"On this particular morning the 'Spirit of the Wild' called loudly, for as every hunter knows, there is something in the air of autumn which gets into one's blood at times, and there is no remedy except to go on a hunt. My trap line had been looked at the day before, so I was free for the day. Returning to the little sod house which I called my home, I got my rifle and six shooter, prepared a lunch and as soon as the stage had arrived, changed horses and departed, I mounted my horse and hit the trail for the hills to the westward.
"The section of the country to the west of the station was of the bad-land type, groups of buttes and ridges, radiating in every direction, seamed and honey-combed by the rains of centuries. While the country is very dry, the rains are veritable deluges when they do come, and the ordinarily dry water courses become raging torrents. Along these creek beds, sage and grease wood brush was abundant; in the hills, no vegetation was to be found. It was at all times a paradise for coyotes and occasionally a band of grey wolves strayed through those parts. However, the wolves had been rarely met with since the stockmen had abandoned the cattle industry and gone to sheep raising, but the coyotes had increased in numbers.
"At this time of the year, the sheep were being driven down from the mountains into their winter range and in addition to the coyotes which remained, throughout the summer, in the bad-lands, the still larger number which make a practice of following up the great bands of sheep were also appearing on the scene, and the day promised good sport.
"Riding westward about two and a half miles, I struck the bed of a stream and followed it up towards the hills. Here, I knew there were several prairie dog villages and about such places one is almost certain to find coyotes, so I turned my horse that way in the hope of getting a shot at one of the wary animals. My fond hopes were realized, for on rounding the hill at the edge of the first village I saw a large coyote slinking guiltily over the crest of the nearest ridge, but giving me no chance to draw the gun before he passed out of sight. Hastily riding to the top of the ridge, I saw the animal making his get-away down the draw at the other side and throwing my carbine to my shoulder, I caught a quick aim and fired just as he was rounding a spur of the ridge about a hundred and fifty yards away. Snap-shooting from horseback is uncertain at all times and on this occasion I had barely time to catch a half-hearted aim, so was not very hopeful regarding the results of my shot.
"Riding up to the spot, I dismounted and on looking the ground over, was elated to find a splotch of blood, but farther search revealed no other traces of the game. Naturally, I supposed that the animal had gone on down the draw and mounting my horse I rode slowly down the hollow, keeping a sharp lookout for the coyote. After looking the ground over for a quarter of a mile or more, and finding no signs of the game, I decided that this animal, anyway, was lost and returned to the scene of the shooting. Dismounting once more, I took the rifle and climbed to the top of the ridge to see what lay beyond. Imagine my surprise and delight when on reaching the top, which was low at this point, I saw the wounded coyote, vainly endeavoring to escape at the bottom of the depression on the other side.
"The first glance showed that the animal was badly wounded and could not last long, but fearing that it would fall into a hole, I took a hasty shot and had the satisfaction of seeing it crumple down, apparently lifeless. On approaching, however, I found that it still retained enough life to make a vicious snap at my hand, missing that member by only a few inches. As I watched it, undecided whether to shoot it again or leave it bide its own time, it breathed its last.
"It was a fine, large specimen and after skinning it, which required some twenty minutes of my time, I looked it over and found that my first bullet had struck it in the right hip, breaking the bone and passing through the body diagonally, emerging at the left shoulder. It was certainly a good shot and had I been using soft point bullet cartridges instead of full metal patched, the animal would have been killed instantly. It is surprising, however, how tenacious of life these animals are. The second shot had passed through the shoulders.
"I returned to the prairie dog villages but saw no more coyotes. I did see a badger and fired at it just as it was about to enter the burrow, but missed the animal entirely. Going back to the creek bed I followed on up into the hills to a small alkali spring where I halted to eat my lunch. The water from this spring entirely disappears within two hundred yards of the place where it rises. The sun was shining fiercely hot by this time, and after eating my lunch I made a cigarette and crawled into the grateful shadow of the bank where I rested for a full hour. I had intended to make a large circle but found now that I would not have the time that such a trip would necessitate and so decided to go on northward through this range of hills and return home over the trap line.
"At the edge of the hills I found the traces of a sheep outfit and on rounding a spur so as to obtain a good view of the little valley beyond, I saw the white topped wagon of the herder at the far-side, but the sheep were farther down the hollow. Here I expected to find coyotes and I was not disappointed, for on riding through a patch of sage which covered several acres, a coyote broke cover on the opposite side. Three shots followed each other in rapid succession, throwing dirt and gravel over the fleeing animal but without harming him, and having no other effect than to increase his speed. I followed for some distance but failed to get another shot at the coyote and soon lost sight of it. Signs of coyotes were numerous here and about a mile farther I found the remains of two sheep which had been killed and eaten by the animals.
