Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2022 i American Frontiersman

EDITORS WELCOME We TAKE GREAT PRIDE in welcoming you to the fall issue of American Frontiersman—a labor of love dedicated to some of the finest, most avid readers around! If you happen to be a fan of mountain man Jim Bridger (and face it, who among us isn’t?) you’re in luck. From our cover art, which very well could depict Bridger in his later years, to a special look at Bridger by Michael Punke, author of the smash hit novel The Revenant, and to “The Outpost” on page 96, you’ll learn more about this famous mountain man than you ever knew before. Speaking of the cover art, it’s titled “Up The South Slope,” and artist David Wright had this to say about it: “I titled it such because…

Written in 1906, this advice by Whelen is still valid today. 1. Keep the bore of your rifle clean and always clean from breech to the muzzle. 2. Use a sling to help with your freehand shooting. “It should be done whenever it is possible to do so.” 3. Get in shape. Staying in shape has innumerable benefits in the hunting and shooting world. 4. Work on your trigger control. “Jerking or snatching the trigger is, of course, fatal to good shooting. Control of the trigger is everything.” 5. Conquer the flinch. “Never use more powerful ammunition for even a single shot until the flinching habit has been conquered with less powerful loads.” 6. Dry firing is your friend. Use snap caps for this purpose when practicing. 7. Sight-in your…

IF you’re like many American Frontiersman readers—and the magazine’s editors, too—you probably feel like you were born 100 years too late. If there was justice in the world, you would have been in your prime when brave men headed West to settle the frontier and when the West was really wild. As a reader of this magazine, it’s likely that you know a lot more about the frontier than the average American. Here’s a chance to test your knowledge about this interesting area/era sometimes interchangeably called the frontier or Old West. What is the definition of frontier? The part of a country that borders another country; boundary; border. Also, the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions. How many miles did the…

HISTORIC FIGURE GOLD was discovered in the Klondike in the summer of 1896,and the town of Dawson was quickly established as locals rushed to stake claims. The Yukon River froze for the winter, preventing news of the discovery from reaching the outside world for almost a year. Edwin Tappan Adney (1868-1950) wrote in The Klondike Stampede that on June 16, 1897, a steamer arrived in San Francisco with “the sensational story that the richest strike in all American mining history had been made…on a tributary of the Klondike River, a small stream entering the Yukon not far above the boundary-line between American and Canadian territory.” Over the next two years, more than 100,000 “stampeders,” as they would come to be known, crowded the strenuous and dangerous trail to the Klondike.…

AFTER THE HUNT A nice eight-point whitetail buck and doe charged out into the open about 75 yards from my stand that cold Minnesota morning a few years ago. The doe stood there a moment before leaping off into the woods. The buck remained, but was sure to follow any second. I steadied my 12-gauge shotgun barrel sights on the buck and let loose. Much to my joy, he dropped in his tracks. My buddies soon showed up to help me drag the buck to the road. It wasn’t long before I’d carved out a backstrap, built a wood fire on the ground and gotten some medallions seasoned and on the grill. There are few things in life as pleasurable as harvesting your own meat and enjoying it soon after…

EASY DIY PROJECT It’s true: I sometimes just plunk down a pot or frying pan in the coals to cook in the bush. But cooking with a tripod allows for both better heat control and better pan control, and you can raise and lower your pot as needed for temperature control and serving. I’ll explain how this works later as we make the tripod in question. A tripod-suspended pot is also less likely to tip over than one in the coals (I’ve lost some good, and much-needed, dinners that way) and less likely to have fire debris fall into it and onto your food/drink. A little charcoal with that stew? Not if I have anything to say about it! If you like to hunt or hike light and fast, here’s…

➤ If you want your cape permanently attached, I’d stitch all the way around the neck and out to the shoulders. This way, you leave the bottom edge loose so as to better shed rain and snow away from your body. You might consider waterproofing the stitch holes. ➤ When securing cape/coat hold points, be sure to pull the coat cloth straight and tight before stitching—that is, the cloth must be hanging as if you’re wearing it when stitching, not as if it’s sitting in a pile on your workbench. This prevents bunching. ➤ A word on conchos: You can buy them or make them. I did both for this project. I put metal store-bought conchos on the front and deer-antler ones on the shoulder points. You can make wood…

CAMP CUISINE Frontiersmen of the 1700s and 1800s commonly used green willow sticks or cottonwood sticks for cooking during their backcountry exploits. It was a simple, easy method of cooking game over the fire and required no cleanup afterwards—just drop the stick in the fire and you were through. Today’s frontiersmen don’t have to worry about finding the right sticks in order to cook meals in camp. Aluminum foil serves that purpose and allows vegetables and fruits to be cooked with the meat in an aluminum-foil packet in the coals of their campfire, on a grill over the coals or in the oven if their camp has one. Aluminum foil can serve many purposes in camp, among them making a foil reflector oven, lining pots or skillets and covering food…

