Open skins, if they have not been skinned clean, are more readily fleshed after they are stretched.

A good supply of stretching boards of various sizes should be made in advance of the trapping season. Soft pine, poplar, basswood, or cedar boards are best. They should be free of knots and should be planed smooth so that the furs may be removed easily after they are dry.

For mink the boards should be from 26 to 34 inches in length and from 3 ½ to 4 ½ inches wide at the widest part, and about ½ inch narrower at the shoulders from which point it should taper to the head and end with a rounded point. For marten, the boards should be a trifle wider.

For the average fox or fisher, the board should be 4 feet long, about 5 ¼ inches wide at the shoulder and 6 ½ at the base.

For the otter the board should be about ½ inch wider and a foot longer.

The average lynx will require a board about 7 ½ inches wide at the shoulder and 9 and 1 ½ inches at the base, by about 5 feet in length.

For large muskrats the board should be two feet long by 6 inches wide at the base, ¾ inches narrower at the shoulder and with a flat iron shaped head, but more rounded at the nose.

SKIN ON STRETCHER.

One should have several smaller sizes also. For skunk and opossum the boards should be about 6 inches wide at the shoulder and 7 ¼ inches at the base, 28 inches long. These dimensions are for the average animals, but it should be remembered that the sizes vary greatly. In the case of the skunk and the mink especially, there is a great difference in size.

All boards should be beveled on the sides, leaving the edges thin, round and smooth.

The skins should be stretched as soon as they are fleshed.

The proper way to stretch open skins is by lacing them with twine in a hoop or frame.

The beaver should be stretched round, and a hoop is most convenient. Fasten the skin in the hoop at four points and then with a large sacking needle and strong twine stretch out one quarter at a time. Use a separate twine for each quarter, sewing thru the edge of the skin and around the hoop, tying the end with a loose knot. If any part is stretched too much or not enough, it is a simple matter to untie the string and give it a little slack or take up a little.

The raccoon should be stretched nearly square and all other skins to their natural shape. A square frame is most convenient, and the method employed is the same as for beavers. Open skins which have not been fleshed, should have all of the flesh peeled off after they are stretched though it will often be necessary to re-stretch them. But this is not difficult. All furs should be dried or cured in a cool, airy place. They should never be allowed near the heat of the fire as they dry rapidly and become brittle. In camp they may be dried in some corner, removed from the fire but they are likely to take on a dirty yellow color from the smoke, and it is better to have a shelter for them on the outside.

Furs should not be allowed to remain a long time on the boards. As soon as they are sufficiently dry to prevent shrinking or wrinkling they should be removed. The lynx and all varieties of foxes should be turned with the fur side out as soon as they become dry enough. If the skin has become too dry to turn, it may be dampened slightly on the stiffer parts. A very little time will suffice. Be certain to allow the skin to dry out thoroughly after turning. It is best to watch the skins closely and not allow them to become too dry before turning.

Some trappers turn the skins of other animals, but not counting the above exceptions, it is better to leave the fur side in.

When shipping the pelts they should be packed flat and bound tightly. Those having the fur side out should be kept separate from the others so that the fur will not become greasy.

READING TRAIL AND TRACKS

TRAILING—INDIAN SAGACITY BY RANDOLPH MARCY

I know of nothing in the woodman’s education of so much importance, or so difficult to acquire, as the art of trailing or tracking men and animals. To become adept at this art requires the constant practice of years, and with some men a lifetime does not suffice to learn it.

Almost all the Indians whom I have met with are proficient in this species of knowledge, the faculty for acquiring which appears to be innate with them. Exigencies of woodland and prairie-life stimulate him from childhood to develop faculties so important in the arts of war and of the chase.

This difficult branch of woodcraft cannot be taught from books, it is almost always a matter of practice, yet I will give some facts relating to the habits of thinking of the Indian I have known that may facilitate its acquirement.

An Indian, on coming to a trail, can generally tell at a glance its age, by what particular tribe it was made, the number of the party, and many other things connected with it astounding to the uninitiated.

I remember, upon one occasion, as I was riding with a Delaware upon the prairies, we crossed the trail of a large party of Indians traveling with lodges. The tracks appeared to me quite fresh, and I remarked to the Indian that we must be near the party. “Oh no,” said he, “the trail was made two days before, in the morning,” at the same time pointing with his finger to where the sun would be at about 8 o’clock. Then, seeing that my curiosity was excited to know by what means he arrived at this conclusion, he called my attention to the fact that there had been no dew for the last two nights, but that on the previous morning it had been heavy. He then pointed out to me some spears of grass that had been pressed down into the earth by the horses’ hoofs, upon which the sand still adhered, having dried on, thus clearly showing that the grass was wet when the tracks were made.

At another time, as I was traveling with the same Indian, I discovered upon the ground what I took to be a bear-track, with a distinctly-marked impression of the heel and all the toes. I immediately called the Indian’s attention to it, at the same time flattering myself that I had made quite an important discovery, which had escaped his observation. The fellow remarked with a smile, “Oh no, captain.” He then pointed with his gun-rod to some spears of grass that grew near the impression, but I did not comprehend the mystery until he dismounted and explained to me that, when the wind was blowing, the spears of grass would be bent over toward the ground, and the oscillating motion thereby produced would scoop out the loose sand into the shape I have described. The truth of this explanation was apparent, yet it occurred to me that its solution would have baffled the wits of most white men.

Fresh tracks generally show moisture where the earth has been turned up, but after a short exposure to the sun they become dry. If the tracks be very recent, the sand may sometimes, where it is very loose and dry, be seen running back into the tracks, and by following them to a place where they cross water, the earth will be wet for some distance after they leave it. The droppings of the dung from animals are also good indications of the age of a trail. It is well to remember whether there have been any rains within a few days, as the age of a trail may sometimes be conjectured in this way. It is very easy to tell whether tracks have been made before or after a rain, as the water washes off all the sharp edges.