Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2021 i American Frontiersman

ABOUT THE ISSUE: If you remember seeing the hit movie Jeremiah Johnson in the theater when it first came out, you’re officially old. No offense, of course; I’m officially old, too. But if you’re like me, it’s hard to believe it has been 50 years since that classic mountain man flick hit the big screen. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably seen Robert Redford learn the ropes of surviving in the wilderness dozens of times since then. Join Lamar Underwood on page 26 in celebrating this half-century milestone of the best frontiersman movie ever. Don’t think this issue only covers fictional mountain men, however. Jim Bridger was known by many as the “king of the mountain men,” and on page 10, J. Wayne Fears chronicles five commendable traits Bridger…

“Up The South Slope”By David Wright JIM BRIDGER, who for most of his 83 years endured hostile Indians, bitter cold winters, blazing hot summers and a life spent sleeping on the ground, has often been called “king of the mountain men.” Most know him as a legendary beaver trapper and explorer of the American West. However, Bridger was, in real life, so much more than the legend. Here are just some of the more notable traits of this historic character. Riverman Jim Bridger and his sister were orphaned when he was only 13. He took a job as a deckhand on a flatboat ferry. Working on the flatboat he learned to read the river, its currents and shoals, and how to work with the current rather than against it. In…

ON June 30, 1862, 18-year-old Caspar Collins wrote home to his mother from the Wyoming Territory. Young Caspar was a civilian traveling with his Father, Colonel William Collins, who was in charge of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry on patrol in the region of the South Pass. Collins wrote about a lot of things concerning the life of the army on patrol against the warring Native Tribes in the area. One of the more colorful descriptions in his letter is about the “Old Mountaineers” who served as guides to the Cavalry on the patrols. Collins states, “These old mountaineers are curious looking fellows here is one as near as I can make him. (drawing) They nearly all wear big white hats, with beaver around it a loose white coat of…

The final shooting script of Jeremiah Johnson was written by and credited to John Milius and Edward Anhalt. The script was adapted from the novel Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher and the book Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson by Raymond Thorp and Robert Bunker. Milius was famous for his big and wild, action-oriented scripts. He went through many drafts of the Jeremiah Johnson script that no doubt emerged from conferences with director Sidney Pollack. Edward Anhalt added his more peaceful touches to the script. Most of the dialogue in the final script came from Milius.…

I have never been able to figure out why more long-gun hunters don’t use slings. Every time I see someone setting a gun down to free up their hands to do something (dangerous with dogs around, incidentally), I think, “If you had a sling, you could just slide the gun onto your back.” If I need to zip up an open coat, for example, or tighten my belt after starting a grouse hunt, I don’t have to set my gun down and worry about it falling, discharging or getting debris in the muzzle. All I have to do is put the sling over my head—gun is secure, safety issues are averted and hands are free to do what I will. Getting Started ■ Buy a veg-tanned leather side for $100…

Step 1: Purchase a small pool or rubber tub. For best results, it should have at least a 100-gallon capacity. Step 2: Find the right location. This should be in a good hunting spot. Step 3: Start digging. Create a hole slightly larger than the tub. Step 4: Once the hole is sized correctly, remove all rocks and sharp objects. Step 5: Level and smooth the bottom of the hole so that it syncs up with the underside of the tub. Step 6: Place a liner—such as plastic or a tarp—between the soil and tub. This will help prevent punctures. Step 7: Place the tub in the hole, and then backfill around it with soil. Tamp the ground down around it and fill it with water.…

Dictionary Of Southern Appalachian English The Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English is a revised and expanded edition of the Weatherford Award-winning Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English published in 2005 and known in Appalachian studies circles as the most comprehensive reference work dedicated to Appalachian vernacular and linguistic practice. Editors Michael B. Montgomery and Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller document the variety of English used in parts of eight states, ranging from West Virginia to Georgia—an expansion of the first edition’s geography, which was limited primarily to North Carolina and Tennessee—and include over 10,000 entries drawn from over 2,200 sources. The entries include approximately 35,000 citations to provide the reader with historical context, meaning and usage. Around 1,600 of those examples are from letters written by Civil War soldiers and their family…

