The next method is one of the best for use in deep water: Cut a dead pole about four inches in diameter and six or seven feet long. Flatten the pole at one end and loop the trap chain around the pole; then set the trap on the end of the pole and tie it to hold it in place. Now, cut an oblong hole in the ice and place the pole in the water in an inclined position so that the trap is about twelve inches below the ice. Pack wet snow around the pole to hold it in place, fasten two sticks of green poplar in the ice over the trap, one on either side. In attempting to cut the bait, the beaver will put his foot in the trap.

Always fasten your trap to a dead stick or pole, for if a green stake is used, the beavers are likely to carry it away, trap and all. Poplar and cottonwood make the best baits, but in case they cannot be obtained, use birch, willow, or black cherry.

When setting traps near the house, in open water, make as little noise as possible and do not remain in the vicinity longer than necessary.

When trapping in open water, never camp or make a fire near the pond where the beavers are located. In winter, after the ice has formed, it does not matter.

If you find a beaver house in winter when the snow is deep and wish to know if it is inhabited, examine the house, and if the snow is melted on the top, you may be sure there are beavers inside.

Another way to tell whether a house is in use is to cut a hole through the ice and shove down a piece of green poplar, filling the hole with snow. Examine it in about a week, and if the poplar has been cut, you may be sure you have found beavers.

The track of the beaver is seldom seen as they do not move about much in winter and on their trails their tracks are obliterated by the food which they drag into the water. The trapper does not look for tracks, but for more conspicuous signs, such as houses and dams with fresh cut wood.

Mink

This animal has a long, slender body, similar to that of a weasel, to which family it belongs. It inhabits the greater part of North America. The color of its fur varies considerably among individuals, but the general tint is a rich, dark brown. The chin and throat are light colored, sometimes white, sometimes extending down on the throat to a considerable distance. The total length of the animal is from thirteen to sixteen inches. The fur of the mink is excellent in quality.

The mink is an aquatic animal, inhabiting small rivers and streams, and living somewhat like the otter. It has a most wide range of diet, and will eat almost anything that is at all eatable. Fish, frogs, and muskrats are its special delight, and it will occasionally succeed in pouncing upon a snipe or wild duck, which it will greedily devour. Crawfish, snails, and water insects of all kinds are also in its diet, and it sometimes makes a visit to some neighboring poultry yard. A meal of its own offspring sometimes answers the same purpose. The veracity of this animal is its leading characteristic, and it will often run headlong into a naked trap.

The chief occupation of the mink consists in perpetual search for something to eat and, when so engaged, he may be seen running along the bank of the stream, peering into every nook and corner, and literally “leaving no stone unturned” in its eager search. Taking advantage of this habit, it becomes an easy matter to trap the greedy animal. Set your trap in an inch of water near the edge of the stream and directly in front of a steep bank or rock, on which you can place your bait. The bait may be a frog, fish, or head of a bird, suspended about eighteen inches above the water, and should be so situated that in order to reach it, the mink will be obliged to tread upon the trap. The trap may also be set in the water and the bait suspended eighteen inches above it, by the aid of a switch planted in the mud near the trap. It is a good plan to scent the bait with a little honey. If there is deep water near, the sliding pole should be used, and if not, the “spring pole” in order to prevent the captured mink from becoming a prey to larger animals, and also to guard against his escape by amputation, which he would otherwise almost certainly accomplish.

The trap may be set on the land, near the water’s edge, baiting as described, and lightly covered with leaves or dirt. Any arrangement of the trap whereby the animal is obliged to tread upon it in order to secure the bait will work.

The trap may also be set at the foot of a tree, and the bait fastened to the trunk, eighteen inches above it. A pen may be constructed and the trap and bait arranged there.

Minks have their regular beaten paths and often visit certain hollow logs in their runways. In these logs they leave unmistakable signs of their presence, and a trap set in such a place will often succeed.

The fur of the mink is in its best condition in the late autumn, winter, and early spring, and the animal should be skinned as you would the fox.

Weasel

The weasel is the smallest of all carnivorous animals. In this country alone, naturalists recognize some twenty species and sub-species, most of which are found in Canada and Alaska, also the Northern and Western states. Of these it is only the Northern varieties, those that become white in winter that is of importance to the trapper. The ermine of Europe is a species of weasel, and the American white weasel is sometimes called the ermine, its fur is used to imitate the fur of that animal.

The change of color in the fur of this animal is not understood by naturalists. It occurs only in the most Northern portions of its range and it is not known whether the animal really sheds its brown summer coat when the cold weather approaches or whether the fur bleaches, but it is certain that the change occurs in some way, the fur becoming white in the fall and changing to brown again in spring.

The smallest variety of the weasel is found in Northwestern Canada and Alaska, where the black tip of the tail so characteristic of the weasel is missing.

The weasel is one of the most blood-thirsty animals and is very courageous. It is a terror to rats, mice, rabbits, partridges, and poultry. It will kill for the love of slaughter, even when not hungry.

Curiosity is highly developed in the weasel. The weasel has a sharp eye and a keen nose, and for their size are very strong, often able to move a fair sized rabbit.

For trapping this animal the No. 1 ½ trap is recommended, and many trappers prefer a trap that is loosely hinged and springs easily. Any trap will hold a weasel but, when caught in the smaller sizes, they quite often double up about the jaws and when they die and freeze in that position it is difficult to remove them from the trap. As the animal is so very light in weight, it is necessary that the trap springs very easily.

One method of setting is to place the trap inside of a small enclosure with chunks of wood, bark, sticks, or whatever is most convenient. No covering is needed but when setting on the snow, make a bed of evergreen boughs for the trap to rest on. Rotten wood will answer just as well. Fasten the bait with a stick just back of the trap so that the weasel will be obliged to stand on the trap when attempting to remove the bait, for it should be remembered that they will never eat any food where they find it if able to move it away. Fasten the trap securely for some larger animal is likely to be caught. Do not place the traps far apart, where tracks are seen in fair numbers, and drag a fresh killed rabbit from set to set, splitting it open with a knife so as to leave a bloody trail. Any weasel that strikes the trail is sure to follow it.