,i expected something was doing1 
and ,i was not disappointed1 for on     
approaching the set ,i saw distinctly   
outlined beneath the water the dark     
forms of a mink and another muskrat1    
caught in two of the traps4  ,one mink  
,i caught by placing an old rotten piece
 of wood on each side of a muskrat      
slide1 close to the water4 ,i then      
covered it over with the same material1 
leaving an opening at each end2 then ,i 
placed a ,no4 #a ,newhouse trap under   
the water at the mouth of the tunnel4   
,mr4 ,mink simply had to go through this
 runway1 and of course was caught and   
drowned4    ,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,salt     
,,set4  ,a good many trappers1 both     
amateur and professional1 speak of mink 
being hard to catch4 ,i can't see it    
that way1 says a ,pennsylvania trapper4 
,really they are as easy as the water   
vole or skunk with me4 ,i simply set all
 my traps bare1 no covering whatever1   

you clog your trap when sprung4 ,i lost 
a good many by so doing1 so now ,i set  
bare at all times for both skunk and    
mink1 and ,i get my share of them4  ,i  
use both bait and blind set2 water set  
,i think is the best1 that is1 in bitter
 cold weather when the ice is thick4 ,my
 way of making1 ,i call it the ice set1 
is to take a piece of oil cloth or an   
old buggy top cover will do1 and put    
about five pounds of salt in same and   
sew up2 have it about two inches thick4 
,don't make it too solid1 leave it loose
 enough so you can work the most of the 
salt around the edges to bed trap in4   
,now puncture with needle to let fumes  
of salt through2 cut a hole through the 
ice at the edge of the water1 scrape out
 hole to bed salt in2 but first put a   
stone in the hole1 and bottom and side  
it up with stone to keep the mud from   
clogging the needle holes4 ,now you will
 wonder what the salt is for2 simply to 
keep the ice from freezing the hole     
shut4 ,i had nine of that kind of sets  

set last winter and trapped seven mink4 
,the hole will never freeze shut4       
,always set trap under water4  ,last    
winter ,i complained to my better half  
that ,i had better take my traps out of 
the run where ,i trap1 as ,i couldn't   
make a water set because my traps froze 
over night4 ,she said1 why don't you put
 salt around your traps8 ,that put me to
 thinking so ,i got an old piece of oil 
cloth and got her to make four for me on
 the sewing machine2 ,i put a five pound
 sack of salt in each one4  ,the best   
place to set is on the inside of a      
curve4 ,in slack water you will have to 
keep moving your set as the water rises 
and falls4 ,undoubtedly that is the best
 cold water set ,i have ever tried1 and 
it has been a complete success with me4 
,i use the cubby set for mink4 ,before  
severe weather sets in ,i take two      
boards six or eight feet long1 lean them
 against each other ,v shape1 put water 
vole carcass 7rabbit1 chicken or fish is
 also good7 in center and a trap at each

 end1 about one foot from end4 ,i also  
have the hollow log set4 ,it is on the  
same principle as the cubby set4 ,a     
cubby is easily built4 ,you can make    
them out of stone if you can't get      
boards4    ,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,log ,,and
 ,,other ,,sets4  ,my advice to all     
young trappers is1 study the nature and 
habits of your game and you will be     
successful in taking all kinds of fur   
bearing animals4 ,here is one of my     
methods1 writes a trapper1 of taking    
mink around swamps and lakes where there
 are shallow springs that never freeze  
up4  ,the bait house3 ,this should be   
built in about two inches of water1 as  
follows3 ,get some sticks about one foot
 and a half long and drive one end in   
the mud in the shape of a horse shoe1   
with the tops leaned together and a door
 left in one side about three inches    
wide4 ,the pen should be a foot wide4   
,now get some moss1 grass or weeds 7the 
moss from an old rat house is best7 and 
cover over well4 ,lay a chip or chunk of

 wood back of the house and place a     
piece of fresh muskrat on it4 ,set the  
trap under water on the door with spring
 pointing to one side4 ,if there is deep
 water near by the drowning wire is the 
best way to fasten traps1 and if water  
is shallow fasten the trap to a long    
stone of about eight or ten pounds      
weight and place back as far as the     
chain will reach from the house4  ,there
 are certain springs around all lakes   
and swamps that a mink will visit every 
time that he comes that way1 and if a   
house is made at these springs and kept 
baited every mink can be caught4  ,the  
bait hole3 ,this is a good method to use
 along creeks and rivers before the     
water freezes over in the fall4 ,find a 
steep bank a foot or more high near the 
water and dig a hole back in a foot deep
 and about eight inches high and level  
with the water4 ,scoop the dirt out in  
front of the hole about two feet wide   
and two inches under the water2 but     
don't get the hole so low as to let the 

water back in4 ,let the water come up to
 the mouth of the hole and set a ,no4 #a
 steel trap square in front of the      
entrance with the spring pointing away1 
and fasten so the mink will drown4  ,the
 log set3 ,find where an old log lies in
 the water1 stick chunks of wood in     
under the log on the bank so the mink   
will have to pass around in the water   
under the log4 ,set trap1 a ,no4 #a1 in 
an inch of water square under the log   
and stake out in deep water as far as   
possible4 ,if a little bait is sprinkled
 on each side of the log it will hasten 
the capture of the mink4                
,illustration3 ,,three ,,log ,,set4     
,the ditch set3 ,early in the season the
 mink are great rovers and explore every
 ditch1 hole or hollow log near the     
stream1 and a trap set in the ditch in  
shallow water will often get one4 ,if   
the ditch is too wide1 drive a row of   
sticks across and leave an opening for  
the trap4 ,set the trap in the opening  
and fasten it back as far as possible4  

