The Accomplished Muskrat Trapper: A Book on Trapping for Amateurs

by Arno Erdman Schmidt

The annual catch of North American raw furs has a monetary value of approximately twenty-five million dollars. The number of pelts required to reach such a figure must necessarily be very large. Trapping is done, more or less, by many people, in many walks of life, who follow the sport for both profit and pleasure; from the professional pelt hunter, down to the farmer's boy, who during the winter indulges in trapping as a side line, tending his traps between chores.

The fur business is and always has been an important cog in American industry. It furnishes employment for thousands, from the trapper to the buyer, manufacturer and retailer; but there is now a cloud of depression threatening on the horizon of the industry. Fur-bearing animals, which at one time roamed our prairies, streams and woodlands, in seemingly unlimited numbers, are now rapidly becoming very scarce, where a few years previous they were very plentiful. The beaver and several other species of fur bearers are already threatened with extinction and are doomed to follow in the wake of the passenger pigeon and bison, unless something extremely radical is done in the way of game preservation in comparison to present-day methods. What has brought about this rapid diminution in the ranks of fur-bearing animals? It is the rapid advance of civilization which deprives the fur bearers of their natural haunts. It is the inventive genius of Americans, who, with highly efficient traps, guns, especially prepared poisons, smoke-torpedoes and other ingenious devices, contribute to deplete the ranks of the animals; the numerous fur houses throughout the country, flooding the mails with their propaganda urging everyone to trap. We can hardly scan the columns of a paper or magazine during the fur months but what our gaze will fall upon an alluring display of raw fur advertisements. These announcements are continually calling for unlimited quantities of raw furs; they are ever urging men and boys to push their trapping operations to the utmost. These concerns are giving free advice to beginners; they offer free instructions in the art of trapping the fur bearers. All this has had but one result: The fabulous prices paid for raw furs and the extensive advertising in recent years have kindled a crusade on our fur bearers which has developed a crisis. When trapping is carried on to the extreme folly of taking the animals which should be left for breeding, then our natural supply of "wild fur" shall cease to be perpetual.

And that is just what is taking place, in spite of the legislation passed in favor of the fur bearers — in spite of the laws which have been enacted for their protection by the various states and territories. In the light of this fact, the question arises: Where are the millions of pelts to come from that the world needs each year? The time is not far off when the demand will exceed the supply. How can we keep an industry alive that can use millions of dollars' worth of raw furs annually, thus furnishing employment for thousands of people? There is only one remedy, and that is — fur farming.

Fur farming is by no means a new idea. Farsighted men experimented with fur bearers early in the seventies. Many people advance the theory that the animals will not breed or thrive in captivity; but this argument is not sound; we need only remember that all our domestic animals were wild creatures at one time.

True, fur farming, like any other business, has its drawbacks; but these impediments are rapidly conquered by the persistent and energetic study and scientific research of enthusiastic men, who are devotedly interested in the welfare of the animals, and the evolution of the industry to a higher and better standard. In any case, the injury is not beyond the remedy. For example, some of the early pioneers in the business felt very much dejected when they discovered that the animals did not fur properly in captivity. This was later found to be due to crowded and improper quarters, improper drainage and the lack of shade about the enclosures. This has been remedied to the extent that ranch raised fur now excels the "wild" in quality and beauty. This testimony is verified by the fact that the sum of $3,800 was paid for the pelt of a single "ranch bred" silver fox; a sum that has never been realized for the pelt of a wild fox of like variety.

Cannibalism among the animals was another evil fur farmers had to contend with. This was traced to be due to the feeding of improper foods, and especially underfeeding.

Abortion must also be guarded against. During pregnancy strangers must be kept away from the ranch, because during this period females become very suspicious of them and are nervous and restless, often injuring themselves when thus excited. This trouble is most common among animals which were procured in the wilds. Each succeeding generation of ranch raised stock becomes more and more domesticated; consequently the keeper finds it much easier to win their confidence.

Practically all the failures in fur farming are due to the lack of experience of the people thus engaged; their failure to take the proper interest in the animals, so they may understand them and their requirements.

There are now numerous fur farms located throughout the northern part of the United States and Canada. These establishments propagate and improve the breed of fox, skunk, muskrat, raccoon, mink and opossum.

Fox ranching is the leading branch of this industry. There are many ranches which specialize in high grade foxes, such as black, silver, cross and red. Prince Edward Island is the center of this industry; the most valuable foxes in the world are ranched here, being the result of careful and selective breeding. John A. Lea, of Summerside, P. E. Island, is recognized as one of America's leading authorities on the question. He is a man of wide experience and knows the animals like a mother knows her flock. In his "Facts About Foxes" Mr. Lea says: