Trapper ( eng. Trap " trap ") is a hunter for fur animals in North America .
Hunting fur animals was especially developed in North America from the beginning of its development by Europeans until the XIX century, since fur was one of the main objects of trade and export [1] .
Trapper equipment usually included: a leather jacket, fabric trousers, fur moccasins, a hat or a winter cloak. Knives, an ax, gunpowder and lead hung on a belt over his left shoulder. Typical hunting rifles were the Hawken brothers Jacob and Semuel Hockens from St. Louis . Trapper language included various English, French, Spanish and Native American borrowings.
Although hunting for fur animals is considered a profession, for almost none of the trappers this was the only source of income. This is due to the seasonality of hunting, the competition of cheaper fur of domestic animals and the rarity of animals with valuable fur. Many species of animals were almost completely exterminated, which is why hunting for them is strictly prohibited today. This is especially true for predatory animals, such as the common and red lynx , whose population has declined so much that the natural balance of predators and game has been disrupted.
Animal welfare societies oppose such hunting, especially with the use of traps .
Trapper game
- Marten
- Mink
- Muskrat
- Beaver
- Pinnipeds
The Trapper's Image in Art
Literature
- Detailed descriptions of the life and life of trappers are found in Lewis Garrard [en] (1847) and George Frederick Raxton [en] (1849). Trappers were an extremely popular character in 19th-century American literature , for example, in the Penthouse “Leather Stocking” ( James Leatherstocking Tales ) by James Fenimore Cooper about the adventures of Nathaniel Bampo . Also found by Karl May : Old Firehand , Sam Hawkens , “Bärjäger” Martin Baumann in “Der Sohn des Bärenjägers” [de] .
- The main character of the novel The wealth of Valentin Pikul is a trapper.
Cinema
- Across the wide missouri
- Last hunters
- Survivor
- en: Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans
- Big trail
See also
- Mountainmen
- Fur trade
Notes
- ↑ Davis, 1996 , p. 21-22.
Literature
- Dietmar Kuegler. In der Wildnis die Freiheit: Trapper, Mountain Men, Pelzhändler der amerikanische Pelzhandel. - Verlag für Amerikanistik, 1989 .-- P. 239. - ISBN 9783924696337 . - ISBN 3924696330 .
- Heinrich Pleticha. Lexikon der Abenteuer- und Reiseliteratur: von Afrika bis Winnetou. - Stuttgart: Ed. Erdmann, 2003 .-- P. 383. - ISBN 9783522600026 . - ISBN 3522600029 .
- William C. Davis, Joseph G. Rosa, Ilkka Äärelä. Villi länsi: Lewisistä ja Clarkesta Wounded Kneehin; kuohuva tarina amerikan rajaseutujen asuttamisesta. - Stuttgart: WSOY, 1996 .-- 176 p. - ISBN 9789510206362 . - ISBN 9510206369 .