"As I rode over a small sag of a ridge and entered the head of a long narrow hollow, I saw a coyote trotting along down the draw about two hundred yards below me. The animal started to run before I could catch aim and I emptied the magazine in short order the last shot dropping the coyote, but it was not badly hurt and leaping to its feet it made off down the hollow. However, it enabled me to get quite close and putting spurs to the horse, I followed the animal, firing with my revolver. The third shot rolled it over and a fourth finished it, making two coyotes out of three shot at that day.
"Skinning the animal I mounted and hurried on to look at the traps. There were sixteen traps in the line and all but two of them had been undisturbed. Of these two, the bait was taken from one but the wary animal had apparently known just where the trap lay and had avoided it, the other held a young, female coyote. After looking at the traps, I returned home and dressed and stretched the skins of the captured animals.
"The skin of the coyote is of no value as fur, at that time of the year, but the combined state and stockmen's bounties aggregated $4 on each animal, so that I had $12 for my day's hunt. During the fall and early winter I captured by means of traps and gun, a hundred and thirty-three coyotes and four wolves. All of the unprime skins taken that fall were tanned by myself and made into robes."
Poisoning noxious animals is a common practice and is much used where the only object is to destroy the animals, and the finding of the carcass is of little moment, but the real hunters and trappers seldom resort to this method because of the large numbers of animals that are killed and lost. It is, indeed, a wasteful method of hunting as in all probability, three-fourths of the animals killed by the poisoned baits are not found until they have lain so long that they have become tainted, or ruined by mice and birds, so that both the bounty and the fur are lost. Anyway that is the conclusion of many of those who have practiced poisoning.
In many places where wolves and coyotes could be poisoned readily in early days the method is not a success at present as the animals have learned by experience to avoid the poisoned food. Strychnine is usually employed and this very bitter drug has a way of spreading through the bait, so that the wolf can sometimes detect it as soon as the bait touches the tongue. In such cases, the drug is never swallowed, but may be dropped on the spot or as is more often the case, it may be carried a considerable distance away before it is dropped. Again if the animal swallows the poisoned bait, it may be some time before it dissolves in the wolfs stomach and the poison begins to act, and if the wolf begins to feel the effects of the drug, it may start off on a run. In either case it is not likely to be found even if there is snow on the ground as the wind will soon obliterate the tracks.
In the government pamphlet before mentioned, Mr. Bailey has the following to say about poisoning:
"Many wolves are killed by poisoning, and more would be so killed if the methods followed were less crude. Strychnine is generally used with nothing to disguise its intense bitterness, the powder being either inserted in bits of meat or fat or merely spread on a fresh carcass. In most cases the wolf gets a taste of the bitter drug and rejects it, and if the dose is swallowed it may be too small to be fatal or so large as to act as an emetic. An old and experienced wolf will rarely touch bait poisoned in the ordinary way, but sometimes a whole family of young may be killed at a carcass. Usually when wolves are poisoned, they go so far before they die that if found at all it is not until their skins are spoiled. To encourage poisoning, it must be possible to secure the skins in good condition, or at least, to find the animals after they are killed, so that the ranchman may have the satisfaction of knowing that he has accomplished something toward the protection of his stock."
"In the use of poison it is of first importance to determine the amount that will kill with certainty in the shortest possible time. According to German and French authorities on toxicology, the smallest dose of strychnine that will kill a 25 pound dog is approximately one-fourth of a grain. Quadruple this for a 100 pound wolf and we have 2 grains. Mr. B. R. Ross, of the Hudson's Bay Company, found that this quantity would kill a wolf quickly. Experiments by Prof. David E. Lantz, of the Biological Survey, would indicate the best results from a still larger dose. One grain killed a 21 pound dog in seventy-five minutes, while 2 grains killed a 40 pound dog in twenty-seven minutes, without acting as an emetic. For a wolf, therefore, 4 grains of pure sulphate of strychnine would seem to be a proper dose."
"Tests on 40 pound dogs with 1 and 2 grains of cyanide of potassium in capsules caused the dogs to vomit in about fourteen minutes, after which they fully recovered. Other more deadly poisons can not be safely handled, and strychnine is the only practicable poison that can be recommended."