,the dry log set3 ,mink have a habit of 
passing through every hollow log that   
lies near the stream and if one can be  
found like this it is a good place to   
catch them all winter4 ,put some bait   
back in the log and set your trap in the
 entrance4 ,cover the trap and chain    
with powdered rotten wood1 sprinkle it  
all around near the trap1 and fasten to 
a drag or small pole4  ,these five ways 
are the only methods ,i use4 ,sometimes 
,i set a trap for a few nights where a  
mink travels around a small bog between 
the bog and the bank1 and very often get
 one in these places4  ,in setting for  
mink on land ,i go about it in this way3
  ,first1 ,i prepare my traps by boiling
 in hemlock boughs4 ,before setting my  
trap ,i dig up the ground with a trap   
hook4 ,dig a place two feet across and  
set the trap in the middle and cover    
lightly with fine leaves1 putting some  
under the trap to keep it from freezing 
to the ground4  ,don't be afraid to dig 
up the ground thoroughly1 as a mink will

 always stop and investigate such a     
place4 ,have your hook long enough so   
you will not have to walk on the new    
ground4 ,fasten your trap to a springy  
bush or brush-drag4  ,after the ground  
freezes you will have to shelter your   
traps4 ,i have used the following ways  
with good success3  ,take two good sized
 chunks of wood and lay them about six  
inches apart4 ,set a ,no4 #a #a_/b trap 
between them at each end1 put your bait 
between the two traps and cover it with 
small brush and grass4 ,if you can find 
an old hollow log it is a good place to 
set4 ,these two sets you can use all    
winter4  ,red squirrel1 chicken1 rabbit1
 partridge1 muskrat or turtle are all   
good baits4  ,when you get a mink or rat
 alive let it bleed around your trap4   
,it is also a good plan to hitch a      
string around your bait and drag it from
 one trap to another4  ,a man that      
follows the woods has some queer        
experiences1 says a ,pennsylvania       
trapper4 ,some eight or ten years ago ,i

 was hunting the ,allegheny ,mountains4 
,it was in ,january and we were camped  
on the ,elk ,river4 ,there was a light  
snow on the ground4 ,my trapping partner
 told me he would show me how to catch  
mink with the land set4 ,taking our     
traps we went down the river until we   
came to some logs that lay across a     
hollow4 ,in some places the log was from
 three to four feet from the ground1 and
 other places it was not over two feet4 
,sticks and limbs had lodged against the
 log1 leaving small openings4 ,in these 
open places we set our traps1 covering  
them over with leaves4 ,we caught       
several this way4  ,now that will do in 
,west ,virginia1 but in ,pennsylvania in
 this part of the state it takes a water
 set or a deadfall to catch the mink4   
,in the ,h-,t-,t ,i have seen a great   
many different opinions in regard to    
trapping mink1 some claiming they have  
no trouble in catching mink1 others     
cannot catch them only with the water   
set or deadfall4  ,now my experience is 

that it depends upon where ,i am4 ,in   
the sandhill region of ,virginia ,i     
could catch mink only with the water    
set1 while in the mountains they were   
very easily caught with the land set4   
,much depends on what kind of bait is   
used4 ,i once had a line of eighteen    
traps baited with birds and chickens on 
the ,nottoway ,river1 and out of the    
eighteen traps1 ,i baited one with the  
carcass of a muskrat4 ,well1 ,i didn't  
catch any mink in the traps baited with 
chicken offal and birds but the trap    
baited with muskrat won4    ,,chapter   
,,xvii4  ,,points ,,for ,,the ,,young   
,,trapper4  ,it is better for the novice
 to serve a few season's apprenticeship 
on the muskrat or skunk before          
attempting the capture of the shrewder  
fur bearing animals4 ,boys1 if you live 
near a trout brook1 a creek1 pond1 bog  
or spring hole1 where there are fish1   
frogs or clams1 you may be sure that any
 such water is frequented1 or at least  
visited by mink1 though your unpracticed

 eyes may fail to detect signs of their 
presence2 and by procuring a few traps  
and setting them according to some      
methods1 you can realize a good bit of  
pocket money every year1 and at the same
 time have more real pleasure than you  
get from all other sports combined4     
,don't be discouraged if you catch      
nothing at first4 ,visit your traps     
regularly1 keep your eyes open and your 
wits about you1 be patient and          
persistent1 and success is bound to come
 in the end4  ,the young trapper's first
 essay for the mink should be with some 
sort of water set--dry sets requiring   
much greater skill and caution--and of  
the many methods employed the following 
is perhaps the most effective for one so
 simply contrived4 ,having chosen a     
suitable location for your trap1        
preferably some good sized pool with the
 water still and not too deep at the    
edge1 and the bank rising so abruptly   
that the set will not easily be         
over-flowed2 gather up a few dead sticks

 #a #a_/b inch thick and break into     
stakes about #ae inches long4 ,drive    
these firmly into the ground to form a  
three-sided pen four inches wide by     
eight inches long1 the open side at the 
water's edge4  ,hollow out a little     
place for the trap and place with the   
spring in line with the entrance1 as the
 animal's foot will then be less likely 
to be thrown out by the jaws closing2   
press the chain down into the mud out of
 sight2 fix the ring pole1 running it   
well out into deep water2 put the bait  
7fish1 bird or squirrel7 in the pen1    
pinning securely with a dead stick1 lay 
a few sticks over top of pen1 and cover 
trap carefully with rotten leaves fished
 up from the bottom1 dropping on a few  
pinches of mud1 and sticking a row of   
short twigs on the outer side to keep   
them from spreading or floating away4   
,then if the water falls the trap will  
remain nicely covered4  ,you now have   
things pretty well in shape1 unless you 
apprehend trouble from trap thieves4 ,in

 such case you cannot conceal your set  
too carefully1 for a theft may not mean 
merely the loss of a trap1 but possibly 
a valuable pelt as well4 ,an excellent  
mode of concealment is to cut several   
fir1 pine or hemlock shrubs and stick   
them up1 as if growing about the pen1   
which is most likely to attract the eye4
 ,also throw a scraggily top of some    
kind into the water over the ring-pole  
to hide the catch after drowning4       
,lastly1 rearrange as naturally as      
possible the leaves and dead stuff      
disturbed in your work1 see that nothing
 has fallen on the trap1 spatter a      
little water about and your set is      
complete4  ,another good way is to drop 
two traps side by side in shallow water1
 surround each by a little circle of    
rocks and hang the bait by a thread     
about #ab inches above them4 ,in trying 
to reach the bait ,mr4 ,mink runs a good
 chance of blundering into one of the   
traps4  ,better yet1 get a shallow box  
having a weatherworn appearance1 bore   

