Page 152 - The Lost Ways

Why Our Forefathers Trapped

Personally, I was trapping for the money. Growing up in a small town, it was a good way
to make money during the winter months when things really slowed down in the summer
job areas. Our forefathers, on the other hand, trapped for a variety of reasons, some of
which may surprise you.

Yes, of course, there was the fur trade, so they obviously trapped for the money. As a
matter of fact, many men who went bust in various gold or land rushes went on to make
their fortunes in the fur trade.

One such man was John Jacob Astor. A German-born immigrant, he got his big break in
the fur trade and went on to become a multimillionaire, a vast New York real estate
owner, and a legendary patron of the arts.

The majority of our forefathers trapped for the money. However, many who traded in
furs also used them as clothing for themselves and their families. They would quite
typically feed the carcasses to their dogs, and a normal homestead had several. They
would also use small, chopped pieces of the carcasses to drop in the seed hole along with
their corn plantings. The pieces would decompose and provide nutrients for the corn
stalks.

What we have to realize is that our forefathers trapped, hunted, farmed, and fished to
stay alive. In most cases, they used every part of the animal or plant in ways that we have
all but lost today. As an example, they would use the corn silk that we throw away today
for at least five different natural remedies, including kidney stones and edema.

In truth, I wish we would go back to a lot of that and get away from all these drugs that
are being pushed today.

The Best Places to Trap for Beaver and Muskrat

Beaver and muskrats’ habitats range from Florida to Canada with the real exceptions
being any of the arid states, such as Arizona, New Mexico, and others. There have been a
few dens found along the U.S. border with Mexico but definitely not in any appreciable
quantities.

Most beavers weigh between 26 and 90 pounds with only a few making it to the 100-
pound mark, according to fishwildlife.org. Muskrats usually weigh 1.3 to 4.4 pounds but
are typically much more abundant, says fishwildlife.org.

151