"For wolves, place 4 grains of pulverized sulphate of strychnine in a 3 grain gelatin capsule, cap securely, and wipe off every trace of the bitter drug. The capsules should be inserted in a piece of beef suet the size of a walnut, and the cavity securely closed to keep out moisture. The juice of fresh meat will dissolve the gelatin capsule, hence only fat should be used. The necessary number of these poisoned baits may be prepared and carried in a tin can or pail, but they should not be touched with naked hands. Old gloves or forceps should be used to handle them. The baits may be dropped from horseback along a scented drag line made by dragging an old bone or piece of hide, or may be placed on, around, or partly under any carcass on which the wolves are feeding, or along trails followed by the wolves. Partial concealment of the bait usually lessens the wolfs suspicion, while some kind of scent near by or along the trail insures its attention."
"The gelatin capsule will dissolve in about a minute in the juices of the mouth or stomach. When the strychnine is taken on an empty stomach it will sometimes kill in a very few minutes after the first symptoms of poison, and dies five or six minutes later."
Although this is the method recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, it is our opinion that it would not be successful, for it takes too long for the gelatin capsule to dissolve in the animal's stomach, anyway that is the verdict of those who have tried the method. Those who have followed poisoning of foxes and wolves, prefer to place the poison in a small ball of tallow by making the tallow cup-shaped when cold, putting the strychnine inside and closing the opening by pressing the edges over it. None of the poison must be allowed to touch the outside of the bait.
The most common method of using the poison is to have out a large bait (the carcass of some animal that the wolves have killed is to be preferred), and after the animals are visiting it the poisoned baits are thrown about nearby. Any indications of the presence of man will make the animals suspicious and they will hesitate to approach the large bait but are very apt to pick up and swallow the small ones. We believe that this is the most successful method of using poison, but there are other methods recommended by woodsmen. Some place the poison in the large bait but we think this is entirely wrong as the wolf will taste the poison before it gets enough of the drug to cause its death. One party in speaking of the conditions in Northern Ontario, says:
"I think the wolf-poisoning business is being overdone. How would your readers like to find poisoned wolf bait within one hundred yards of their door, and some all round their houses within a radius of 300 yards? This bait consists in many cases of, say, half a deer. I think it is very wrong to allow strong, able-bodied men to pollute the country, now in the spring of the year, with large pieces, or in many cases, whole carcasses of deer. The wolf poisoner never stops to think what the result will be to his neighbor's dogs or poultry and cattle from their leaving large pieces of meat in an exposed position when the snow goes off. In fact, the thing is being carried in this part so far that neither fur-bearing animals nor fish will be procurable at any cost in a short time."
"As it is, the farmer's dogs have been suffering, and are nearly extinct here. For the last few seasons it has been quite common to see large quantities of dead fish round the lake after this poisoned meat goes into the water. I understood that parties laying out poison had to observe certain regulations, so that no person's property would be endangered thereby, and if I am rightly informed, it must be some person's duty to stop the nuisance. No doubt it is a good thing to get rid of the wolves, but the poisoning ought to be prosecuted far enough from settlements and from public roads that stock and poultry will not be endangered by the bait."
It is advisable when using poison to leave no human odors on the bait and to prevent so doing, some people prepare the baits without touching them with the bare hands. A simpler method is to make up the baits several days in advance and place them in a clean vessel, out of reach of all animals, and where they will be exposed to the open air. In this way, the human odor will pass away, and when they are placed out for the wolves they should not be touched with the hands.
The poison should not be placed in a capsule as that is too uncertain. There is very little danger of giving an overdose. The writer has seen strychnine used in large doses, considerably more than four grains, and the results were far better than when using smaller doses.
Strychnine is to be had in crystals or in crushed or powdered form. Both forms are equally deadly, but some poisoners claim that it will act more rapidly when crushed. The following article on poisoning is given by a Wyoming trapper:
"I have used strychnine and it is a poor idea for a trapper to use it as it destroys more fur than anything and also makes animals very shy about taking bait. The best way is to put the strychnine in lard which has no salt in it. I take some lard and put on my gloves or mitts and go in the shade or early in the morning where it is almost at the freezing point, so the lard will stay hard. I pinch it off in one inch chunks, take it between my hands and roll it in round balls, take a pocket knife or stick and drill a hole in it. Then fill it with strychnine and close the opening up by mashing the lard over the hole. Be careful not to get any strychnine on the outside as it has a bitter taste and if he tastes it he is almost sure to spit it out."
"Care must be taken not to touch the outside with the bare hands as the first thing a coyote will do is to smell it and if there is much human scent on it, he will not take it. I dip it in blood to kill some of the human scent. I have known a coyote to travel half a mile with a piece of strychnined meat in his mouth and then feeling it work on him, drop it and trot on."
"Now to show that it wastes furs and makes them wild, suppose it had snowed, blowed or covered his track in some way; a skunk in passing by and finding it, would get poisoned, which would be a loss of one fur, or suppose it were a mink or something else, it would have been the same. The chances are that the trapper would not have found it until it was spoiled."