half inch holes in the sides1 and sink  
in the brook so that the water coming in
 through the holes will cover the bottom
 to a depth of three inches4 ,drape the 
sides with moss and weeds1 put in some  
live trout and two or three traps along 
with them1 and for those mink that are  
so particular as to want to take their  
food alive1 you have a set that insures 
them a warm reception4  ,yet another    
method is to find an over-hanging bank  
with a narrow strip of beach between it 
and the water4 ,beginning at the water1 
drive stakes at an acute angle out to   
the bank1 both up and down the stream4  
,at the apex of the ,v shaped fence thus
 formed place trap under water4 ,no bait
 is needed4  ,i was speaking of water   
sets4 ,one more and ,i will pass on to  
the land set1 for though an almost      
endless variety of the former could be  
given those presented1 with such        
modifications as will suggest themselves
 under varying conditions1 will serve as
 a very good elementary education for   

the young trapper4 ,the following was   
given me by an old trapper3 ,we were    
riding together near a brook when he    
said1 ,i set a trap here three years    
ago1 which ,i have never had an         
opportunity to visit1 but ,i will wager 
you there is a mink in it if it is to be
 found4 ,whereupon he left me for a few 
minutes1 returning triumphantly with the
 trap and the skeleton of a mink's foot 
in the jaws4  ,his way was to go along  
to shallow rifles1 pin a piece of meat  
to the bottom1 place the trap a few     
inches below it1 and a little above     
drive a short line of stakes at right   
angles to the current to keep off drift4
 ,high water or low1 cold weather or    
warm1 you were sure1 he asserted1 of    
every mink that came up or down the     
stream4 ,and my own experience has gone 
very far towards making this claim good4
  ,now1 all of the foregoing sets are   
easily made1 and may be used by the     
novice1 after a little practice1 with   
every probability of fair success1 but  

when we leave the water for dry land    
greater difficulties will be            
encountered4 ,there is a smell about    
iron which wild animals are quick to    
detect and recognize as an indication of
 danger4 ,water destroys this scent1 but
 of course in the land set this         
advantage is lost4  ,various directions 
are given for killing it by smoking or  
steeping1 but ,i have found that if the 
trap be properly covered there is small 
need of spending time in this way4 ,and 
right here let me say that in dry sets  
success hinges largely on the skill with
 which you cover your trap1 especially  
if bait be used1 and it is best to use  
bait until one has gained a pretty good 
idea of the habits of his game4 ,the    
bait may be protected by a pen of stakes
 such as is described in my first water 
set1 but placed a little back from the  
water in as dry a place as possible4    
,at the entrance dig a cavity somewhat  
larger than a trap1 with a shallow      
trench leading around to one side for   

chain4 ,line with fine sprigs of        
hemlock1 and set trap evenly and firmly4
 ,the hemlock will not only keep trap   
and chain from freezing down 7a thing to
 be carefully avoided7 but also help to 
neutralize that tell-tale smell of      
metal4 ,get some moss of a dry1 fibrous 
nature1 and containing no earthly matter
 to freeze4 ,that found on rocks is     
generally the best4 ,tear out a         
crescent-shaped piece of a size to half 
fill trap1 and fitting snugly between   
pan and jaw and two small pieces to fill
 in on back or trigger side of pan--or  
only one piece1 like the first1 if using
 a trap with spring on the outside4  ,if
 you have done your work properly1 the  
inside of the trap is completely filled1
 from jaws to pan1 with no chance for   
anything to get under the pan1 and no   
wad of batting beneath it 7as is used by
 some7 to become swollen with moisture  
and prevent its free working4 ,now go   
around trap on the outside with moss1   
pressing it in so as nearly to cover    

jaws1 lay a thin leaf over pan1 and     
cover with well pulverized rotten wood1 
which may be found in any old stump4    
,lastly1 throw on bits of leaf and      
pinches of dirt until it resembles as   
nearly as possible the surrounding      
ground4 ,don't be afraid of covering too
 heavily1 so long as you don't put too  
much over hinges of jaws4 ,you want it  
so that the iron will not be washed bare
 with the first rain4 ,but avoid any    
appearance of a mound1 as nothing       
arouses an animal's suspicions quicker  
than this4 ,the chain may be covered    
with loose earth and stump dust4 ,some  
advise hitching to a clog1 but ,i       
generally use a stake1 and seldom1 ever 
lose a mink by footing4 ,but if a green 
stake is used be careful to smear the   
exposed end with mud to remove its fresh
 appearance1 and to secure the bait use 
a dead stick invariably4  ,many guide   
books speak of leaves as a covering for 
the trap1 but the fact is that dry      
leaves are something that the mink      

habitually avoids1 doubtless not liking 
the rustling sound given out in         
traveling over them2 hence it is best to
 use them in land sets sparingly1 and to
 locate your trap so that the shy fellow
 will not have to wallow through a      
carpeting of them to reach it4  ,i have 
had excellent luck by placing trap at   
the edge of a bank a foot or so high1   
with a good runway underneath4 ,the mink
 smells the bait from below and         
springing up to investigate often lands 
plump in the trap1 when if he had been  
afforded the chance for a closer        
inspection he might have gone on without
 troubling it4 ,you may think this a    
small thing1 but it is just such trifles
 that circumvent the shy fellows4  ,in  
making your set do all the work from the
 back side2 also approach on the same   
side when visiting4 ,go no nearer than  
necessary to see that everything is all 
right1 and make your stay in the        
vicinity as short as possible4 ,if any  
part of the trap has become exposed     

cover with stump dust4 ,a small fir     
stuck down by the trap with branches    
projecting over it will serve as a      
protection from rain and snow1 but is   
seldom needed when trap is covered as   
above described4  ,always be on the     
lookout for places to set when hunting  
or fishing4 ,let your eyes run along the
 strips of beach and boggy1 peer under  
overhanging banks and among piles of    
drift1 and scrutinize closely every log 
spanning streams4 ,you will be surprised
 to find how often you will hit upon    
footprints1 droppings1 holes and        
runways1 the knowledge of which will be 
of the utmost value to you when the     
trapping season arrives4                
,illustration3 ,,some ,,new ,,york      
,,state ,,skins4  ,if you trap the same 
section year after year you will get to 
know the favorable points so well as to 
do with half the traps necessary at the 
beginning1 and get much better results  
at that2 for one trap in the right place
 is worth half a dozen1 clapped down    

