An unusual item out of my neighborhood

[fernando]

I'm done !
You guys took less time to figure out what this is than myself, while this model is used 55 miles away from my hometown. 'Was' used is more the actual term, as i read they became illegal circa twenty years ago ... offenders subject to severe penalties; maybe the reason for this one having shown up in a street fair. It does look old and naturally hand made. I believe the copper wire tangling was an ingenious implement assembled by its user, to prevent it from plunginh to deep into the river bed mud.