Team Fur News
Montana Days
By FUR-FISH-GAME Editor, John D. Taylor
Editor Taylor leading a packstring into Big River Camp’s Great Bear-Bob Marshall Wilderness camp in Montana in 1982.
Some experiences change your life. There's just no other way to put it.
My biggest began with a trip to the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show – now the Great American Outdoor Show – in early February of 1982 with my father. I was on a mission. Assuming I passed the classes I'd skipped to hunt ducks, I’d earn a degree from York College of Pennsylvania come spring. My career goal was to be an outdoor writer. So, I was seeking a vehicle that would lead to stories I might write while earning at least a meager living. I didn’t want to work in a grocery store or bookstore forever.
I’d also become enamored with the idea of Montana. All of my favorite outdoor writers, many published in FUR-FISH-GAME, seemed to be Montana-based. Even then, it was regarded as the “last best place,” long before COVID and Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone” popularized it as an escape hatch for dazzling urbanites from both coasts.
I also wanted to be a cowboy-mountain man, to ride horses, lead a packstring, guide hunters and anglers into trout, mule deer and elk. The big idea was that I would do this during the summer and fall, then write about it during Montana’s cold, snowy winters.
Initially, I tried to get into “Smoke” Elser’s guide and packing school. He had the most credibility. The New Waterford, Ohio, native moved West in the late 1950s and started his own packing business, Wilderness Outfitters, in Missoula, Montana, in 1964. Elser took “dudes” (Montanaese for greenhorns) into the Great Bear-Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Bitterroots on eight-to-10-day hunting or fishing trips, becoming a legend in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame (https://montanacowboyfame.org/inductees/2016/11/arnold-d-smoke-elser). Unfortunately, his class was full up. His reply that suggested I contact other outfitters and offer my work in exchange for learning the business and room and board – which is why I cruised the Western big game aisles at the Outdoor Show.
Moose antlers with Big River Camps hung above the corral’s hay barn.
A booth in the middle of one row had a sign that read, Big River Camps, surrounded by elk and mule deer mounts. A slender man in a silver belly cowboy hat, pearl snap shirt, bandana appropriately tied around his neck, stood behind the table, one cowboy-booted foot raised and resting on a box. He looked like he just walked off the pages of “Western Horseman” magazine. He also hunted the Great Bear-Bob Marshall Wilderness. I wanted to talk to him.
I introduced myself – not very well because I was as nervous – and asked if he might have need for a greenhorn with a strong back and a weak mind, to learn the business from the horse up, for room and board. Amazingly, Rod Kelly said, yes. He told me to write him after the show at his Kalispell, Montana, address, a campground, and we’d arrange for me to live my dream come early June.
I think I floated the rest of the way out of the show.
I wrote the letter, arranged to meet him. I’d drive the 2,000 miles to Montana. I loaded my yellow Ford F-150 pickup with a cap to the gills with junk I didn’t need, intending to sleep in the bed on the way out. That truck, my first vehicle, matched its lemon color, because the four previous owners used it to pull stumps or other nonsense. I got a crash course in DIY auto mechanics, however. Something constantly needed repaired.
Departure day. My parents and sister stood in the driveway to wish me well and wave goodbye, and a friend, Mark, soaped “Montana or Bust” on my rear cap window.
The drive was my first big road trip. I had a CB radio and a box full of classic country cassettes. Gene Watson, Merle Haggard, and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys spirited me along as I talked to truckers on the CB. Approaching Wall, South Dakota, at 4:30 p.m. on Friday night, my water pump went out – for the second time. The truck limped into an Amoco Station right off the highway. They actually had the replacement part, even helped me.
Crossing the South Dakota border into Montana, I whooped. Yet driving from southeastern Montana to the northwestern corner and Kalispell took all day, but at least I was in Montana.
I found Rod’s huge log cabin home and campground office. The walls were pine logs several feet in diameter. I was greeted by his wife, Sandy, and told to wait in the archery room, where Rod, a serious bowhunter, made and fletched arrows for himself and others. Big game heads ringed the walls. Wow... this is going to be great.
