Black Beaver, the Trapper

by James Campbell Lewis; George Edward Lewis

The following winter We raked up our old gang got together and went up to Snake River. here we began tramp trapping. Part of us advanced and the other party followed and took up our traps. this tramp trapping lasted nearly all winter we trapped the Snake river, Green river San Juan river the little Colorado and the Big Colorado up to Grand Canon. Then we followed up the river to Cataract creek and in trying to cross lost two rattling good pack-horses pack and all. We then were short of rations and struck out for the Red mountain country: hoping to get more chuck. In this dash we nearly all lost our lives by starvation: after many days we reached the town of Aubay Arizonia.

We then loaded our kit and took the Train for Los Angeles California and from there we went back to Denver Colorado. then up the Big Platte near the Lormic Mountains. We built a headquarters camp at The medicine bow and two offsets at Camp creek, near the Medicine Bow Reservation. Here we had the best systematized settings we had heretofore set. We had set a line of traps in a semicircle from camp to camp; And a stub line up each creek about four miles; then we set a high-line running in oposite directions. So you see we bagged everything that came through the country for several miles wide. Our traps served as does a wing-net catching on the sides and swinging everything into the center. An animal that smelled a trap would sheer off and nine times out of ten would go the way we wanted it, for we set our traps giving that peculiar specie the favorable road toward other traps which were set, and the scent so completely killed with compounds would usually get the game. We generaly cleaned out almost everything as we went allong. Now the highlines were for land animals, such as Coyotes, Wolves, Lion, marten and skunk.

The next autumn came and we were in fine spirits. We all came back to our old camps on the North Platte. The weather was lovely The cottonwood leaves were turning brown and in the height of my glory I roped out my favorite horse saddled up and started for the Lormie Mountains. I was hungry for deer, and plenty of them roamed in that vacinity. As I was riding allong the foot hills my horse suddenly shyed off as if scared; i gathered up in the saddle and peeked over some sage brush and behold there was Old Ephraim in the form of a monster silver tip. The old elephant arose on his feet as big as Goliah and roared out his challenge to me. I drew aim hastily and fired a five hundred grain ball through his chest. this was just an eye-opener for his class. My horse at the crack of the gun leaped and fled down the hill in spite of all my protest; you should have seen the horse put distance between us and the bear. I finally got the horse stopped I dismounted and hurried back to the scene. The bear had followed us quite a ways and was under a cottonwood licking his wound He did not see me till I fired so I had a good chance to pick my spot and I sent another ball one journey crashing through his shoulders; this brought him to the ground helpless; and I approached and finished up his hash.

There are four distinct species of Grizzlies. And are more or less sprinkled throughout The rocky mountains in Mexico, U.S. and British Columbia. The Silver tipp. Bald face, The great Grizzly and the Kodiak Grizzly. The silver tipp scarcely ever has more than one cub and lives on roots and grass, when he cannot get meat. The great Grizzley loves colts and sheep, they cannot get a deer for the reason that they smell so fowl that a deer can smell them too far. The bald face is much like a great Grizzley only smaller and more alert. The Kodiak Grizzly, lives further north than any of the rest and is at least as big and twice as agressive as the other kind. They inhabit the wilderness from B.C. To Gnome Alaska. All of these bear are bold and genuine bluffers. they never snoop. they depend upon their size and name to carry them through. seldom do hunters kill them untill they have emptied tha last load.

I then went back to my horse—or; to where I left him; but he had given me the French leave—I had tied him;—as Cow-punchers say—"To the ground." And he had taken advantage of his liberty, and ran into camp ten miles away. I had on high heel boots; and they walk bad—considerable worse than they look,—so the road was a long one.

After while we broke camp and went up the medicine bow river; to the North Platte; and here set our traps. Now we have what we call the low-lines—and the high-lines. The lowlines we set on low wet soil for water animals. To give you an idea how much work is implied in setting such a mass of traps as we carried I will describe a bout how far apart we had learned to set traps. Where rat are thick one hundred might be set in a single mile. Where mink are thick not over sixteen should be set per mile. Where coon are thick about twenty per mile. Where beaver are thick about forty per mile and where otter are thick about ten traps per mile. The Muskrat—is the most interesting of all animals that live in water. The beaver Black, Blue, Brown, White, Gray not excepted.

The Rat lives on flags and water mussels. He never kills small ducks as has been stated by some folks who never saw one. The Rat builds his house out of rushes from five to six feet broad sometimes much broader, and about three feet high. About a dozen rats live in a house. Their bed is from two six inches from the surface. They have feeding rooms in the house, and feed on the walls of the rooms, eventually eating the house up which is often the case in cold climates. They also have a bank hole in addition to the house hole. When frightened they go to the bank hole. They also have air holes covered very cunningly two or three inches deep on the way to the bank and water. These air-holes are overlaid loosely with flags and other light materials.

In this we began to be very successful trappers. Lewis and Clarke were successful because first we spared no labor nor hardships; to set traps or find a favorable location; secondly because we bought the best guns and traps in the U.S. Thirdly because we put our money and time all back in the business; and fourthly because we had had the best kind of training in all kinds of common furs. I had been well educated for my profession. My teachers were such men as Frank Johnson who was the best bear trapper in the country. Charley Mackintosh the noted beaver trapper of the States. William S. Walker who no doubt was the best trapper in any country. he specialized on Bear, Lynx, Marten and Mountain Lion. Henry Grey was a specialist on Marten he taught me the art of taking that shy game. And this Same Henry Grey was great a mixer of Compounds; Joe Whitecup schooled me in Mink except his bait. Shopnegon taught me the crafts of Camping and sleeping without catching cold, how to travel without a compass by the stars; and when it was dark and cloudy how to keep from circling around. he taught me how to skin all kinds of game, and how to make sinew for thred, and awls to sew with and explained roots for indigestion; and leaves for constipation. Long Knife taught me how to trap skunks, and weasels, and above all he put me next to rat so I never need ask any other man the nature of that animal. Chief Broken Bow taught me to walk, shoot, and run, how to exercise and how to get allong with Indians. How to know when I was in danger, and above all how to keep cool which is the greatest lesson any man or indian ever learned, either in the woods, on the plains, over the sea; or in the busy cities. This lesson has saved my life scores of times. I have often wished that Chief Broken-Bow could have had some successor to continue this teaching, for all the world suffers and even those who have been to school and college come forth polished as a lizzard—but the first wave of unexpected excitement, or adverse passion completely distroys them.

I have used the word compound; And I know of no better place to explain myself than in this chapter. Compounds are scents of various kinds. Or more commonly known as Baits. It is used to kill the scent of your traps, and to offset human scent. Baits are more profitably used to draw animals to traps than they are to kill the scent of the traps. Good Baits always serve the double purpose. While the trap without bait, arouses the animal's suspicion and makes it cautious, The trap with the bait arouses the animal's passion and draws it to the trap. Certain odors causes the male to think that a female has frequented the place, and he gets careless and is caught. This is also true with females, and is true with all species.

Animals like human beings like to appear well. They will instinctively follow certain trails, go certain places at certain times; and the trapper who learns what is appealing to an animal is sure of success. The old trappers had to manufacture their own compounds.