haphazzard4 ,some places are good for   
one or more mink every year2 an old     
hollow log near the water1 a passageway 
among roots or under a fallen tree      
trunk1 a narrow shelf along the face of 
the bluff1 a particular hole or den--any
 of these1 if kept guarded by a well set
 trap1 may prove a little bonanza for   
you every season4 ,in such places it is 
better to use no bait1 a little fish oil
 perhaps excepted1 as you will then take
 unawares many a sly old fellow to whom 
a morsel of meat1 no matter how         
cunningly arranged1 would be simply a   
signboard of danger4  ,i remember well  
my first experience at this style of    
trapping mink4 ,i noticed what looked to
 be a well worn little path on the bank 
of a stream leading down under a big    
pile of drift4 ,as an experiment ,i     
placed a trap in this path1 and to my   
delight found a fine mink waiting me at 
my next visit4 ,two more mink followed  
within a week in the same place1 while a
 trap nearby carefully set and baited   

was not molested4  ,i had supposed ,i   
knew about all there was to trapping1   
but this opened my eyes a bit4 ,i began 
searching out and setting in similar    
places1 with the result that my usual   
catch was doubled that season4 ,one day 
on looking into a hole which had rotted 
into the foot of a big ash standing on  
the bank of a stream ,i saw a small dead
 fish lying among the roots as if it had
 been left there by some creature that  
had taken itself off at my approach4 ,i 
promptly clapped two traps into the     
cavity1 taking care not to disturb the  
fish1 and soon after had a mink as a    
reward for my trouble4  ,but the best   
natural situation ,i ever discovered was
 under a high1 overhanging bank--just   
the sort of roadway every mink coming   
along that side of the stream would be  
sure to choose--at a point where a      
willow tree completely blocked the way1 
except for a narrow passage perforating 
its tangled roots4 ,one trap could guard
 this effectually1 and1 as in the trunk 

of the old ash1 it was entirely         
protected from snow or rain4 ,of course 
a mink could get around the trunk by    
taking to the water1 but so far as ,i   
could judge they seldom did so1 and each
 year as long as there were any mink in 
the vicinity ,i was sure of several     
here4  ,mink in fact prefer traveling by
 land as a rule4 ,for this reason a trap
 placed at either end of a log spanning 
a stream that is too wide for them to   
jump forms a most killing set4 ,drive a 
few stakes on each side of a log at the 
ends to prevent the animal from jumping 
shore to one side of trap1 and use extra
 strong traps1 as you are likely to drop
 on a fox or coon with this set4 ,no    
bait is needed4 ,in winter any spring   
hole1 even if near human habitations1   
offers good possibilities4 ,mink visit  
them to burrow for frogs1 and one of two
 traps sunk in the mud and shallow water
 are pretty sure of an occasional catch4
 ,and they are but little trouble to    
tend as the warm spring water prevents  

freezing4  ,now a word about bait4 ,in  
my opinion the very best bait is fish2  
trout1 pickerel1 shiner or any other    
fresh fish1 being all about equally     
good4 ,but salt fish should never be    
used for mink1 though after being smoked
 it makes a taking bait for coon4 ,red  
squirrel ,i consider next to fish4 ,they
 are plentiful everywhere1 and the mink 
makes many a meal off of them in the    
absence of his favorite food4 ,the      
oft-quoted chicken's head has invariably
 failed for me1 nor have ,i found the   
flesh of the muskrat such a killer as is
 claimed by some4 ,partridge heads1 wood
 mice and frogs are all good4 ,in the   
absence of anything else ,i have        
sometimes used ,english sparrows with   
fair results4  ,don't be too generous   
with your baits4 ,a section of small    
fish an inch long is sufficient and much
 less likely to arouse suspicions than a
 larger piece4 ,in carrying bait in your
 bag1 wrap in an old rag so it will not 
come in contact with the metal of       

hatchet or traps1 and wash clean before 
using4 ,locate your traps on long1      
comparatively straight reaches of the   
stream1 as mink often make short cuts   
when traveling and might miss your set  
entirely if placed on a bend4 ,above    
all1 study your game and don't get too  
knowing to take a pointer4    ,,chapter 
,,xviii4  ,,proper ,,size ,,traps4  ,for
 mink ,i have found a ,no4 #j trap1 if  
carefully set with proper precaution1 is
 as good and lucky as a ,no4 #a or #a   
#a_/b trap as some trappers advocate1   
writes a ,canadian trapper4 ,i used a   
bunch on a considerable sized lake one  
fall4 ,the lake had numerous small      
creeks and rivers falling into it4 ,at  
the junction of these with the lake ,i  
set my traps4 ,they were all ,no4 #j1   
selected on account of their lightness1 
as there was a long carry to get to the 
lake from a traveled route and added to 
the canoe1 my gun1 blanket and          
provisions1 the traps were somewhat of a
 consideration1 and ,i therefore took   

the ones of less weight4  ,i made two   
visits to the lake before it froze and  
got #bj mink1 #a marten and a female    
fisher4  ,where ,i made a water set ,i  
saw that the water outside went down    
pretty bold1 and ,i always tied a stone 
to the trap and thus insured the animal 
drowning4  ,where ,i set on land ,i     
without fail attached the chain to a    
tossing pole1 thereby preventing the fur
 being damaged by mice or the animal    
being eaten by some other4  ,some may   
question the possibility of such small  
traps being for any length of time in   
order as a water set1 but ,i must       
explain4 ,the lake was of considerable  
size and the season the latter part of  
,october4 ,such a lake at that season of
 the year is not subject to any great   
fluctuations in the height of the water4
  ,i may say in conclusion about this   
particular sized trap1 that on that     
trapping tour ,i only lost one mink4 ,i 
found the trap sprung with a single toe 
in the jaws4  ,the trap had been a dry  