Legendary outdoor writer J. Wayne Fears has been inducted into the Georgia Hunting & Fishing Hall of Fame. The hall of fame is sponsored by the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and is housed at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, which combines a state wildlife management area, public fishing area and regional wildlife education and conference center on 6,400 acres southeast of Atlanta. While Fears is known for writing about adventures worldwide, he spent his first 10 years out of college working as a wildlife professional and freelance writer in the state of Georgia. He received his Master’s Degree from the University of Georgia, was a founding member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association in 1969 and served as its president the following year. Hall of famer and national fishing writer…

FLASHBACK During the Revolutionary War, colonial troops couldn’t fight the British along the Atlantic coast and also defend the western borders of Pennsylvania and Virginia against increasing Native American attacks. The settlers built forts and blockhouses for common defense, but these had to be defended by able-bodied men from the local families who formed militias. Most men couldn’t patrol their areas constantly and continue to tend their farms, so individuals were called upon for short periods of time (commonly 30 days) to search for signs of enemy activity. Specialized ranger or spy units were organized for long-term scouts and expeditions as well as to teach survival skills to the young settlers defending their homes and families. Frequently, the rangers had a deep hatred for the enemy because many had lost…

On the morning of January 10, 1736, the ship Prince of Wales landed in Savannah, Georgia, carrying 177 Gaelic-speaking Scottish Highlanders on their way to settle in the new colony in the area of what was to become Darien, Georgia. There were men, women, boys and girls of all ages and walks of life. Their number contained a mariner, a surgeon, three tailors, one joiner, one weaver, four men listed as gentlemen, 25 farmers and 70 men listed as servants and laborers. They were armed, decked out in traditional Highland clothing and ready to take on the new world. The new colony of Georgia had been conceived in 1733 as a place where the poor and working class of England could settle. However, Georgia was contested territory. Claims from the…

Sarah Gomez, who is a part-time resident of both Michigan and Iowa, wants to get more women and children involved in trapping, and that’s why she put on a demonstration about raccoon and muskrat trapping at the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Trappers Convention in Escanaba on July 16, 2022. Both of those species are abundant and thus perfect for beginning trappers. Raccoons and muskrats are so widespread that they can be trapped without having to travel far over most of North America. “Trapping is not just about what you catch,” Sarah says. “It’s about being out there to see sunrises and sunsets, to hear birds chirping and to make memories. Get out there and try it,” she urges the attendees at her demonstrations. Sarah attends up to 15 trapping conventions…

After looking at the forecast, I joked with Seth saying that I’ve never needed to pack shorts and bibs for the same hunt. Nebraska has some strange weather patterns, as one of the days started in the 20s and ended in the 70s. 5.11 Decoy Convertible Pants are perfect for days like this because when those higher temperatures roll in, it’s a godsend to be able to zip the legs off. These pants come in various colors to help match whatever camouflage you’re wearing up top and are made of a UV-resistant material to protect you from the sun. Lastly, they are made from a fabric with a fair amount of stretch to accommodate awkward shooting positions and the uneven footwork that accompanies hunting in rough terrain. MSRP: $90. (511tactical.com)…

Before you start wallowing in deer heads, spines and bones, find out if there’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) in your area or if your deer has CWD (some states offer testing). All cervids (deer, elk, etc.) taken in CWD-infected areas should be treated according to applicable health and disposal laws to protect yourself, other cervids and the soil from infection. I like leaving a deer’s bones in the woods because that’s where they belong, not in a landfill. Mice, rabbits, squirrels and other rodents will gnaw on them for years for the calcium. They also remind me of great hunts gone by. In the end, it all eventually returns to the soil from whence it first sprang, completing the endless cycle of life and death. We would all do well…

1) I feel sorry for campers who live in places without birch trees. Why? Because birch bark is like solid gasoline: If a match gets near the stuff, it ignites with a fury. It’s great for starting campfires. 2) Grind off any burrs on your rebar because it can rip skin like butter. 3) Soap the bottom of your cooking pots to prevent soot accumulation. This makes cleanup super easy. 4) Although it’s more stuff to carry, pot covers are great ways to cook food more quickly and keep fire debris out of your food.…

A spoon is tough to carve without a specialized knife known as a crooked knife. It has a curved blade and is used to carve out the spoon’s bowl. Besides a crooked knife, specialized carving knives are available for serious carvers who want a nice heirloom-type spoon or to gift someone a spoon. However, that’s not what we’re doing here. This will be a simple, rustic camp instrument with a purpose to fulfill: getting food into your mouth! Here are two easy ways to make a spoon using the bow-drill method to make the bowl with a regular knife and an ember from your fire. Make It, Don’t Take It ■ I love a good challenge, especially when it gives me a reason to play with knives and make fire.…