"A coyote will travel a few hundred yards after taking the strychnine, even if it is put in lard or tallow. If he has eaten a large meal of frozen meat and then the poison, he will go far enough so he will be hard to find, and never found if you have any amount of bait to look after and it blows and covers his tracks up and maybe his carcass too. The result is that it makes other animals of his tribe leery about taking baits."
"Birds such as magpies, ravens, and crows will eat poison and fly off and die and be devoured by coyotes, foxes, mink, skunk, etc. The result is that many of them die, and what don't, get so sick that they are very careful about touching the next bait they see, generally giving it a wide berth. Then there are lots of birds, such as camp robbers and magpies that carry it off and store it away for martens or something else to eat and get poisoned by. There was a very large amount of skunk, but owing to the fact that many people poison whole carcasses for coyotes and wolves, they are rapidly disappearing."
"Some people claim that the dog destroys more furs than anything, but I believe that strychnine is a greater evil than a dog or at least in this county, so you see I have a good reason for advising a trapper not to use strychnine. It is the easiest way and the quickest way to get a few furs, if in the hands of an experienced man, but the furs are always a lower grade because the poison acts on the fur and there is always a hide now and then that the hunter will not find at once."
"The trapper will have the most furs and in the best condition at the end of the season and generally a place to trap more at the next season. The strychnine hunter will have to hunt a different place as what animals he failed to kill, will leave the country or become so wary that they will not touch bait. An animal which has recovered from a dose of poison, carries a pelt that is oft times worthless."
After all of the various methods of hunting have been given a fair and impartial trial it will usually be found that trapping is the best means of capturing the wolf and coyote. Large numbers of traps may be set and attended to and the chances of making a good catch are greatly increased by so doing. If one has a liking for the work, makes a study of the animals and sets the traps carefully, good results are sure to follow. In all probability, four fifths of the coyotes and wolves captured in the United States are taken in this way. It is quite common for the professional trapper to take one hundred or more coyotes and wolves in a season.
The trap that is recommended for the timber wolf and the only one that was ever designed for capturing that animal is the "Newhouse" No. 4 1/2. It is a large and powerful trap, having a spread of jaws of 8 inches with the other parts properly proportioned. It is furnished with a two pronged drag and a heavy steel chain, guaranteed to stand a strain of 2000 pounds. The trap complete with chain and drag weighs about 8 pounds. A simpler and stronger chain fastening than that shown in the cut, is now used for attaching the chain to the trap.
Although the No. 4 1/2 is the trap recommended for timber wolves, the No. 4 Newhouse is probably preferred by the average trapper, because of its lighter weight and its adaptability to catching coyotes, which are found in greater abundance than wolves. The trap has a spread of jaws of 6 1/2 inches, and its strength is sufficient for holding almost any wolf, providing the captured animal is not allowed to struggle too long, and that the trap is not staked, or otherwise securely fastened. Even when securely staked the No. 4 Newhouse will hold almost any one of the younger grey wolves, and it is mostly the young animals that are captured.
The standard trap is furnished with a short chain and ring, but when so ordered, the manufacturers will gladly furnish the traps with longer chains and the two pronged drag shown in the cut, or if desired the drags alone may be purchased and attached to any trap chain. The two pronged drag has an advantage over the four pronged kind, as it will occupy less space and may be more easily secreted.
It will be noted that the chain of the No. 4 1/2 trap has a double end. This is so that it may be looped around a small log or block of wood, if it is desired to do so. Some trappers prefer the chain without the iron drag, and for such the drag will be omitted. Others prefer to use the No. 4 trap with a 5 foot chain and a stone wired securely to the end. This makes a very good combination, but for some sections is not practicable as stones are "few and far between."
On the subject of fastening traps, Mr. Vernon Bailey of the Biological Survey gives the following:
"The best anchor for a wolf trap is a stone drag of 30 or 40 pounds weight, to which the trap is securely wired. A long oval stone is the best, but a triangular or square stone can be securely wired. Ordinary galvanized fence wire or telegraph wire should be fastened around the ends of the stone and connected by a double loop of the wire, then the trap chain fastened to the middle of this loop. A jerk on the trap tends to draw the bands together, and the spring of the connecting wire loop prevents a sudden jar that might break trap or chain. Twisted or barbed fence wire may be used if sufficiently strong, but it is not so easily handled. If no stones are available, or if the trap must be immovably fixed, it should be fastened with a twisted iron stake that can be driven below the surface of the ground. These stakes should be at least 18 inches long and of good iron straps three quarters of an inch wide and three-sixteenths of an inch thick. In light soil they should be still longer. See figures 1 and 2. If a picket pin sufficiently strong, provided with a swivel that will turn in all directions, can be purchased at the local hardware store, it may not be necessary to have a pin made to order."
