As told to me by my 91-year-old mother:
I ran traps every day except during bad weather. I caught animals for their furs. I caught mostly muskrats, but I also caught one raccoon and one skunk. One day, a raccoon got caught in a trap by just one of its toes. I sic’ed Pup on the raccoon but its toe broke loose and it bristled to fight. The fight lasted a long time and Pup got tired. It was dangerous to let Pup stop so I said, “sic ‘em” again. After about half an hour the dog finally beat and killed the raccoon. Our cousin, Curt Crick, who was an annual raccoon hunter said, “It takes a mighty good dog to whip a coon.”
Once I had a skunk in the trap. Fortunately it was in the dead of winter and the skunk had frozen to death. Skunks don’t put up much of a fight once they are captured. But I was still concerned that I would pick up too much of the skunk’s scent by carrying it home. I found a heavy forked limb I thought would be strong enough to hold the skunk. I hoisted the heavy limb over my shoulder with the skunk hanging behind me. Before I made it back to the house I wearied of the heavy load and put the limb down. I then put both gloves on the same hand and held the skunk away from me as I carried it the rest of the way home. I managed to escape picking up the scent, except on my clothing. Why go to such trouble? Skunks brought in a good price for their furs.
One time I caught a live muskrat in the trap. Preferring not to shoot it, I clubbed it over the head to kill it. Then I carried it home and put it in the brooder house where Mom raised baby chicks. It was wintertime so the brooder house was empty. My brother Richard offered to take the muskrat to Colfax to the man who purchased and skinned the animals, so I went out to get it for him. When I opened the brooder house door the muskrat was sitting up looking at me so I had to kill him all over again.
Excerpt from Twins! Paul & Pauline, their first 90 years © 2008 by Janice Green
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