1. Wearing gloves, goggles and using a sharp knife, make an incision from the chest to the bottom of the belly, starting just below the brisket and finishing at the hip bone. (In some states, you’ll need to leave proof of gender intact.) Be careful not to puncture any internal organs. 2. Carefully cut or saw through the sternum. Bring this cut up to where the chest meets the neck. This step could expose sharp bones, so be careful. Be safe. 3. Cut through the windpipe as close to the base of the neck as possible. 4. Cut through the diaphragm walls where they attach to each rib cage. 5. Slowly remove all organs, pulling them out and to the side. 6. Dispose of entrails safely, and according to state…

I’d been carrying three squirrels in my left hand most of the morning. When I was carrying one or two, it was not a problem to raise my rifle for another shot at a squirrel but with three that could change. Suddenly, I caught the flick of a gray tail about 20 yards away in a white oak tree but I had a problem. If I lay my three squirrels down then straightened up to shoulder my rifle for a shot, the squirrel would surely spook and I wouldn’t have the fourth squirrel I needed for squirrel and dumplings. I moved slowly but the squirrel had me spotted, spooked and took off in a flash. “ You want the squirrels to hang approximately from your waist to your knee.” Later…

Along with burgers and hot dogs, chili is one of America’s most popular comfort foods. It’s also a dish that we Americans can rightly claim as our own. As to its origins, surely there were countless isolated instances where some individual combined meat with beans, tomatoes and chili peppers, but such an activity was practiced primarily in the southwest, and in Texas in particular. In fact, in 1977, chili was declared the official food of the Lone Star State. As to Mexico’s contribution, the area likely had some influence in delineating the basic ingredients and methodology, but for the most part, they officially want nothing to do with chili as we know it, as evidenced by a reference to it in the Diccionario de Mexicanismos (dictionary of slang). Loosely translated,…

The first comprehensive biography of Jim Bridger in more than 50 years has just been released by the University of Oklahoma Press. Titled Jim Bridger: Trailblazer of the American West and written by Jerry Enzler, the new 371-page hardback book is a fun-to-read scholarly approach to the life of legendary mountain man Jim Bridger. When researching the life of a man who in real life was bigger-than-life, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. In this book, author Enzler does an excellent job of research, making just that delineation. His footnotes take 34 pages and bibliography18 pages, making this book a great resource for those seriously interested in the life of Bridger and the fur trade/exploration era of the American West. This is the definitive story of an extraordinary…

MUSKRAT LOVE: Put a stiffener in the bottom of the bag to help it maintain its form. I used a muskrat fur. This also protects the bag bottom from undue wear and tear, and it looks and feels pretty cool, too! GET LOOPY: Make the ammo bag’s back belt loop long so it will hold heavy loads and not move around too much when walking. CUTS ABOVE: To cut fringe, lay the leather on some wood and use a utility knife. Draw a depth line in pencil on the reverse side to guide the cuts so they are about the same length. —Mark Herwig…

Step 1: Purchase a piece of cattle paneling. At least a 16-foot section is optimal for adequate room, but those who want more space should use longer pieces. Step 2: Tie (or strap) one end of the panel to the trunk of a tree. A cedar tree works best if one is already located in a good spot. This will help it to blend with its surroundings. Step 3: Put straps on the other end of the panel. These will be used to close the blind once inside of it. Step 4: Get inside the unbrushed blind, and safely cut windows as desired. Make sure they are big enough, but not too big. Remove all sharp wire edges. Step 5: Cut cedar limbs to weave through the wire panels. This…

Tired of taking your kill to a deer processor? Been doing your own work, but skinning is something you just can’t get the knack of? Just want to live out the line in that famous country song where country boys know how to survive? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s how to skin a buck. Step 1: Cut Off the Legs Begin by making deep cuts around the circumference of the front and back legs. On the front legs, do this around the knees. On the back legs, do so just below the knees, closer to the hoof. Make sure it’s low enough on the leg that you do not cut through any tendons, which will be needed to hang the deer. Then, use a saw to cut through…

RABBIT BOXES , or gums (so called because they were once made from hollow sections of black gum trees), are a type of box trap specifically for catching rabbits. They are very effective at putting meat on the table. Gone are the days when almost every farm boy dreamed of being a trapper and living the life of Daniel Boone. My older brother taught me how to build rabbit boxes when I was 11 or 12 years old. I had a line of rabbit boxes I ran every day before attending elementary school. Early each morning in the dead of winter, no matter the weather, I would rise before dawn and trudge through the dry grass and red clay, crunchy with dog ice, to secure my catch. Out of six…