It is our opinion that the twisted pin would not be as satisfactory as the plain one shown in Fig. 3. If the swivel should lock, and fail to work, the stake might be twisted out of the ground by the struggles of the animal. With the heavy, square pin shown in Fig. 3, this could not occur. The pin should be made of wrought iron, about 5/8 or 3/4 inch in diameter at the top, and tapering to a point. The length should be the same as those described above.
The majority of the trappers who prefer to stake the traps use hardwood stakes and attach the chains by means of hay baling wire, twisting it with a pair of pliers. In many parts of the wolf country, hardwood is not to be had and many of the trappers use the spokes of old wagon wheels for trap stakes. We believe, however, that iron stakes are to be preferred to wooden ones.
The traps to use for coyotes are the Nos. 3 and 4 and the most suitable style of chain would depend entirely on the method of setting and fastening the traps. In some of the sets described, for both wolf and coyote, the traps, some three or four in number, are all fastened to one stake and for such a set the chains should be short, as also in the bank set. Where it is desired to use a drag of any kind, the chain should be 4 or 5 feet in length. This should be remembered when purchasing the traps and the method of setting that will be used should be kept in mind.
As before mentioned, most of the wolves caught are young animals less than a year old. After a wolf has reached its third year, it has attained a high degree of intelligence, and comparatively few of that age are caught in traps. In some sections wolves are more wary than in others and are more difficult of capture. This depends much on the abundance or scarcity of food and the amount of hunting and trapping that has already been done in that section. Where wolves and coyotes have not been trapped much, they are less shy but they are always sufficiently wary to make extreme care in setting the traps necessary for success.
No matter what method of trapping may be employed, there is only one satisfactory way of setting the trap, on bare ground. In a smooth, sandy spot, dig out a hollow the same shape as the set trap and of such a depth that when the trap is in place and covered with about 1/4 inch of dirt, the covering will be flush with the surrounding surface of the ground. A narrow trench may then be made, to accommodate the chain, and a hole in which to bury the drag. If a stake is used it may be driven under the trap and the trench will not be needed, or it may be driven at the side according to the method of setting but the stake must be neatly covered in all cases. The trap is then placed in position, the chain, drag and springs are covered and the portion outside of the jaws is filled with dirt, leaving only the jaws and pan uncovered. Now a sheet of clean paper should be placed over the jaws and pan and the whole covered with about 1/4 or 3/8 inch of fine dirt, covering the edges first and finishing with the center. A piece of canvas or hide should be provided, on which to place the dirt while setting the traps, and with which to carry away what is not needed for covering. When the setting is finished everything should look as smooth and undisturbed as it did before the trap was set.
In case the paper sags between the trap jaws and the pan, a few lumps of ground may be so placed as to support it, but care must be used so that no dirt gets under the pan. In freezing weather, make the nest for the trap somewhat deeper and line it well with sage leaves or some other light material, also fill in around jaws and springs with same, before covering. This will prevent the trap from freezing down. Do not put cotton under the pan as some advise doing, for if it gets wet it will freeze and interfere with the working of the trap. If the traps spring too easily, they may be remedied by drilling a small hole through the edge of the pan and inserting a tooth pick or small twig in such a way that it will support the pan. This will prevent birds and small animals from springing the traps. The same result may be obtained by bending the point of the "dog" or trigger of the trap upward and thereby causing the trap to spring harder.
Always before placing the trap in position, turn the springs towards the jaw that is held down by the trigger. This will allow the loose jaw to drop down to a level and let the trap rest more solidly in its nest. When adjusting the pan, always work from under the loose jaw, to avoid accidents.
Many trappers advise wearing gloves when setting or otherwise handling the traps, to prevent leaving human scent. It is our opinion that this is not only unnecessary but also useless, as the human odor will pass through a leather glove readily, and even through the sole of a heavy shoe. While there is no doubt that the scent of man will put any wary animal on its guard, there is no way to avoid leaving this same scent about the setting. This, however, will pass away after three or four days and it is after the traps have been set for some time that most of the wolves and coyotes are captured.
Although the traps may be handled with bare hands, we would advise that it is wise to not leave any more lasting odors than that from handling the traps, also do not leave any footprints or other signs of human presence. If, in summer, a line of traps can be set just before a rain, so much the better, as all odors and signs of disturbance will be removed by it. In winter a light fall of snow will have a tendency to improve the catch, as it will cover all human signs and to a great extent, smother the human and other odors that may have been left about the setting.
