Innehållsförteckning för #260 från American Frontiersman

For his 34th birthday on Aug. 1, 1804, William Clark went all-in for a proper feast to mark the occasion. The Lewis and Clark Journals tell us the menu, with the usual spelling errors found in the Journals . “This being my birth day I order'd a Saddle of fat Vennison, an Elk fleece & a Bevertail to be cooked and a Desert of Cheries, Plumbs, Raspberries Currents and grapes of a Supr. quallity. The Indians not yet arrived. A Cool fine eveninge Musquetors verry troublesom, the Praries Contain Cheres, Apple, Grapes, Currents, Rasp burry, Gooseberris Hastlenuts and a great Variety of Plants & flours not Common to the U S. What a field for a Botents and a natirles...” Such elaborate meals were not the routine for the Lewis…

ELK HUNT RODEO WHILE TALKING ABOUT HIS HORSES, the Montana packer said to me, “They'll kill you and never shed a tear.” It turns out he was right. The horse’s name was Undertaker and I thought I must be living a bad joke. But, of course, I had to ask why. “Because he packed a dead man out of these mountains.” “What killed him?” “A mistake.” Any sane man would have to wonder if he wasn’t doing the same. But, Undertaker proved to be a wimp. He was big and that’s why I got him—big guys need big horses—but he wasn’t tough. The 15-mile ride into our elk camp used him up. The next day, he was turned out to heal and I was issued a new horse named Sage.…

Every year all over the country we hear the same back and forth quips wherever hunters gather. One hunter makes a qualm about how short deer season is only to be met with the retort from another that they should “get into muzzleloading.” Many folks shy away from this notion because it departs very far from the norm of the firearms kingdom. Front-stuffers require an entirely new skillset, not to mention tools and the investment of time both on and off of the range. That, and many people find the entire experience, well, scary. Truth be told, I reloaded high-pressure brass cartridges before I ever fathomed the thought of pouring black powder down a pipe and backing a piece of lead up against it. So what’s a guy with a…

IN the last issue of American Frontiersman , we brought you an exciting pronghorn AR-rifle hunt. This issue is more on the traditional side of the hunt. Only the bison ranks as a more iconic Western animal than the pronghorn, but for most, getting a rare tag for wild bison and processing these huge beasts isn’t going to happen. Scoring a pronghorn tag, however, is much more likely, especially in Wyoming where the nation’s largest herd resides—upwards of 440,000 beasts. And pronghorns weigh in at an easily manageable 88 to 143 pounds for bucks and only 75 to 106 pounds for does. I have been giving chase to these amazing critters in Wyoming on and off for the last 20 years, and I just completed a successful hunt there in…

IT was 3:00 a.m. I’d barely slept, but hunting guide Curt Wilkerson was standing outside my motel room, shouting, “Rise and shine, boys. It’s time to set out decoys.” An hour later, the seven men in our hunting party groped through the darkness as we placed 200 sandhill crane decoys in a harvested southwest Oklahoma farm field. Each of us grabbed one of the soft-rubber bird bodies from a trailer, inserted a hard plastic stake in its rear end and thrusted the stake into the loamy soil to hold the decoy upright. Wilkerson told us how to position the lifelike birds to create a scene resembling a big flock of feeding cranes. Just before sunrise, we finished. The hunt was on. Sandhills are the most abundant and wide-ranging of the…

There are numerous tools everyone who owns a camper should carry. Among the most important for a cold-weather stay are plumbing tools including PEX crimps, crimp pliers, cutter, fittings and tubing. When our furnace stopped working due to our propane freezing as noted in the article, several places along the plumbing lines froze and some of the plastic fittings expanded and cracked, causing leaks. It took some effort and certainly some frustration, but I was able to get everything perfectly fixed and watertight on my own. Having the tools and the know-how to address the dilemma myself saved me a pile of money because I didn’t have to hire a plumber. Once it was fixed, I placed a space heater in the compartment where the problems occurred to keep the…

I recently lost a relative. Details of the accident vary with each person who relays the story, but what is known is that he was attempting to fell a large tree in his rural front yard with a chainsaw, and it hung-up in the branches of another tree. This is a phenomenon that lumberjacks have known as a “widowmaker” for as long as there has been a timber industry. To extricate the tree, the man decided to use a tractor. He walked under the hung-up tree, toward where it was parked, and the branches loosed themselves. He was killed instantly when the multi-ton trunk smashed down upon his head. When the man’s wife relayed the incident to me, knowing that I’ve been a lumberjack, professionally and privately, for decades, she…

