If the ice has formed when the water was above its usual level, there will be an air space between the water and the ice. In such a case, cut a hole through the ice at the edge of the water, placing a piece of beaver castor on a stick behind the trap. The hole may be closed by covering with a block of ice.

When the otter has been working on a lake for some time, you will find it coming out at the spring holes, which are found on nearly all lakes. In such places the water is always shallow, and a trap may be set on the bottom directly under the hole. Great care must be used however, for if the otter is not caught the first time it comes out, as they will be frightened away.

Otters often land on the logs which project into the water. When you can find such a log, cut a notch for a trap, so that it will set about two inches deep, and place some mud in the notch so as to hide the fresh cutting. Some very successful trappers set their traps in this way, and place some good scent on the log above the trap.

If you can find an otter slide, find the place where the animal lands on the bank to visit the slide and set the trap under about two inches of water. The trap should be set at the foot of the slide, so as to catch the animal by the breast or body.

Otters often travel in pairs, and it is usually advisable to set two or three traps on one stream.

Do not make your camp near the stream, and do not travel along the stream more than necessary. In looking at the traps, do not go too close, unless the traps need your attention.

There is no way in which the sea otter can be trapped and they are hunted only with rifles. The methods employed in hunting them have been very successful and as a consequence the animal has been practically exterminated.

The track of the otter is peculiar, owing to their strange mode of travel. Their method of travel is a series of plunging slides and in the snow they make a deep furrow, their footprints being from four to eight feet apart, according to the “sliding conditions.” When two or more are traveling in company, they will usually all run in the same trail. Their tracks are as a rule, only seen on lakes and streams, but occasionally they will go overland from one stream to another. The footprints will measure about one and one-half or one and three-fourths inches in length and about the same in width.

Wolverine

Perhaps the rarest of all the fur bearing animals, as well as the least known, is the wolverine. This animal belongs to the marten family and is the largest, strongest, and most cunning of the genus. In fact, it’s claimed to be the most cunning and wary of all the furbearing animals, and among the trappers has an unenviable reputation.

It is strictly a Northern animal and is found scattered over the greater portion of Canada and Alaska, ranging Southward into the most Northern portion of the United States. In the Rocky mountain region it is found as far south as Wyoming. They are not plentiful anywhere and are probably found in the greatest numbers in the Alaskan interior, Yukon, Mackenzie, and Northern British Columbia.

While the wolverine is classed among the martens, it appears to be the connecting link between martens and bears for it is stoutly built and very bear-like in general appearance, walking on the soles of its feet. An average specimen will measure about thirty inches from the end of the nose to the base of the tail. The tail is about ten inches in length, exclusive of the long hair and is very stumpy and bushy. The fur is long and flowing and is fairly fine. The general color is a dull brown with black legs and feet and a black patch about the eyes. A spot or stripe of lighter color sweeps along the sides. The teeth are large and strong and the curved claws are white, contrasting sharply with the black fur of the feet and legs.

The wolverine makes its home in a burrow. Naturalists disagree as to the number of young and the time of birth. Some claim that the young animals are born in May, while some put the time as late as December. As the other members of the marten family give birth to their young in April and May, it is safe to assume that the young of the wolverine are born about the same time, and that the number would be from three to five in a litter.

The animal is a great traveler, straying sometimes thirty miles in each direction from its home. It is not a rapid traveler, however, and it is claimed that a man can easily outrun it.

The wolverine is also known under other fancy names, the most common of which is “carcajou.” In Europe it is called the “glutton” from its supposed voracious appetite. Among the Indians of the Northwest it is known as the “mountain devil,” and in British Columbia is sometimes called the “skunk bear.”

The animal really does bear some resemblance to the skunk in its appearance and actions, the most noticeable of which is its habits of raising its tail when disturbed or when it stops to listen to noise. Sometimes it will stand on its hind legs in order to get a better view of some object that has aroused its interest.

The wolverine is not as active as the other members of the genus, but its strength and cunning fully compensate for all that it lacks in activity. It can seldom capture enough game to satisfy its hunger; therefore it seeks out and robs the catches of other animals, also robbing the traps of their bait and the captured animals. For this reason the animal is despised and dreaded by the trapper. Once one has found the trap line it will follow the trail to the end, destroying the sets and eating the baits and catch. What it cannot eat, it will carry away and conceal presumably for a future meal. It will also sometimes enter the trapper’s cabin and destroy or defile all that it cannot eat.

Many strange stories are told of the animal’s cunning and evil ways. While some of these tales are no doubt true, it’s safe to say that the majority have no foundation whatever. There is no doubt that the wolverine is exceedingly wary and that it is a great mischief maker.

Not being plentiful in any one locality the animals are seldom trapped and what few are caught are taken when they are visiting camps or while robbing the traps of the bait and catch. Trapping them at all times is difficult work, owing to the natural wariness of the animal. That the trap must be well concealed and that the animal must be taken when off its guard goes without saying. The No. 4 trap should be used and only those which have strong springs, as the wolverine possesses great strength.

These animals are not sought by the trapper and he may consider himself lucky if there are none of them on his trapping ground. When they are found, the trapper’s aim is to get rid of them and the most certain way appears to be by means of poison.

Muskrat

The muskrat is a small herbivorous animal of the amphibious class. Its head and body are from thirteen to fifteen inches in length. The tail is nine or ten inches, two edged, and for two-thirds its length is rudder shaped and covered with scales and thin, short hair. The front feet are small, the hind feet, large and slightly webbed, making the animal an expert swimmer. The color of the fur is brown above and ashy beneath.

The muskrat is a nocturnal animal, but is sometimes seen in the daytime. Their food consists of grass and roots, fruit, grains, and vegetables. They will also eat clams, sometimes, when food is scarce. They thrive best in sluggish streams and ponds, bordered with grass. Their houses are dome shaped and rise sometimes to a height of five feet from the water. The entrances are at the bottom, under water, so that the inside of the house is not exposed to the open air. From six to ten muskrats are sometimes found in one house.