I will mention how you can get a fox without bait, says Jarvis Green, of Maine. Look up an old path or wood road where you see that they have traveled, and notice a mound or rise of ground; now the foxes always stop to urinate on all such places. When you see the wind and atmosphere indicates a fall of snow, go and set your trap, smear with balsam of fir, cedar, hemlock or spruce, set your trap on center of mound and on one side stick up a tree branch to look as if grown there, about eight inches high, fasten trap to a clog by the middle, cover trap lightly with some fine substance. A drop or two of scent is sure of every one that comes along. Try this. The Blake & Lamb trap is best. I have only one fault with the single spring and that is the trencher is too large. On the new style if the animal steps on the edge of trencher, result is a toe or two will be left. Be careful in covering trap so that when it springs the jaws will shut tight.
PENNSYLVANIA FOX TRAPPER'S CABIN.
When I was a boy I used to hunt foxes with dog and gun. In tracking them I noticed that they would go to every skunk that was killed, writes L. M. Cartwright, of Pennsylvania, near where they traveled, and nose around, but never saw where they ate any of it, so I used the scent successfully in catching them. I have caught many of them in No. 1 Newhouse trap fastened to a clog; had one to pull the staple out of a clog and carry trap as much as five miles before catching him, and if it had not been for a fresh fall of snow would have been out.
About as sure a way to catch fox (if you have the proper place) is to snare him. Here they very often cross the creek on logs or trees that have fallen across, when the creek is not frozen over. Take about three and a half feet of wire, such as is used for baling hay, make a snare, staple or spike the end of wire down on the side of the tree about the center of the creek, bend wire up so the loop comes over the center of log, make loop about seven or eight inches in diameter, set small bush on each side, stick in log and cover just over top of snare. If properly set will catch fox, coon and dogs (so it is best to set where dogs do not travel).
I suppose any log up from the ground high enough would do by using the scent from the female fox. Another way, drive a stake beside a log, set trap about six to nine inches away, pour fish brine on stake and see what it will do. This should be away from dogs.
My way of trapping the fox is by the old method. Take a bushel of buckwheat chaff and where foxes travel nearly every night scatter it about four feet around, and take a stick and pat the chaff down so it is nice and smooth all over the bed. Then take tallow cracklings and scatter them over the bed about a foot apart, then leave everything natural, and as soon as a fox takes the bait place your trap (which should be a double spring Newhouse or a No. 2 1/2 B. & L.) set it in center of bed and cover about 3/4 or 1 inch with chaff. Put cotton under pan so it will not hinder trap from springing. The trap should be fastened to a clog or drag hook. I say to young trappers try my way and you will be successful.