It is important that no lasting, foreign odors be allowed to remain on the traps or any of the implements used in making the set. The trapper should make it a point at all times to keep the traps clean and free from scents which might enable the animals to locate and avoid the trap. For the same reason strong smelling grease and oils, such as kerosene should never be used as preservatives, in fact, we think it best that the traps have no preparation whatever. Some trappers dip the traps in blood but unless the entire setting is saturated with same, it is not wise to do so as the wolf would be sure to locate it. When setting close to a large bait, it is well to rub the trap and chain with a piece of the bait, so that everything about the setting will have the same odor.
The same result may be obtained by covering the traps with hair from the animal used for bait, or with the contents of the paunch. When nesting the traps in sage leaves, as advised elsewhere, the odor of the trap will be greatly neutralized by the leaves, as they have a powerful odor. In trail sets on the cattle and sheep range, the traps may be covered with the droppings of the animals. All of these methods have the same result, namely, that of smothering the odor of the trap and allaying the animals' suspicions.
Just what will be needed for trapping wolves and coyotes will depend entirely on circumstances, but mainly on just how much of a business one wishes to make of it. The abundance or scarcity of the game, the nature of the country, the proximity to civilization and many other matters must also be considered. For the average professional trapper of the western cattle range, we believe the following will be about right: In the country lying just east of the Rocky Mountain Range, vegetation is rather scanty and as horses must pick their own living, they must have plenty of time for doing so, therefore, several saddle horses will be needed. In that way the trapper can change horses daily and give them a chance to rest and rustle food. For transporting the outfit and stringing out the traps, pack horses must be employed. Old, worn out horses will answer for packing and after the traps are once strung out, they may be killed for bait or otherwise disposed of, as one of the saddle horses may be used for what little packing is needed. The equipment should consist of a good easy saddle, bridle, pack-saddles, pack sacks, saddle blankets, hobbles, picket ropes, etc. If one is camping a good camping outfit will be necessary. Such an outfit would consist of a tent, blankets, cooking utensils, axe and some toilet articles. The average trapper would easily handle 100 traps, some trappers have many more, and the proper sizes and number of each size would depend on the proportionate number of wolves and coyotes found in that locality. The trapper must also have wire for fastening traps, stakes, paper for covering, a file for sharpening the axe and repairing traps, a whetstone, a pair of cutting pliers, a high powered rifle and plenty of ammunition, saddle scabbard, gun oil, hunting knife, axe sheath, etc. Such an outfit is costly, and is only useful to the professional trapper, but if game is plentiful, it will soon pay for itself.
For the ranchman, sheep herder or average western trapper, all that need be purchased is an outfit of traps of a number which may be conveniently handled, and a rifle with ammunition for same. All of the outfit that will be needed is to be found on any western ranch and as the trapper will not be camping out, the camp outfit would be omitted.
Scents for attracting animals to traps have been employed for many years, but trappers differ greatly in their views regarding its value. Some use scent only, to attract the animals, and make good catches; others use bait alone and condemn anything in the line of scent. Some use neither scent nor bait but depend entirely on "blind sets".
The value of scent for trapping wolves and coyotes depends on the kind that is used and the method employed, the time of year, the sex of the animal, whether trapping is prosecuted extensively, etc. We have no doubt that if the right scent is employed and used in the proper way that it will be productive of good results. In all probability those who are so ready to condemn scents have never used the right kind, or having tried the proper kind, have not used it in the right way.
If one will stop to consider just what scent is, and the object in using it, he must readily perceive its value, if the right kind is used. Scents are of various kinds and are expected to appeal to the animal in different ways. When one uses bait, it is the odor of same that attracts the animal from a distance, — why then will not a scent which suggests their favorite food also prove attractive? All animals of the dog family are very susceptible to food odors and the same scents will attract both the wolf and coyote. Then there are other scents which appeal to the animal's passions. These will be described in the following pages. They are especially attractive to the wolf during the mating season, but are also good at other times, and should be used without bait.
The habit of depositing urine on the same spot used by another for that purpose is characteristic of all animals of the dog family. This is sometimes taken advantage of by the trapper, and the wolf urine is used in that way.
In some parts of the country it is probable that one would be more successful by using bait alone; in other places blind sets would be better. For many localities it is best to use a good scent, and especially so at certain seasons. For trapping grey wolves in summer, it is especially valuable as at that time meat baits soon become tainted and are not attractive to the animals.