THE DATE was June 24, 1876, and Charles Alexander Reynolds had a bad feeling. Known as “Lonesome” Charley Reynolds, the 34-year-old cavalry scout felt such a strong sense of foreboding for what he feared might happen the next day that, history tells us, he gave away his personal belongings to the soldiers who were his comrades. The following day, Reynolds saddled his horse, mounted up and followed his boss, George Armstrong Custer, to the Little Bighorn River in Montana for a little scuffle with some unruly Native Americans. A Frontiersman’s Frontiersman The son of a doctor, Reynolds was born in Warren Country, Illinois, in March of 1842. He later moved to Kansas with his family and went to college there before joining the Union Army in 1860. In the Army,…

If you have been following Case Knives over the past few years, you have likely noticed their American Heroes Knife Series, which is a collaboration between Case, Winkler Knives and an American veteran with experience in what works and what doesn’t. The latest addition to the series is the new Case Winkler Pack Axe, designed with the help of U.S. Navy SEAL and elite member of the U.S. Special Operations Kevin Holland. Although it is intended for field work, it is obvious that the design is influenced by someone who has been in hard terrain and needed something that could withstand the rigors of combat as well. While more akin to a hatchet in size, the Pack Axe can tackle larger chores than most typical hatchets. Let’s take a closer…

Almost as long as there have been friction matches, there have been match safes, or containers designed specifically to carry them. The materials used in their manufacture range from precious metals to rubber and plastic. Some are waterproof and some are not. However, for sheer romance, durability, water resistance and ease of use, it is hard to beat a traditional, Scandinavian-style birchbark match safe. Traditional barkcraft is a sustainable woodcraft skill if one uses material sparingly and collects bark only from dead birch trees whenever possible. Native American people of the Northeastern United States have traditionally used the outer bark of the Paper Birch (also called the White or Silver Birch) for canoes, containers and house coverings. In Scandinavia, the manufacture of birchbark containers is a highly developed tradition. "Tradition…

The early 19th century was an era of mountain men, explorers, hunters and tall tales. While many names might come to mind when you think of those types of individuals, no one personifies all of those things better than Seth Kinman. If you’ve never heard of him, then you’re in for quite a treat! Born in Pennsylvania in 1815, Kinman moved to Illinois with his parents James and Eleanor in 1830. There, he worked with his millwright father until 1839, when James died suddenly. Seth claimed that his father knew future president Abraham Lincoln from their time together serving in the Black Hawk War. True or not, this was just the beginning of Seth’s real affiliations with many occupants of the White House. Upon James’ passing, Seth inherited a percussion-conversion…

The bad news came with a loud clank, then a scrape. The rusted-out muffler and tailpipe assembly finally broke free from my much-loved 2004 Toyota Tacoma. The whole exhaust unit hit the pavement and dragged until I pulled over and got it off the ground with a bent-up metal clothes hanger. My buddies Bill and Mikey Phelps, who run Phelps Wholesale Auto in Lansing, New York, told me they couldn’t weld together my truck exhaust any longer—it was toast. So, it was time to pony up for a replacement. I soon realized that there are three real options to consider when shopping for a cat-back exhaust system—that is, the entire exhaust system from the catalytic converter back, including inlet or middle pipes, a muffler or two, maybe a resonator and…

➤ Color your bellows’ wood with any stain and protective finish you like, perhaps one to match or contrast with the leather, whatever your taste. Maybe carve in something fitting like a tree silhouette, or glue on a decorative wood onlay or applique. I made a pine tree out of birch bark and glued it on. ➤ Condition your leather to keep it from stiffening and cracking. Instead of the usual shoe leather conditioner, I use Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator. I purchase Dr. Jackson's from Tandy Leather. This stuff works great and is a cut or two above the usual conditioner. —Mark Herwig…

While advancements in agricultur e have freed us from a life of subsistence, we have also lost much of our traditional knowledge regarding feeding our families. Simply put, most people know very little about what it takes to get food from field to table. While the average person might not worry about this sort of thing, there are a growing number of people who are doing their best to keep the old knowledge alive. Personally, I do find the process of feeding a family important and enjoyable. While we don’t grow all of our food, we try to produce more and more each year. In doing so, we feed ourselves healthy, homegrown food. One way that we’ve moved to become more self-reliant in our quest for good food is by…

Credited as the first repeating rifle, the lever-action has been popular for hunting, target shooting and defense since its inception in the 1860s. It isn't often that a design hits the consumer market and stays relevant for more than 150 years, largely in its original configuration. While the guns have evolved exponentially throughout the years, ammunition has not experienced the same rapid curve in improvement. One of the driving issues of this malady is that lever guns are often chambered in pistol cartridges. As there are far fewer lever-action rifles than revolvers, most manufacturers load these rounds to perform best out of shorter barrels. Although there are plenty of cowboy guns chambered in rifle cartridges, tubular magazines suffer issues brought on by the case itself. When modern metallic cartridges were…