set one1 and by reading the signs ,i    
found some snow had melted and dripped  
from an over-hanging branch on to the   
junction of the jaws4 ,this had frozen  
7the trap being in the shade7 and       
prevented its usual activity4 ,as a     
consequence it only caught on as the    
mink was in the act of lifting his foot1
 so ,i was satisfied it was circumstance
 and not the fault of the trap that     
caused the missing of this mink4  ,the  
,no4 #a ,blake  ,lamb and the ,oneida   
,jump are the ideal mink traps for me1  
says an ,ohio trapper4 ,when it comes to
 the snow set the old ,blake  ,lamb is  
second to none4 ,the only fault ,i find 
with this trap is that the chain is not 
long enough1 and this is the fault with 
other makes of traps as well4  ,when ,i 
trap mink ,i use muskrat carcass for    
water sets4 ,the favorite food of the   
mink is crawfish1 frogs and fish4 ,of   
course this kind of bait can't well be  
found in the trapping season4 ,when ,i  
find a sly old mink ,i leave off both   

scent and bait1 conceal my traps well   
under the bank or places where it likely
 travels1 and just leave the trap there4
 ,if ,i don't catch it in a week ,i only
 go close enough to see whether there is
 anything in the trap or not4  ,about   
mink1 ,i think they are queer little    
animals4 ,sometimes they are wise and   
sometimes they are not4 ,i think the    
reason some of them are wise is because 
they get educated on trap lore by       
getting their toes pinched in some poor 
trap or trap that is carelessly set4 ,i 
use ,no4 #a ,newhouse for mink and lost 
only one mink out of my traps last      
season1 and ,i got one of his toes4 ,i  
cover my traps so there isn't a bit of  
chain or trap in sight1 and use clean   
traps free from rust4 ,i use muskrat    
musk and mink musk with good success1   
but common sense is the best4  ,i       
trapped over the same ground all winter 
and caught four mink in one place and   
three in another4 ,i see that some      
trappers think that the scent of the    

mink will scare them away1 but that is  
the best scent ,i could find when       
trapping mink on rat houses4 ,a large   
rat will make a hard fight for a small  
mink if he has a fair show1 and when a  
mink gets into a fight he will throw out
 scent like a skunk4 ,for that reason ,i
 think scent is all right to attract    
mink to traps4  ,now if you set a trap  
and use this scent with a little muskrat
 musk1 when a mink comes along he smells
 the musk of both mink and rat1 and     
begins to look around or rather smell   
around for the remains of the rat to    
make a meal on4 ,if you have the trap   
and scent in the right place you will   
have another mink on your list4  ,of    
course there are a few old fellows that 
are educated that are pretty shy of     
anything that isn't natural to them4    
,these fellows you can catch in blind   
sets somewhere along your line4 ,about  
the best place ,i can find to catch mink
 is where they drill into a rat house to
 catch rats4 ,they smell around till    

they find a soft place on the south side
 of the house and dig a hole just large 
enough to crawl through1 right into the 
rat's nest4    ,,chapter ,,xix4         
,,deadfalls4  ,first a little pen about 
a foot square is built of stones and    
chunks or by driving stakes close       
together1 leaving one side open4 ,the   
pen should be built smaller and tighter 
than shown in illustration1 so that a   
small mink or weasel cannot get in from 
the back or sides4 ,the pen in          
illustration is purposely large so that 
triggers and bait can be seen1 giving   
the inexperienced deadfall trapper a    
better idea of how to set4  ,the stakes 
should be cut about thirty inches long  
and driven into the ground some sixteen 
inches1 leaving fourteen1 or thereabout 
above the ground4 ,of course if the     
earth is very solid stakes need not be  
so long1 but should be so driven that   
only about fourteen inches remains above
 ground4 ,a sapling say four inches in  
diameter and four feet long is laid     

across the end that is open4 ,a sapling 
that is four or five inches in diameter 
and about twelve feet long is now cut   
for the fall4  ,stakes are set so that  
this pole or fall will play over the    
short pole on the ground4 ,these stakes 
should be driven in pairs2 two about    
eighteen inches from the end2 two about 
fourteen further back4 7,see            
illustration74 ,the small end of the    
pole should be split and a stake driven 
firmly through it so there will be no   
danger of the pole turning and going off
 of its own accord4  ,the trap is set by
 placing the prop 7which is only seven  
inches in length and half an inch       
through7 between the top log and the    
short one on the ground1 to which is    
attached the long trigger1 which is only
 a stick about the size of the prop1 but
 about twice as long1 the baited end of 
which extends back into the little pen4 
,the figure #d triggers can be used if  
preferred1 but the two piece is as good 
if not better4 ,the bait may consist of 

a piece of fish1 chicken1 rabbit or any 
tough bit of meat so long as it is      
fresh1 and the bloodier the better4  ,an
 animal on scenting the bait will reach 
into the trap--the top of the pen having
 been carefully covered over--between   
the logs4 ,when the animal seizes the   
bait the long trigger is pulled off of  
the upright prop and down comes the     
fall1 killing the animal by its weight4 
,skunk1 coon1 opossum1 mink1 and in fact
 nearly all kinds of animals are easily 
caught in this trap4 ,the fox is an     
exception1 as it is rather hard to catch
 them in deadfalls4    ,illustration3   
,,the ,,pole ,,deadfall4  ,the more care
 you take to build the pen tight and    
strong the less liable is some animal to
 tear it down and get the bait from the 
outside2 also if you will cover the pen 
with leaves1 grass1 sticks1 etc41       
animals will not be so shy of the trap4 
,the triggers are very simple1 the long 
one being placed on top of the upright1 
or short one4 ,the long trigger should  

have a short prong left or a nail driven
 in it to prevent the game from getting 
the bait off too easy4 ,if you find it  
hard to get saplings the right size for 
a fall1 and are too light1 they can be  
weighted with a pole laid on the fall4  
,the most successful trapper uses some  
deadfalls as well as steel traps1       
especially if trapping for a season at  
one place4 ,if trapping season after    
season in the same locality deadfalls   
are a great help for mink that are      
apparently hard to catch in steel traps 
readily take bait from deadfalls and get
 caught4 ,on the other hand1 mink that  
refuse to take bait from deadfalls are  
often caught in blind steel trap sets4  
,the experienced trapper knows that mink
 travel along creeks1 rivers1 swamps1   
ponds and lakes4 ,care should be taken  
in selecting places to build deadfalls4 
,if there are dens this is a good place 
to construct them4 ,if there are many   
dens so much the better1 but one is all 
that is required1 for a mink is apt to  