BORN ON MARCH 6, 1877, TO A PHILADELPHIA PHYSICIAN AND PENNSYLVANIA BLUE-BLOOD MOTHER, YOUNG TOWNSEND “TOWNIE” WHELEN GREW INTOa tall, thin, withdrawn young man heading into his teen years with seemingly little ambition. He loved being outdoors, and later in his life he stated, “Early on, I seemed to have formed a desire to wander off by myself into unfrequented country.” This love of wilderness was part of his being and a constant throughout his life. The Early Years At 11 years of age, Townie’s father gave him an air rifle, which he soon mastered, and the marksmanship seed was planted. When he was 13, his father gifted him a Remington Rolling Block .22-caliber rifle, and Townie taught himself the “ins and outs” of marksmanship, not just how to fire…

“Somethin was alayin heavy on my head, I tried to push it off an git up at the same time but I could not. I tried to look see what was a goin on but I couldn’t open my eyes. I reched up to my face an ran my fingers to my eyes I felt a warm sticky blood an that my eyes was stuck shut with dryin blood. I was rememberin now. “The krak I heerd was like the krak of a rifle, an the light I saw was like the time my pap shot the big doe down by the kreek at nite. The flash of muzzle made it day lite long nuff fer me to see that fat doe jump in the air with a hole in…

This articletells the real story of the Highlanders coming to the American Colonies. The fictionalized version can be seen on the Starz television series Outlander, based on the bestselling books by author Diana Gabaldon. In the series, Highlander Jamie Fraser and time-traveling nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall fall in love and encounter numerous adventures ranging from the Battle of Culloden in 1746 to the immigration and settlement in the American Colonial South in the few years following the battle. The television adaptation of the novels, starring Sam Heughan as Jaime and Caitriona Balfe as Claire, has been very popular, By utilizing Claire’s modern mindset as a lens upon the past, the series compares and contrasts Claire’s modern views about such things as personal privacy, the role of women, the caste system,…

The whitetail is the most popular game animal in America, so it’s unsurprising that myths developed around—no, engulfed—the species throughout the centuries. After all, despite everything we know, whitetails are still shrouded in mystery. Fortunately, researchers have made significant advancements in the past two decades, and peer-reviewed studies have debunked the following whitetail myths. Check them out, and then go correct your granddaddy. MYTH 1 Deer can’t see color: Deer are commonly stated to be color-blind, only seeing in shades of black, white and gray. However, deer can see in color. According to leading biologists, they see in shades of blue and perhaps other wavelengths. In fact, it’s believed that they can see blue 20 to 30 times better than humans. (Think of blue as a neon sign to deer.)…

If you enjoy crock-pot and Dutch-oven cooking, you’re going to love this simple wild-game recipe. When I was living off-grid 25 years ago, I made this delicious meal right on top of my woodstove, and it came out perfect. I can honestly say that this is one of my own inventions, because I’ve never seen a venison pepper steak recipe before. Do you know anyone who hates deer meat? I’d be willing to wager that you could feed them this without disclosing the animal from whence it came, and they wouldn’t suspect a thing, because it tastes like lean, cut beef—but you’ll have to follow these instructions carefully for this to work. I’ve snuck this in on a couple of finicky eaters, and they gobbled everything up. One of them…

Look at many period mountain-man illustrations and you’ll see the men wearing buckskin shirts or coats with leather shoulder capes. These capes not only look really cool, but they’re also very practical for keeping rain out and warmth in. Some of today’s dusters have shoulder capes, but most are treated cotton. I wanted an authentic leather cape for one of my old, thin hunting coats to make it warmer and to better shed rain and snow on those gnarly days chasing ruffed grouse here in northern Minnesota. ■ Buy & Prep The Leather I considered using 3- to 4-ounce vegetable-tanned leather, but even this thin grade of leather is too stiff. I wanted a leather that would drape better over my shoulders, so I switched to a full-grain leather hide…

My favorite thing to do in the woods is cook over coals after a good fire has burned down. But when I’m reaching for the skillet, ingredients and spatula, I all too often realize that I’ve done it again: I’ve forgotten the spatula. No problem, really, unless I’m in the desert. Besides putting a point on the end of a stick, making a field-expedient spatula is easy. I usually cook for myself, meaning that I take one of two much smaller skillets than I would ever use in a house kitchen. This also means that the spatula is smaller, too. With a saw, I usually cut a piece of softwood no wider than the thinnest part of my wrist and split it like I would if carving a spoon. I…

WE don’t publish many stories about music in American Frontiersman magazine, and for a darned good reason. After all, our content is all about life on the frontier and related topics, and there’s really no music available focusing on that era of our country. That’s exactly what we thought— until recently. Then we were introduced to Andrew Scott Wills and Hawken Horse, and our lives have been changed for the better! What’s A Hawken Horse? Fronted by Nashville-based hit songwriter Andrew Scott Wills, the group is made of a possibles bag of skilled musicians with a love of folk and traditional music. As it reads in the bio section of HH’s website, “If your imagination wants to run wild in the wilderness with the likes of Daniel Boone, Sacagawea…