When the aging mountain man Bear Claw comes across the campfire of his one-time student, Jeremiah Johnson, he calls out, “What’s on the spit?” The scene in the movie is a good one, and when Johnson hands his mentor a hunk of meat that had been roasting on a stick over the fire, Bear Claw tries a taste and announces, “You cook good rabbit, Pilgrim.” Rabbit might not seem like much of a meal for a mountain man, supposedly in the midst of country loaded with bison, elk and deer. But, as the mountain men say, “Meat’s meat.” Sometimes, even for the mountain men, it pays to not be particular about feeding. Despite the characters in Jeremiah Johnson  and other movies, mountain men did not prefer to hunt and travel…

SETTING THE STAGE “…the wind blew and the fine frost snow crept in and around us...day light at last appeared when we consulted what we had best do under the circumstances and it was agre that I should arise and gather some sage brush which was small and scarce and (my partner) wold remain under the Buffaloe robe and keep his hands warm if posibi to strike fire. But all our calculations failed for as soon our hands became exposed to the air they became so numb that we could not hold thee flint and Steel… my comrade raped himslf in his robe and laid down after a great struggle…” “It was cold and clear the evening that we encamped on Sweet water many of South sides of the hills…

One of my favorite winter pursuits is trapping mink and muskrat. Neither fur-bearer is particularly hard to catch, but the weather this time of year presents its own challenges. Winter can range from mild to severe, sometimes in the same week. Even if you’re not fighting through a foot of snow to get to your traps, freeze-thaw conditions often foil any success. A trap that is fully functioning during the warmest part of the day can freeze solid by nightfall. If you’re going to trap this time of year, you need a bag of tricks to offset the conditions. Winter Locations Most of my late-season trapping is done on the little creeks that dot the countryside around my home. The lakes and marshes are either frozen or on the verge…

Less than five minutes after we let out a series of deep bellows, a bull moose—big, dark and seemingly as tall as the trees—stepped out of the forest about 400 yards away. In a matter of seconds, the moose’s long legs cut the distance in half and he stopped, staring hard in our direction. “Take him if you want him,” whispered my guide. We were approaching the end of my Newfoundland moose hunt, and this was the first bull to offer an opportunity. Although it wasn’t the massive giant that I’d imagined harvesting, I knew it would fill the freezer, and as I settled the crosshairs on its chest, I could almost taste those delicious steaks sizzling in the skillet. One shot from the .30-06 dropped the beast in its…

IF you want to chalk up an impressive tally of coyote pelts during the course of a year, try hunting at night with a centerfire rifle and night-vision equipment where that option is legal. That’s what Randy Budde of Walkerville, Michigan, does, and he shot 101 coyotes and four red foxes during 2019 using those tactics. Liberalization of coyote hunting regulations in Michigan during recent years has made Randy’s excellent success possible. The predators can be hunted year-round in the state, and several years ago, laws were enacted allowing hunters to use centerfire rifles to hunt coyotes and foxes at night. Although some hunters employ powerful lights to hunt predators at night, Randy uses night-vision equipment exclusively. Prior to the legalization of centerfire rifles for predator hunting at night in…

The harrowing forecast detailed critical information: Several inches of snow would fall and sub-zero temperatures would plummet onto the western Nebraska prairies within 48 hours. The conditions were slightly alarming, given that my wife and I were staying in our camper. Fortunately, we noticed that several residents were living in their campers at the RV park where we were staying. If they weren’t leaving, neither were we. We were in the area for a muzzleloader deer hunt, and we decided to brave the cold so that I could continue hunting. All points considered, we weathered the frigid onslaught quite well, and I was able to anchor a beautiful mature mule deer buck because we stayed. But, we learned a lot from our -20-degree stay and now know more than we…

“Can I have a bowl of your chili?” I asked Jim Brownlee at my hunting club. Brownlee replied, “You’ve got to have a pint of Häagen-Dazs ice cream to eat and coat your stomach lining with it first to keep my chili from eating through it.” As I looked around the table, I saw boys and grown men alike with sweat on their brows, tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces eating this camphouse chili. The secret to Brownlee’s heart-stopping chili included a combination of red, black and white pepper. Eating that camphouse chili tested the manhood of the hunting club’s members more than it tempted their taste buds. But you don’t have to make scalding-hot chili. Many fine chefs prepare chili that’s sweet, sour, hot or mild…

I can still see, and especially hear, that thrilling night like it was yesterday. It was just after dark, 7 p.m., October 14, and the full moon was rising through the woods at my hunting land 40 miles southwest of Duluth, Minnesota. My grouse hunting buddies had just left, and I was sitting alone by a blazing wood fire, cooking dinner. It started with the yearling wolves, three or four of them, in high-pitched, breaking voices. Soon, an adult or two joined in with that deep baritone howl that speaks power, the wild and even fear into one's heart. I knew they were on a large trail they like to run about 450 yards southeast of me. After a few minutes of howling, the pack went quiet. Then, a few…