investigate all and will scent bait4 ,if
 you are acquainted with the territory  
you must know some places where mink    
frequent4 ,it seems that the nature and 
habits of mink are such that although a 
mink had never traveled that territory  
before it would follow about the same   
course as others1 as tracks in the mud  
and snow showed4  ,to prove this ,i will
 mention that some years ago in one     
deadfall ,i caught eight mink in five   
winters and one in a steel trap1 making 
nine caught in the five years4 ,this    
deadfall was built on the bank of a     
small stream some #bj feet from the     
water and near a large sycamore1 under  
which there was a den1 although the trap
 was some feet from the entrance to the 
den4  ,the first winter one mink was    
taken2 the second two2 the third three2 
the fourth two2 the fifth one4  ,the    
fourth winter a few weeks after catching
 one in the deadfall the trap was down  
and the bait gone4 ,the trap was        
rebaited1 but for several trips ,i found

 the trap down and bait eaten4 ,i felt  
sure that it was a mink1 and although ,i
 set the triggers easy--,i was using the
 two piece trigger and upright          
spindle--the animal continued to get the
 bait4  ,after a few more visits and the
 trap down1 bait invariably eaten1 ,i   
made the pen smaller4 ,the next round ,i
 brought a ,no4 #a ,newhouse steel trap 
intending to set it if the deadfall was 
down without making a catch4 ,sure      
enough it was4  ,for some trips ,i had  
been suspecting that the bait getter was
 a small mink4 ,i baited and reset the  
deadfall as usual4 ,next a small place  
was excavated inside the pen and near   
the bait1 on the deadfall spindle1 the  
trap placed and carefully covered4      
,illustration3 ,,stone ,,deadfalls4     
,the next morning ,i found everything as
 ,i had left it the day before1 but the 
second round ,i saw that the fall was   
down before ,i got near and on closer   
approach saw a mink1 a very small one1  
in the steel trap4  ,the mink was small 

and went inside the pen for the bait4   
,in constructing deadfalls for mink care
 must be taken to have the pen built    
tight but not too large4  ,it is best to
 build deadfalls in advance of the      
active trapping season so that the      
animals may become accustomed to them1  
and the trap weather beaten4 ,chopping  
and pounding might tend to drive animals
 away4 ,in ,august1 ,september and      
,october is a good time to build1 for if
 in new territory signs1 if any1 should 
be readily seen4  ,while it is best to  
construct deadfalls in advance of       
trapping season1 yet the writer has     
built deadfalls late in ,november1 set  
and baited and found mink in them the   
next morning4 ,if rightly built ten or a
 dozen is all a man can make in a day1  
and like setting steel traps1 a dozen   
carefully set for mink are worth a      
hundred set at haphazzard4  ,mink are   
great travelers1 so that it is needless 
to set deadfalls close together4 ,one   
about every mile is enough unless there 

should be many dens and rocky bluffs    
along the streams1 then they could to   
advantage be built closer1 for other    
game is liable to be caught4 ,in this   
case they should be made a little       
heavier1 as you may catch opossum1 skunk
 and coon4  ,where one stream empties   
into another is often a good place to   
construct a deadfall4 ,if before        
selecting your places to build a few    
trips are taken along the streams it    
will be a great help4 ,where small      
streams empty into ponds or lakes or the
 outlets will be found ideal places for 
mink4  ,when deadfalls are built before 
the trapping season it is well to set   
them1 having the top of the pen covered1
 just as though the trap was baited and 
ready for business4  ,another thing that
 should be carefully looked after is    
triggers4 ,many cut triggers from green 
bushes4 ,if this is done1 hard wood such
 as oak1 hickory1 dogwood1 sugar1 beech1
 etc41 is best4 ,the upright trigger1   
which is only a straight piece of wood  

about a half inch thick1 should be      
slightly rounded so that the spindle    
will slip off easier when the animal is 
at bait4  ,it is a good idea to prepare 
a lot of triggers in advance4 ,for stone
 deadfalls the figure #d must be used as
 the two piece will not work--going off 
entirely too hard4  ,of course we all   
admit the steel trap is more convenient 
and up-to-date1 says a ,new ,hampshire  
trapper4 ,you can make your sets faster 
and can change the steel trap from place
 to place4 ,of course the deadfall you  
cannot4 ,but all this does not signify  
the deadfall is no good2 they are good1 
and when mink trapping is consumed the  
deadfall is the trap you want4 ,to the  
trapper who traps in the same locality  
every year1 when his deadfalls are once 
built it is only a few minutes work to  
put them in shape1 then he has got a    
trap for the season4    ,illustration3  
,,board ,,or ,,log ,,trap4  ,i give a   
diagram of a deadfall 7called here ,log 
,trap7 which1 when properly made and    

baited1 there is no such a mink catcher 
in the trap line that has yet been      
devised4 ,this trap requires about      
twenty minutes time to make1 and for    
tools a camp hatchet and a good1 strong 
jack-knife1 also a piece of strong      
string1 which all trappers carry4 ,this 
trap should be about fifteen inches wide
 with a pen built with sticks or pieces 
of boards driven in the ground4 7,see   
diagram47 ,the jaws of this trap consist
 of two pieces of board three inches    
wide and about three and a half feet    
long1 resting edgeways one on the other1
 held firmly by four posts driven in the
 ground4 ,the top board or drop should  
move easily up and down before weights  
are put on4 ,the treadle should be set  
three inches inside1 level with the top 
of bottom board4 ,this is a round stick 
about three-fourths inch through resting
 against two pegs driven in the ground4 
7,see diagram47 ,the lever should be the
 same size4 ,now put your stout string  
around top board1 then set1 pass lever  

through the string over the cross piece 
and latch it in front of the treadle1   
then put on weights and adjust to       
spring1 heavy or light as desired4 ,this
 trap should be set around old dams or  
log jams by the brook1 baited with fish1
 muskrat1 rabbit or chicken4            
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,steel ,,traps4  ,for 
generations there will be good trapping 
sections in parts of the ,north1 ,west  
and ,south1 so that the hardy trapper   
will continue to reap a harvest of pelts
 and fur4  ,mink are widely distributed 
over ,america1 and while their numbers1 
in some sections1 have been reduced by  
the high prices and close trapping and  
hunting1 they are found much more       
frequently in the settled districts than
 those who give trapping no attention or
 thought4  ,in the rapid development of 
the country the steel trap has played a 
wonderful part4 ,they have subdued the  
monster bear and hungry wolf1 as well as
 caught millions of the smaller fur     
bearing animals1 adding largely to the  