The United States Biological Survey have made exhaustive tests with scents and the result is given in the following:
"Success in trapping depends mainly on the use of scents that will attract the wolves to the neighborhood of a trap and keep them tramping and pawing until caught. Meat bait alone is of little use, for as a rule the wolves kill an ample supply for themselves. Many tests of scents, both prepared baits and various animal musks, have been made with wolves in the field and in the National Zoological Park. While some have given a fair degree of success, others have proved worthless, and no one odor has proved entirely satisfactory. Experiments are being continued, however, and new odors tried."
"Beaver musk (castoreum) and the commercial perfumery sold as musk have proved effective in many cases by causing the wolf to turn aside to follow the scented cross line and so walk into the trap. Siberian musk (from the Siberian musk deer ) is very attractive to wolves in the Zoo. Oil of anise and oil of rhodium seem to have no attraction for wild wolves, and are scarcely noticed by those in confinement. Assafoetida is mildly attractive to wolves and coyotes at the Zoo, but used alone is very slightly, if at all, attractive to those on the range."
"Wolf urine taken from the bladder is used by some trappers, and is said to be very successful. It is bottled and kept until rancid and then sprinkled over the trap. The sexual organs of the female wolf immersed in the urine are said to add efficacy to this bait. The urine of the female in the rutting season is said to be especially attractive to males; it should be used in January or February."
"Fetid bait. — The bait that has proved most effective may be called, for lack of a better name, fetid bait, because of its offensive odor. It has been long in use in variously modified forms by the most successful wolf trappers, and its preparation is usually guarded as a profound secret. It cannot be credited to any one trapper, since no two prepare it in just the same way, but in most cases its fundamental odors are the same. It may be prepared as follows:
"Place half a pound of raw beef or venison in a wide-mouthed bottle and let it stand in a warm place (but never in the sun) from two to six weeks or longer or until it is thoroughly decayed and the odor has become as offensive as possible. If the weather is not very warm this may require several months. When decomposition has reached the proper stage, add a quart of sperm oil or some liquid animal oil. Lard oil may be used, but prairie dog oil is better. Add half an ounce of assafoetida, dissolved in alcohol and one ounce of tincture of Siberian musk, or, if this cannot be procured, one ounce of pulverized beaver castor or one ounce of the common musk sold for perfumery. Mix thoroughly and bottle securely until used."
The government has introduced this scent into Northern Michigan where it has been used successfully. Other very similar decoys are used extensively by Western trappers.
A scent which is highly recommended, and is used successfully by some Wyoming wolf and coyote trappers is made by chopping fine, equal portions of raw beef and fish and allowing same to decay in a covered vessel. After it is thoroughly decomposed, add an ounce of assafoetida dissolved in alcohol to each pound of the decoy. Animal matter of any kind should never be allowed to decay in a tightly closed vessel, as the gases may cause it to burst, but it must be covered so as to exclude the flies. The above scent is claimed to be very attractive to both wolves and coyotes and we know that the trappers who used it made large catches, one of them having captured over 200 coyotes in a single season. This trapper states that if the perfume of the skunk is added to the decoy, its attractive properties are greatly increased. This scent may be used in connection with bait, or without, as preferred.
One of the northern trappers recommends a scent made by chopping fine, equal parts of rabbit, skunk and muskrat flesh, with a couple of wild mice added, and allow to decay in a jar. The jar should be about 2/3 full and after it is decomposed a half ounce oil of anise and a quantity of skunk scent is added, and the jar filled with goose oil. This is the recipe as given but we can not guarantee it to be attractive.
Many of the old time trappers claim to have scents which will draw a wolf or coyote a half mile, or more, to the trap. Those who make such statements should always be regarded with distrust for the chances are that they only wish to sell the scent or the formula. In nine cases out of ten it will be found that the scents are worthless. One of our old time friends wrote as follows:
"I have tried several so-called patent decoys with very indifferent results. The only scent I care to use is the urine from a female wolf or coyote killed in running season; sprinkle a drop or two on bush, stone or ground near traps, but not on bait. After catching one coyote at a setting I never trouble to bait again as the urine and droppings will serve to attract other coyotes better than any bait. Have caught 6 at one setting, 5 of them with no other bait than the smell of the ground defiled by previous coyotes. They will come a long way to scratch and urinate on same spot, and seem to lose some of their caution."
Another successful trapper makes practically the same statements and his views are appended.
"After catching one wolf or coyote do not use more bait as the scent is strong enough to draw all that comes near. I do not use any patent decoy or scents, as I consider them useless for any game. The only scent I use is what I make myself and then only from February to April. In the summer I gather up four or five bitch dogs and as fast as they come in heat I kill them and take the organs of generation and pickle them in wide mouth bottles with alcohol enough to cover. I sprinkle a few drops on a stone or bush, stick in center between traps but use no other bait. This is also good for fox.
