Trapper

Every winter, for fifty years, my grandfather, Harry Smith, Sr. set a trap line that stretched several miles around Laurel Lake in Tyler Hill, PA. He used exterminating traps (Conibear for muskrats), but sometimes deadfalls, "like the indians used." There are several different kinds of deadfalls; my grandfather used heavy, flat rocks stacked on top of each other, supported by three pieces of wood in the shape of the number 4. The wood has appropriate notches (see diagram). The heart of the trap is a triggering mechanism; the horizontal bar of the '4' holds the bait. When the bait is touched, the pieces of wood separate and the animal is mangled by the falling rocks. Once, two raccoons apparently went for the bait at the same instant, because one raccoon's hind legs stuck out from the right side of the fallen rocks and the second one's on the left side.

I wondered when deadfalls were first used? I suspected they pre-dated North American Indians. However, I had never seen an article about them in any magazine. To my surprise, deadfalls were barely mentioned in two encylopedias; furthermore, there was only scant information (and no diagrams) under "snares & traps" on the Internet. This aroused my curiosity to dig deeper. So, I went to my town's library. I found a book Animal Traps and Trapping, by James Bateman, David & Charles: Newton Abbot, 1971. My suspicion was confirmed, because deadfalls were probably used by hunters and gatherers of small game during the Neolithic Age.

Even in hard winters, my grandfather caught muskrats on the bank of the lake. He had a system to pinpoint where they were, namely, in the fall, he would watch them as he fished the lake on a boat, then in winter, he set his traps where he remembered seeing them. Ermine were scarce and mink even scarcer, but they always provided a thrill, because of their value. He always had an uncanny sense where animals could be found. He could tell an animal by its tracks.

I never knew what meat we were going to have for dinner-it might be bear, venison, raccoon, grey squirrel, or rabbit. Some of this game my grandfather trapped or shot, while others were given to our family, because my grandmother used to rent out rooms to hunters.

Once, I went with him to trap a "wildcat." My grandfather found a fallen log in some thick brush; he chopped out a section of the top of the log with an axe. Wearing gloves, he placed a spring trap in the groove he had carved. Then, he tied a whole dead chicken to the trap with wire. Finally, he surrounded the log with brush, so there was only one way in to get the bait and the trap was in front. Several days went by and nothing disturbed the trap. Then, on the third day, as we approached the log, there was a frantic scrambling noise. I thought we had a bobcat and was surprised to see a large gray fox-the only one I have ever seen. My grandfather put the animal out of his misery with a 22 pistol he carried. He used to carry a 410 single shot pistol, but once he slipped on rocks while crossing a stream; the gun slipped out of his holster, the butt struck a rock and the gun discharged blowing the brim of his cap off. After this incident, he changed to a 22.

He used the cased method to skin animals. He scraped the fat off, then stretched the hides on wooden frames and left them in a shed to dry. I remember seeing a large ominous looking bear trap with jagged teeth hanging in this shed. I never saw a bear trapped, although once a few miles north of his house I saw a mother black bear and three cubs crossing the road.

Harry Jr., my uncle, also became an excellent trapper and taxidermist, because of my grandfather. He was particularly adept at catching red foxes alive, which is no easy feat, because of their keen sense of smell. He kept five of them in a big pen outside his house, until some presumed animal rights activist came by and released them.

Once, my grandfather accidentally caught a crane near a stream; he felt very bad about this. The elegant bird with the magnificent neck was mounted and nobally guarded the front door of his house for many years.