annual income of the hardy trapper4     
,steel traps have been in use for more  
than fifty years1 but for some time     
after they were invented they were so   
expensive that they were not generally  
used4 ,of recent years they have become 
cheaper and their use has become        
general4 ,trappers will be found using  
them in large numbers whether in the    
,far ,north for marten1 fox1 beaver1    
etc41 or in the ,south and ,southwest   
after coon1 otter1 and smaller fur      
bearing animals4 ,professional trappers 
use generally from #ej to #cjj steel    
traps1 depending upon what game they are
 after4    ,illustration3 ,a ,,good     
,,fastening4  ,steel traps are          
manufactured in various sizes4 ,the     
smallest1 ,no4 #j1 is used for gophers1 
rats1 etc41 while the largest1 ,no4 #f1 
is for grizzly bear1 and will hold him4 
,the ,no4 #a #a_/b is known as the ,mink
 trap4 ,the spread of jaws is #d #g_/h  
inches4 ,the ,no4 #a spread of jaws #d  
inches is also adapted for mink4  ,an   

old and experienced trapper who has     
spent many years in the forests of      
,northern ,canada has used the ,no4 #j  
with remarkably good success4 ,there is 
no doubt but that the smallest size will
 hold the mink in the ,newhouse brand1  
and we are alluding to the ,newhouse    
manufactured by the ,oneida ,community1 
,ltd41 ,oneida1 ,new ,york1 as it is    
acknowledged to be the best trap in the 
world4  ,the fastening of traps for any 
animal has much to do with the trapper's
 success4 ,traps fastened to something  
solid are not so apt to hold the game4  
,if only caught by a toe or two and the 
animal jumps around the toes are apt to 
be pulled off4 ,traps should be fastened
 far out in the water1 when trapping for
 mink1 if the weather is not so cold    
that the water is frozen4 ,in that case 
the fastening should be to a bushy bush1
 or at least to something that will give
 with every pull and jerk of the animal4
  ,as many mink trappers devote more or 
less time to trapping other fur bearing 

animals1 a description of the various   
,newhouse traps1 telling the animal or  
animals each size is adapted to1 etc41  
will no doubt be of interest4           
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #j      
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #c #a_/b      
inches4 ,this1 the smallest trap made1  
is used mostly for catching the gopher1 
a little animal which is very           
troublesome to western farmers1 and also
 rats and other vermin4 ,it has a sharp 
grip and will hold larger game1 but     
should not be overtaxed4                
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #a      
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #d inches4    
,this ,trap is used for catching        
muskrats and other small animals1 and   
sold in greater numbers than any other  
size4 ,its use is well understood by    
professional trappers and it is the most
 serviceable size for catching skunks1  
weasels1 rats and such other animals as 
visit poultry houses and barns4         
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #ha     
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #d inches4    

,occasionally animals free themselves   
from traps by gnawing their legs off    
just below the trap jaws1 where the     
flesh is numb from pressure4 ,various   
forms of traps have been experimented   
with to obviate this difficulty4 ,the   
,webbed ,jaws shown above have proved   
very successful in this respect4        
,noting the cross-section of the jaws1  
as illustrated at the left1 it is plain 
the animal can only gnaw off its leg at 
a point quite a distance below the      
meeting edges4 ,the flesh above the     
point of amputation and below the jaws  
will swell and make it impossible to    
pull the leg stump out of the trap4     
,the ,no4 #ha ,trap corresponds in size 
with the regular ,no4 #a ,newhouse4     
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #ia     
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws--#ia1 #e #a_/d 
inches2 #ia #a_/b1 #f #a_/d inches4 ,the
 double jaws take an easy and firm grip 
so high up on the muskrat that he can   
not twist out4 ,a skunk cannot gnaw out 
either4  ,these traps are especially    

good for ,muskrat1 ,mink1 ,skunk and    
,raccoon4  ,all parts of the ,no4 #ia   
except the jaws are the same size as the
 regular ,no4 #a ,newhouse1 while the   
#ia #a_/b corresponds to the regular    
,no4 #a #a_/b4    ,illustration3        
,,newhouse ,,no4 #a #a_/b ,,trap        
,spread of ,jaws1 #d #g_/h inches4 ,this
 size is called the ,mink ,trap4 ,it is1
 however1 suitable for catching the     
,woodchuck1 ,skunk1 etc4 ,professional  
trappers often use it for catching      
,foxes4 ,it is very convenient in form  
and is strong and reliable4             
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #b      
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #d #g_/h      
inches4  ,the ,no4 #b ,trap is called   
the ,fox ,trap4 ,its spread of jaws is  
the same as the ,no4 #a #a_/b but having
 two springs it is1 of course1 much     
stronger4   ,illustration3 ,,newhouse   
,,no4 #c ,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #e   
#a_/b inches4 ,this1 the ,otter ,trap1  
is very powerful4 ,it will hold almost  
any game smaller than a bear4           

,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #d      
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #f #a_/b      
inches4 ,this is the regular form of    
,beaver ,trap4 ,it is longer than the   
,no4 #c ,trap1 and has one inch greater 
spread of jaws4 ,it is a favorite with  
those who trap and hunt for a living in 
the ,northwest and ,canada4 ,it is also 
extensively used for trapping the       
smaller ,wolves and ,coyotes in the     
western stock raising regions4          
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #b #a_/b
 ,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #f #a_/b     
inches4 ,in some localities the ,otter  
grows to an unusual size1 with great    
proportionate strength1 so that the     
manufacturers have been led to produce  
an especially large and strong pattern4 
,all the parts are heavier than the ,no4
 #b #a_/b1 the spread of jaws greater   
and the spring stiffer4                 
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #c #a_/b
 ,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #e inches4   
,the above cut represents a ,single     
,spring ,otter ,trap4 ,it is used more  