From the kitchen, I heard Sandy calling her cat, “Chake, Chakey boy, come here,” with the Pennsylvania Dutch accent. Was I dealing with Montanans or not?
Rod came in. We talked. He revealed that he and Sandy moved west from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, two counties northeast of my home, a decade prior. In some respects, that was comforting. Rod understood my journey. In others, I was kind of disappointed.
Later, I met the rest of the crew, Jeff, a late 20-something originally from Florida, and Dave, a blonde Montana kid of 15 who was good with horses. Randy, Rod’s son, would join us later, after we’d taken the horses and mules up into the mountains. Before that, we’d wait for the creeks, torrents of winter snowmelt, to subside.
Jeff, Dave and Editor Taylor lived in this tipi during the summer working for Big River Camps.
Although I wore a cowboy hat, roach-killer cowboy boots, and pearl snap shirts, I was pure dude. I had exactly four hours of horse experience prior to Montana, mostly on docile old nags in trail rides back East. During a Great Smoky Mountains family vacation, for example, my parents, sister and I did a trail ride. My mother didn’t want to go. She was afraid of horses, and when her mount, against her will, took her a few yards off the trail up a creek to get a drink, she hollered for my father until the guide came and pulled the horse back on the trail.
Next morning, Jeff and Dave asked me to help round up the stock. I was trepidatious about being outed as a fraud. Pick any horse you want and saddle him, they said. I chose Smoky, a slab-sided dapple gray, who nuzzled me like a puppy over to the fence. I knew the basics of saddling. So, while Jeff saddled his spirited Appaloosa, Cherokee, and Dave rode another from the string, I saddled Smoky. When Dave and Jeff trotted across the big pasture towards distant horses and mules, Smoky didn’t want to be left behind, and broke into a fast trot. I bounced pinball-like all over that saddle, including the horn. But I stayed on.
We did campground work for a couple weeks, waiting for the snowmelt to subside. I grew a bit more comfortable on horseback and around the other stock, including the 10 huge Missouri red mules. Their withers were eye level. I also doctored Misty, a sorrel quarter horse mare, recovering from a deep barbwire cut on her leg. Then late in June, it was time to go into the mountains – time for the real deal. Jeff, Dave and I loaded the stock into a big stake-bodied truck and drove to the Morrison Creek trailhead.
I tried to help as much as I could. I’d heave one of the two 100-pound, canvas-covered manty boxes holding gear, food or equipment we’d be taking into camp on one side of a mule’s Decker pack saddle, while Jeff or Dave held the other and whipped a diamond hitch around them. Big River Camp’s mountain headquarters, adjacent to the most remote airstrip in the lower 48, was a 22-mile ride in. It would take all day to get there. Jeff and Dave led two big packstrings and positioned me on Cougar, a 16-hand quarter horse, my assigned ride, in the middle, probably to make sure I didn’t fall off.
Not long after starting out, it began to rain, hard. I put on my rain gear watched water drain off my black cowboy hat, while the horses and mules slogged up the muddy trail, their hooves making sucking sounds as they pulled each leg out of the mire.
Days flew by as we prepared camp for coming guests. We made sure the cookshack’s big grill and the shower tent’s water heater worked. We repaired corral fencing and cleaned and oiled all the saddles and other tack for the July through the end of November season of trail rides, river rafting trips, fishing, sightseeing and hunting trips.
My first job was wrangler. All but one horse, the wrangler’s, got turned loose each evening to graze in mountain meadows. The mares wore bells. Wrangling involved rounding up the stock from those meadows early every morning so guests could ride them. Finding the herd involved tracking them, all while listening for the belled mares. Contact a bell mare, head her towards camp, and the rest of the herd followed.
My first morning wrangling, Jeff helped. He showed me how fresh horse tracks literally shined. I called them moonbeams. We tracked the herd to a nearby meadow, called to the belled mare, and she led the rest of the herd to camp. Seemed easy.
Initially, tracking horses really was easy. The trails were virtually unmarked. A few days in, however, tracks that had been easy to follow were trampled by dozens of other tracks. Also, if you listened too hard for the bell, you’d get “wrangler’s disease,” hearing bells that weren’t there. It happened to me plenty. I can’t say I was a very good wrangler.