"The above method is the same as I learned it from an old Hudson's Bay trapper, Peirre Deverany, who was born in 1817, and had trapped all thru the British possessions and the Rocky Mountains and with whom I trapped for several years."
We find that many of the professional trappers condemn all scents except those which they, themselves, use, but as there are a number of successful ones using different scents it proves that there are numbers of good decoys.
"I use scent a good deal, but make it myself," writes one man who follows trapping continually. "The mating time is the best time to use it and the matrix from a female wolf in alcohol is very good to use. Put a few drops on a bone or stick of wood near the trap, say ten or twenty inches from it. If you have two traps set near each other, put the scent between them."
With regard to bait the grey wolf prefers horse flesh to beef. Colts are also preferred to old horses. It is the same as regards cattle; the calves and yearlings are invariably chosen. In the timbered sections where there is very little stock for the wolves to prey on, venison is perhaps the best bait. Antelope, jack rabbit, and in fact, almost any kind of flesh is good if the wolf is hungry, but the bait in all cases must be strictly fresh. Unless food is scarce, wolves seldom return to the carcass of a victim, but they do so occasionally and some are caught by setting traps in such places, especially in the North, during winter when the animals are hungry. If possible they prefer to kill their own game and it is that which makes the trapping so difficult.
The same baits that are recommended for wolves are also good for coyotes, but the coyote is not so particular regarding the condition of its food and will eat tainted flesh, greedily. They are very fond of mutton, prairie dogs, badgers and sage hens. As with the wolf, horse flesh is a favorite food. One of the southwestern trappers claims that they like fresh pork, in his section, better than any other food.
It will be an easy matter in almost any part of the country to keep the traps baited as the ranchmen and sheepmen are, as a rule, willing to furnish animals for bait. As a general rule, we advise the use of scent sets and blind sets in spring and summer and bait sets in fall and winter.
In sections where the wolves and coyotes can obtain an abundance of food, they do not care for meat bait and scent sets are recommended, especially for grey wolves. Such sets are also successful in summer when meat baits soon become tainted and lose all power of attraction. There are many ways of using scent, depending much on the kind that is used, and also on other things. One of the simplest as well as one of the best is the following:
Having found the route of travel of a band of wolves, one may be certain that he has found the proper place to set a number of traps, for the wolves are sure to come around that way again. A pass through the hills is an excellent place and as cattle, sheep and game animals are almost certain to be traveling that way at certain seasons, one is sure to find a trail of some sort traversing the pass. Having located such a trail find a spot where same is well defined and select a place for the trap, several feet to one side of the trail, where it may be placed between bunches of brush, cactus, rocks or any other obstruction that will guide the wolf over the trap. The obstruction must be a natural one as the wolf is certain to detect any artificial arrangement, and avoid it.
The trap should be fastened to a drag of some kind, which should be buried and the trap must be set and covered as explained in another chapter. In setting, the chain should be stretched out to its full length so that the drag may be buried as far as possible from the trap, and the disturbance of the soil is less likely to be noticed. The scent should be applied to the grass, weeds or ground at the back of the set, and so placed that in trying to reach it, the wolf or coyote must walk over the trap. It should not be placed too near the trap as the first impulse of the animal is to roll over the scent.
Mr. Vernon Bailey in his instructions for trapping describes this set as follows:
"The trap, chain and stone drag should be buried out of sight close to a runway, where the wolves follow a trail or road, cross a narrow pass, or visit a carcass, with the trap nearest the runway and flush with the surface of the ground; to keep the earth from clogging under the pan, the pan and jaws should be covered with an oval piece of paper and over this should be sprinkled fine earth until the surface is smooth and all traces of paper and trap are concealed. The surface of the ground and the surroundings should appear as nearly as possible undisturbed. The dust may be made to look natural again, by sprinkling water on it. Touching the ground or other objects with the hands, spitting near the trap or in any way leaving a trace of human odors near by, should be avoided. Old, well-scented gloves should be worn while setting traps, and a little of the scent used for the traps should be rubbed on the shoe soles. A piece of old cowhide may be used on which to stand and to place the loose earth in burying drag and trap.
"A narrow trail may be made by dragging the stone or scraping the foot from across the runway to the trap. A slender line of scent should be scattered along this drag mark or cross trail and more of the scent placed around the trap and 6 inches beyond it, so that the wolf will follow the line directly across the trap, stopping with its front feet upon it. With old, experienced and suspicious wolves, however, it is better not to make the drag mark, but to set the trap with great care, close to the side of the trail and put the scent just beyond it. If possible, place the trap between two tufts of grass or weeds, so that it can be readily approached from one side only."