especially for catching ,otter on their 
slides4 ,for this purpose a thin1 raised
 plate of steel is adjusted to the pan  
so that when the trap is set the plate  
will be a trifle higher than the teeth  
on the jaws4 ,the spring is very        
powerful1 being the same as used on the 
,no4 #d ,newhouse ,trap4 ,the raised    
plate can be readily detached if        
desired1 making the trap one of general 
utility4    ,illustration3 ,,newhouse   
,,no4 #ba #a_/b ,,trap  ,single ,spring4
 ,same as ,no4 #b #a_/b but without     
,teeth or ,raised ,plate4  ,no4 #ca     
#a_/b ,,newhouse ,,trap4  ,single       
,spring4 ,same as ,no4 #c #a_/b but     
without ,teeth or ,raised ,plate4       
,spread of ,jaws--,no4 #ba #a_/b1 #e    
#a_/d inches2 ,no4 #ca #a_/b1 #f #a_/b  
inches4 ,these ,traps are the largest   
smooth jaw1 single spring sizes that are
 made4 ,professional trappers will find 
these especially valuable when on a long
 trapping line1 as they are more compact
 and easier to secrete than the large   

double spring traps4 ,the springs are   
made extra heavy4  ,note4--,the #ba     
#a_/b is practically a single spring    
,no4 #c and the #ca #a_/b a single      
spring ,no4 #d4    ,illustration3       
,,newhouse ,,no4 #ad ,,trap  ,spread of 
,jaws1 #f #a_/b inches4 ,this ,trap is  
the same in size as the ,no4 #d ,beaver1
 but has heavier and stiffer springs and
 offset jaws1 which allow the springs to
 raise higher when the animal's leg is  
in the trap1 and is furnished with teeth
 sufficiently close to prevent the      
animal from pulling its foot out4       
,illustration3 ,,clutch ,,detachable    
,,trap  ,clutch ,detachable--,trap can  
be used with or without it4  ,,patented4
  ,spread of ,jaws1 ,no4 #bc1 #e #a_/b  
inches2 ,no4 #bd1 #f #a_/d inches4 ,the 
inventor of this attachment claims to   
have had wonderful success with it in   
taking ,beaver4 ,the trap should be set 
with the clutch end farthest from shore4
 ,the beaver swims with his fore legs   
folded back against his body1 and when  

he feels his breast touch the bank he   
puts them down4 ,the position of the    
trap can be so calculated that he will  
put his fore legs in the trap1 when the 
clutch will seize him across the body   
and hold him securely4    ,illustration3
 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #d #a_/b ,,trap  ,in  
response to a demand for a new model of 
the ,newhouse ,trap especially adapted  
to catching wolves1 the manufacturers   
have perfected a trap which is numbered 
#d #a_/b and is called the ,newhouse    
,wolf ,trap4  ,this trap has eight      
inches spread of jaw1 with other parts  
in proportion1 and is provided with a   
pronged drag1 a heavy snap and an extra 
heavy steel swivel and chain1 five feet 
long1 warranted to hold #b1jjj pounds4  
,the trap complete with chain and drag  
weighs about nine pounds4               
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #ej     
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #i inches4    
,this trap is intended for catching     
small sized ,bears4 ,in design it is    
exactly like the standard ,no4 #e ,bear 

,trap1 only that the parts are all      
somewhat smaller4 ,weight1 #aa #a_/d    
pounds each4    ,illustration3          
,,newhouse ,,no4 #aej ,,trap  ,spread of
 ,jaws1 #i inches4 ,this trap is        
identical with ,no4 #e excepting that   
the jaws are offset1 making a space     
five-eighths inch between them4 ,this   
allows the springs to come up higher    
when the bear's foot is in the trap1 and
 thus secure a better grip4 ,also there 
is less chance of breaking the bones of 
the foot4 ,weight1 #aa #a_/d pounds     
each4    ,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4
 #e ,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #aa #c_/d 
inches4 ,this trap weighs nineteen      
pounds4 ,it is used for taking the      
common ,black ,bear and is furnished    
with a very strong chain4               
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #ae     
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #aa #c_/d     
inches4 ,to meet the views of certain   
hunters whose judgment is respected1 the
 manufacturers designed a style of jaw  
for the ,no4 #e trap1 making an offset  

of #c_/d of an inch1 so as to allow the 
springs to come up higher when the      
bear's leg is in the trap4 ,this gives  
the spring a better grip4 ,those wishing
 this style should specify ,no4 #ae4    
,illustration3 ,,newhouse ,,no4 #f      
,,trap  ,spread of ,jaws1 #af inches4   
,weight1 complete1 #db pounds4 ,this is 
the strongest trap made4 ,we have never 
heard of anything getting out of it when
 once caught4 ,it is used to catch lions
 and tigers1 as well as the great       
,grizzly ,bears of the ,rocky           
,mountains4    ,illustration3 ,,bear    
,,chain ,,clevis ,,and ,,bolt  ,this cut
 illustrates ,bear ,chain ,clevis and   
,bolt1 intended as a substitute for the 
ring on the end of the trap chain1 when 
desired4  ,with this clevis a loop can  
be made around any small log or tree    
without the trouble of cutting to fit   
the ring4 ,the chain is made five feet  
long1 suitable for any clog1 and the    
prices of bear traps fitted with it are 
the same as with the regular short chain

 and ring4    ,illustration3 ,,trap     
,,setting ,,clamp  ,every trapper knows 
how difficult it is to set a large trap 
alone in the woods1 especially in cold  
weather1 when the fingers are stiff1 and
 the difficulty is greatly increased    
when one has to work in a boat4 ,one of 
these clamps applied to each spring     
will1 by a few turns of the             
thumb-screws1 bend the springs to their 
places1 so that the pan may be adjusted 
without difficulty4 ,no4 #d ,clamp can  
be used on any trap smaller than ,no4 #d
 #a _/#b4 ,no4 #e and #f are strong     
clamps1 carefully made and especially   
adapted to setting the large traps ,nos4
 #d #a_/b to #f4 ,they dispense with the
 inconvenient and dangerous use of      
levers4 ,with them one can easily set   
these powerful traps4 ,these clamps are 
also useful about camp for other        
purposes4    ,,end ,,of ,,mink          
,,trapping