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TRAPPING IN THE NORTH WOODS Eow a Man lives Works and Finds Profit at a Lonely Trade In the last six months writes a correspondent to HunterTrapperTrader I have had a most en ¬ joyable time among the tall timbers of the wild woods I did not get properly started on the trap ¬ ping ground until the end of November For in November I had a young man as a partner who thought he could better himself at the end of that month So Decemlicr 1 I found myself alone in my hunting ground I had three camps eight miles apart and well equipped with traps blankets and cooking outfits So I just went at the game in the old way Setting out for mink along the creek and for marten and fisher on the high flats and ridges putting fox sets on the shoals and Inlets on the lakes and looking for beaver in the many ponds on route Two of my camps are well built of logs and warm and snug but the other one is just a leanto of jioles up against a large rock and it re ¬ quires a hot fire at all times iu order to keep warm The country for about six miles to the north of my headquarters camp has all been burnt over some years ago and contains eight small lakes having IwaviT in them and there are also some good otter working between them Then going farther I strike the green woods of heavy pine spruce and poplar Th ground is rough ridge after ridge and deep valleys lying between with some good creeks in them My third camp is on Blind Mans Creek which is a large deep creek running east and west connecting a chain of small lakes Then I go on north to a large lake Deception Lake some twelve miles long full of deep bays and islands islandsTIMBER TIMBER WOLVES CROSSING CROSSINGTliis Tliis lake is a good place for timber Avolves as they have a runway crossing it to the north of Deception Lake and bearing east I followed a chain of small lakes to the Sturgeon River where my third camp is built on the shore of a wide creek on the bank of which I have found quite a clearing in the forest and on examination find it is all beaver work Many trees cut down are two feet in diameter I have put in a nice quiet winter not doing as well as I should have liked to but paying expenses and having a jolly good time of it Of course it is somewhat lonely it times in the camps in long winter nights but when alone Id much rather make camp in the woods just wherever I happened to be when night comes I did this sev ¬ eral winters it is the true way to do the business Id look out a spot about one and onehalf hours before dark where I could get enough dry wood and green brush to make a snug camp there dig out a camp sight with one of my snow shoes throw ¬ ing the snow well back next made a wind brake with four or five green spruce tops Now enough nice groen brush to make a snug l ed Id stick up six poles over the back of the wind brake their UPIHT ends leaning towards the fire over which to throw the canvas wrapper of my toboggan making a M rt of leanto roof to draw the heat in Then I get my light axe and start cutting Avood Id drop three or four dry jack pices and cut them into eight foot logs then some smaller wood dry brush and birch bark Cut a water hole in a nearby creek and make a pot pole and a long poker and be already for darkness I never find it lonely in an open camp like this The fire will soon roar and give out a great heat heatThen Then there is supper to get The bannock to be baked In the frying pan before the fire The moose meat cut up and boiled with a few pieces of bacon and water for the tea in another pail Then after supi er the good comfortable smoke lighting your pipe with a hot brand from the fire Next comes the work of drying moccasins and duffles and putting them in the sleeping bed as soon as they are dry and dressing the feet in a spare set of socks and moccasins to sleep in When all is done I empty the water and tea out of the kettles so that the frost will not burst them and sit be ¬ fore the fire pipe in mouth and skin and stretch fur and make myself comfortable When all is done there arc so many things within sight and sound to keep me from being lonely Lying back on my sleeping bag with my feet towards the fire I look up and see the tall spruces and pines around me standing up grand and somber then overhead the sky one mass of stars the little dipper and big dipper they are all there twinkling at me then the many colored shafts of the glorious northern lights crossing the sky wave after wave All the noises of the night seem to have their proper places iii this camp life I will often hear tho crashing of tiie brush and snapping of twigs as some heavy animal comes along the crackling of the fire the wind among the trees the howl of the timber wolf they all seem to blend into one beautiful whole wholeASLEEP ASLEEP IN THE FIRES GLOW GLOWThen Then pile on three or four logs a few spoken prayers then slide into the sleeping bag and draw the flap over the face and it is time to get up before a fellow knows where he is Ah heni it makes a man sometimes envy the hunters of the sunny south as you try to draw down the flap of the sleeping bag and find your whiskers frozen to your pillow Then after the fire is good and hot you find the ice too thick in the water hole to chop out so you content yourself with melting snow to get enough water to make coffee with Then the bannock made only last night and lying near the big fire is frozen as hard as stone But we get i used to everything in this world So the good nights camp is left at last and the trapper starts out on his rounds again Yes this is the life I love the woods and have lived in them for the last twenty years I often think Id like Jo go to the city but I was in a city once and three days was my limit I couldnt stand it any longer I had to hike for the woods I am hoping to make a good rat hunt as soon as we get open water but all our streams are still in the grasp of the Ice King
