Old School Muskrat Trapping

My friend Jeremiah Wood over at Trapping Today posted a link to this book, which I found informative and entertaining, so I thought I'd pass it along.  The Accomplished Muskrat Trapper was written in 1922 by A.E. Schmidt and is now freely available from Project Gutenberg because the copyright has expired.  I love these old trapping books.  They are still very informative and the writing style is intriguing.  This one is like a snapshot of trapping history with the literary flare of another age.

For example, the introductory sentence:

 In placing this booklet before the great fraternity of American trappers, the author does not propose to exercise any pedagogical influence upon the truly professional trapper, who, seasoned in the hard school of experience, knows the animals he is seeking, like a mother knows her child. It is his wish, however, to assist and guide the amateur to a greater success.

Enjoy this little slice of trapping history!

      

A Pocket Guide to Animal Tracks

Identifying animal tracks is an important skill for the trapper, and a handy guide like this can be a big help if you are new to trapping.  This particular guide comes from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Wildlife.  You can print it out and stick it in your pack-basket for future reference.

A larger version can be found here.