Rod knew I was a fly fisherman. So, when a new crew of guests arrived and one fellow wanted to fly fish, I was assigned to guide him. We went first to a small pond that held some trout. I’d guided a college English professor on Pennsylvania stream, so I wasn’t sure what to do. I figured I’d just let him fish, see if he needed help. He tied a fly on, cast poorly and landed his fly over some rising trout, but couldn’t catch them. Trying to be helpful, I suggested a nymph and was scolded not to interfere. So, I shut up and let him cast.
Another group was rafters. They needed us to pack their gear up the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, so they could float back down. We loaded their gear, including rafts, strapped the manty boxes on the mules, and took them 20 miles upriver. The ride back was at night. The horses certainly knew the way. But when I held my hand in front of my face, it was so dark I couldn’t see it. Also, horse and mule shoes striking rocks made bright sparks. Quite a show.
When a family – mom, dad and their 8-year-old son – came for a visit, they wanted to fish. Jeff, Randy and I took them to Scott Lake. We crossed the Middle Fork on a trail that led through dense riverbank willows, then followed another trail around a mountain to reach the lake.
The family enjoyed their day at the lake, but as the sun set, mom and the kid wanted to go back to camp, dad wanted to stay and fish. He thought if I paddled him around the lake in the inflatable raft, he could catch more of the beautiful, 14-inch, cutthroat trout we’d been catching all day. Randy and Jeff would take mom and the kid back. After dad was done fishing, I was to pack the gear in panniers and lead dad, his horse, my Cougar, and a mule named Ace back to camp.
Ace was a really flaky mule. He was afraid of axe handles. Some idiot who owned the stock before Rod bought the outfit tried to convince Ace to behave using one. Once, he cleared a hitching rack three times when a guide tried to load an axe. While I had no trouble deflating the raft, packing up dad’s gear, putting it in panniers on each side of Ace, when I went to load the axe, Ace circled the tree he was tied to until he calmed down.
Ace was one of the big Missouri Red mules we used to pack gear.
Dad and I mounted up, followed the trail back to the river. I made the mistake of telling dad this was the first time I’d been to Scott Lake. Meanwhile, he was quite concerned about encountering a grizzly. I tried to calm his fears mentioning my .357 magnum revolver. That helped.
We crossed the river. I aimed for a hole in the dark willows, thinking it was the trail to camp. This trail went on, but instead of leading to camp, we floundered into a bog, the stock going into mud up to their bellies. It was getting late. Finally, I gave Cougar his head and whispered that he should take us in. Quickly, we were on the right trail, where lit Coleman lanterns encircling the corral welcomed us home.
Upon arrival, Dad hopped off his horse, dropped to all four, and kissed the ground, saying, “That was an adventure I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
I wasn’t sure if this was a compliment, or he was thankful for surviving an ordeal. But the 2-inch-thick moose steaks, from Rod’s record book archery bull, and fried potatoes for dinner are one meal I won’t forget.
A few days later, Randy, Jeff, Dave and I were eating breakfast. I was telling them about dad’s grizzly concerns. They all sniggered. I couldn’t figure out why until I checked my revolver. As a joke, they’d unloaded it. Had a bear charged, it would have been click, click, click on empty chambers. I'm still not sure how funny that joke was.
Big River Camps was located adjacent to the most remote airfield in the lower 48 in 1982.
By late August, I finally started to get the hang of a few things. I was stronger, leaner and seeing the bigger picture of this work. It required being up at 4:30 a.m., working very hard all day, and not going to bed until midnight, after taking care of guests’ needs. I truly loved working with the horses and mules, loved riding a horse. But being honest with myself, especially with hunting season approaching, I wanted to be the hunter, not a guide.
The point of the effort was to gather writing materials. I’d done that. So, when a letter from a Pennsylvania outdoor magazine wanted a pheasant hunting story I’d queried about before Montana, opportunity knocked. There was also my fiancée. We intended to marry in September, both move to Montana. But I couldn’t imagine her being happy in a cabin with half the chinking gone, snow up to the windows and no Kalispell shopping mall. It was time to go home, pursue writing from there.