When cancer cut his life short at age 73 in 2008, Sydney Pollack could look back on a life of achievement. Not only was he an outstanding director, but he had also been an actor in TV dramas and in movies remembered today, such as The Player and Tootsie. After two years in the Army, his career in film seemed headed for acting until Burt Lancaster urged him to try his hand at directing. They worked together on the film The Scalphunters in 1968, then Pollack made the widely acclaimed They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? in 1969. After Jeremiah Johnson, Pollack went on to win Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture in Out of Africa in 1985; Robert Redford starred in the film. Many of Pollack’s numerous films…

The frontiersmen of long ago carried their possibles bag with them to hold useful things they might need each day. I’ve taken the frontiersmen’s possibles bag and updated it to a possibles box where I keep the things I might need while tent camping. After I return from a trip, I check the contents to see if anything needs replacing and handle that before my next trip. Here is a list of what should be in my box: • Extra lighter • Extra tent stakes • S-hooks • Hammer • Bungee cords of different lengths • Fire starter • Work gloves • Flagging tape • Duct tape • Zip ties • Large screw eyes • Cordage for hanging tarps…

Hunters of old didn’t have big-box stores or online retailers. Sure, they had to buy certain items, but they made many of the things they used were made by their own hands. The same can be true for the modern frontiersman. Hunters can either use the things they have or gather necessary materials to craft deer hunting gear. Each of these require different levels of expertise, but hunters can make many hunting products on their own with little prior knowledge. Are these DIY projects for you? AMMO: Those who’ve spent much time around guns and shooting know that many shooters like to reload their own ammunition. This requires a good bit more knowledge than the other things on this list, but with the right training, it’s certainly doable. It does…

Modern dog-proof traps, known as DPs, have revolutionized raccoon trapping. Their effectiveness and simplicity are hard to match. Their versatility is unparalleled. DPs allow you to quickly make sets in all types of terrain, and in the hands of a savvy trapper, they can put a lot of fur on the stretchers. For the past 10 years I’ve used DPs almost exclusively for trapping raccoons. When I first started using them, though, I missed a lot of fur. Raccoons often walked right by my traps, leaving their footprints in the mud mere inches from the tube. Or they’d carry the trap a few feet away, steal the bait, and when I checked it the next morning I’d find no raccoon and a DP that was somehow still set! Well, raccoons…

Safety First: Always put safety first. Wear gloves rated for knife use. Use safety goggles to prevent anything from splashing into your eyes. And remember, dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones. Always use a knife with a good blade. Warm Bodies: Skinning a deer is much easier when the animal is still warm and freshly killed. Once it cools, the hide tends to cling much tighter and won’t be as easy to pull or skin. Deer Mounts: Those who will be sending their buck to a taxidermist will need to follow a much different skinning process. You must cape the deer from the midpoint of the torso all the way to the head in a very specific manner, which requires a completely different set of steps. Either learn…

One of the oldest calls used for calling spring gobblers is the wing bone call. It gets its name from the fact it is made from three bones taken from a turkey wing. During the colonial and mountain man periods of U.S. history, these calls were considered an essential part of the hunter’s gear. Many were personalized with scrimshawing and other decorations. Making a call from the wing bones of a killed wild turkey was an art form that was passed down from one generation to the next. In the late 1890s as manufactured calls became available, the art of making a wing bone call almost disappeared. ■ Meet The Wing Bone Call Master Today few hunters know how to make a wing bone call, and those made that find…

Roasted Rabbit Before roasting, marinate the rabbit in the following mixture for 5 to 6 hours: ½ cup dry white wine, 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, one onion thinly sliced, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, a bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. Place on spit or grill. Slow roast until done. Meat should easily pull from the bone. While roasting, baste occasionally with a sprig of rosemary dipped into olive oil. Old World Recipe: Jugged Hare Although we may never know the method or trap used to catch a hare in 1747, this recipe from Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery from that date yields a delicious dish prepared in the 18th-century version of our 20th-century Crock Pot or…