"About two feet above the trap, a stick, three or four inches in length, was stuck in the bank. In the upper end of this, the trapper excavated a small hole with his knife, into which he dropped a small quantity of the essence, or perfume, used to attract the beaver to the spot. This stick was attached by a string of horse hair to the trap, and with it was pulled into the water by the beaver. The reason for this was, that it might not remain after the trap was sprung, and attract the other beavers to the spot , and thus prevent their going to where there was another trap set for them." -- Mode of Beaver Trapping , Isaac Williams. ( Original Contributions to the American Pioneer , Samuel P. Hildreth).
I had wanted to keep this blog at the early western 19th century, but this was too good to pass up. This is one of Nathan Kobucks area of study, and he posted it recently first on his blog ,The Buffalo Trace. What is mentioned here is one of those lost pieces of art in trapping. I was glad to see this and began to search for more about Isaac Williams.
The whole chapter in this book is a must read, but the thing that stands out is the horse hair string. It would seem like this is used as something a beaver wouldn't chew on , however it is mentioned a little further in the book:
"The trap was connected by a chain of iron, six feet in length, to a stout line made of the bark of the leatherwood, twisted into a neat cord, of fifteen or twenty feet. These were usually fabricated at home or at their camps; cords of hemp or flax were scarce in the days of beaver hunting."
If hemp or flax cord was scarce, maybe this is a reason for using the horse hair? or the chewing both? I think if we had the opportunity to trap as often as these guys did some of these little details would make a lot of sense. The many things that show up in this chapter on Isaac Williams are real interesting. The leatherwood "stout line", and the reason it is being used here, either because there was nothing else and it was strong enough, or the chewing?
Another interesting thing to note is that most often there is a lot of preparation before a beaver hunt. As in the quote, "usually fabricated at home or camp" , getting ready for a hunt reveals skills that we could consider learning. You can see this in the western fur trade as well , trappers would spend time cutting drowning poles , making bait bottles, working over traps, and basically being ready to hit a beaver hole hard and fast , the name of the game is get in there and get them all before they scatter. So preparation is a smart thing, not just convenient.
Here is more of the chapter on Isaac Williams:
Biographical Sketch
of Isaac Williams-------Mode of beaver
trapping
….. The untrodden wilderness was to him full of charms, and
before the close of the revolutionary war he had hunted over all parts of the
valley of Ohio, sometimes with a companion, but oftener alone. From his sedate
manners, and quiet habits, the trapping of the beaver was his most favorite
pursuit. This was a great art amongst the early pioneers and hunters of the
west, and he who was the most successful and adroit in this mystery, was
accounted a fortunate man; it was many times quite lucrative, the proceeds of a
few months hunt often realizing three or four hundred dollars to the trapper.
Mr. Williams stood high in this branch of the hunter’s occupations; and few men
could entrap more beavers than himself. To be a successful trapper required
great caution as well as a perfect knowledge of the habits of the animal. The
residence of the beaver was often discovered by seeing bits of green wood,
gnawed branches of the bass-wood, slippery elm, and sycamore, their favorite
food, floating on the water, or lodged on the shores of the stream below, as
well as by their tracks or foot marks. They were also discovered by their dams,
thrown across creeks and small sluggish streams, forming a pond in which were
erected their habitations. The hunter, as he proceeded to set his traps, generally
approached by water in his canoe. He selected a steep, abrupt spot in the bank
of the creek, in which a hole was excavated with his paddle, as he sat in the
canoe, sufficiently large enough to hold the trap, and so deep as to be about
three or four inches below the surface of the water, when the jaws of the trap
were expanded. About two feet above the trap, a stick, three or four inches in
length, was stuck in the bank. In the upper end of this, the trapper excavated
a small hole with his knife, into which he dropped a small quantity of the
essence, or perfume, used to attract the beaver to the spot. This stick was
attached by a string of horse hair to the trap, and with it was pulled into the
water by the beaver. The reason for this was, that it might not remain after
the trap was sprung, and attract the other beavers to the spot , and thus
prevent their going to where there was another trap set for them. The scent, or
essence, was made by mingling the fresh castor of the beaver, with an extract
of the bark of the roots of the spice-bush, and kept in a bottle for use. The
making of this essence was held a profound secret, and often sold for a
considerable sum to the younger trappers, by the older proficient in the
mystery of beaver hunting. Where they had no proper bait, they sometimes made
use of the fresh roots of sassafras, or spice bush; of both these the beaver
was very fond. It is said by old trappers that they will smell the well
prepared essence the distance of a mile. Their sense of smell is very acute, or
they would not so readily detect the vicinity of man by the smell of his trail.
The aroma of the essence having attracted the animal into the vicinity of the
trap, in his attempt to reach it, he has to climb up on to the bank where it is
sticking. This effort leads him directly over the trap, and he is usually taken
by one of the fore legs. The trap was connected by a chain of iron, six feet in
length, to a stout line made of the bark of the leatherwood, twisted into a
neat cord, of fifteen or twenty feet. These were usually fabricated at home or
at their camps; cords of hemp or flax were scarce in the days of beaver
hunting. The end of the line was secured to a stake drove into the bed of the
creek underwater. In his struggles to escape , the beaver was usually drowned
before the arrival of the trapper. Sometimes however, he freed himself by
gnawing off his own leg, though this was rarely the case. If there was a
prospect of rain, or it was raining at the time of setting the trap, a leaf ,
generally of sycamore, was placed over the essence stick to protect it from the
rain. The beaver being a very sagacious and cautious animal, it required great
care in the trapper, in his approach to it’s haunts to set his traps, that no
scent of his feet or hands was left on the earth, or bushes that he touched.
For this reason he generally approached in a canoe. If he had no canoe, it was
necessary to enter the stream thirty or forty yards below, and walk into the
water to the place, taking care to return in the same manner, or the beaver
would take alarm and not come near the bait, as his fear of the vicinity of man
was greater than his sense of appetite for the essence. It also required
caution in kindling a fire near their haunts, as the smell of smoke alarmed
them. The firing of a gun, also often marred the sport of the trapper. Thus it
will be seen that to make a successful beaver hunter, required more qualities,
or natural gifts, than fall to the share of most men. Mr. Williams was
eminently qualified for the calling of a hunter, both by disposition and by
practice. He was a close observer of nature; taciturn in his manners, and slow
and cautious in his movements; never in a hurry or flurried by an unexpected
occurrence. In many respects he was an exact portrait of Cooper’s “Beau Ideal”
of a master hunter, so finely portrayed in the “pioneer” and other back woods
legends.