Montana taught me I could accomplish anything I set my mind to doing, if I was willing to pay the price for the knowledge, skills or physical effort. I also knew I really wanted to work with animals and started down the bird dog road. These turned out to be good decisions. Eventually, they brought me here, to FUR-FISH-GAME. And that is a very good, very happy place to be.
Monarch Butterfly: Endangered?
A monarch butterfly. Photo: Jim Hudgins/USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) reopened the public comment period for a proposed rule to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed rule includes species-specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation of the butterfly under the ESA. The comment period was reopened for 60 days, to give all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on the proposed rule, published on December 12, 2024. FWS says public comments are an integral part of the ESA listing determination process. Everyone can play a role in saving the monarch butterfly. Because of the species’ general habitat use and wide distribution, all sectors of society have an opportunity to participate in a broad range of conservation efforts throughout the butterfly’s range. Learn more about the monarch butterfly, the monarch listing proposal, and how to help conserve monarch butterflies at fws.gov/monarch.
Deer Association Names Missouri Agency of the Year
New hunter Rachel Kinkade (left) got her first deer while hunting with mentor Jenna Stiek, who is an MDC Conservation Educator. Photo: MDC
National Deer Association (NDA) named the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) its 2024 Agency of the Year Award winner. The award recognizes the agency’s innovative and progressive deer management techniques; how these have affected positive changes in deer management regulations, hunter education, hunter recruitment, and involvement in youth hunting; and how the agency has engaged its hunters and other key stakeholders in the deer management process. According to NDA’s 2025 Deer Report, Missouri consistently ranks high in numerous deer management categories. MDC was also recognized for its Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), its targeted removal program to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), and its collaborative efforts with key conservation partners and the public to revise its 10-Year White-tailed Deer Management Plan. Read more about MDC receiving NDA’s 2024 Agency of the Year Award at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4jb.
West Virginia-Kentucky Reciprocal Fishing Agreement Expired
The West Virginia/Kentucky reciprocal fishing agreement has expired, so anglers will need to abide by individual state fishing regulations. Photo: Jed Owen/Unsplash
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) recently announced that the state’s reciprocal fishing agreement with Kentucky has expired. Until further notice, anglers who fish in waters along the Kentucky border must possess a valid fishing license and follow the regulations of the state in which they are fishing. To remain compliant with state laws, the WVDNR is encouraging anglers to review and follow fishing regulations for the state in which they are fishing. West Virginia’s fishing regulations can be viewed online at WVdnr.gov/fishing-regulations. Kentucky fishing regulations and licenses are available at fw.ky.gov/fish. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are actively working to update and obtain Kentucky legislative approval for these reciprocal fishing agreements. WVDNR will provide updates when new agreements are finalized. All anglers 15 years and older who fish in West Virginia are required to have a West Virginia fishing license and a valid form of identification. Trout stamps are required for those fishing for trout. Licenses and stamps may be purchased online at WVfish.com.
Leave Turtles In The Wild
Take photos, but let turtles found in the wild, like this young painted turtle, where you find them, says Vermont’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. Photo: VDFW
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) says keeping native turtles as pets is prohibited because it can harm the turtle and pose threats to wild turtle populations. “Capturing a wild turtle and keeping it as a pet, even if only for a short time, is not only bad for that individual but it could hurt turtle populations as well,” herpetologist Luke Groff said. “Releasing captured turtles back into the wild can spread wildlife diseases and also affect the genetics of the local population.” Groff explained that adult turtles usually have well-defined home ranges and know where to find food, mates and shelter. However, a turtle released in unfamiliar habitat may roam greater distances, increasing the odds it will cross roads and be run over. For rare turtle species, the loss of even a few mature females can have serious consequences. Turtles are slow to develop, especially at northern latitudes with short growing seasons. Many of Vermont’s turtles don’t reproduce until they are 10 years old, Groff noted, and mature females are critical to long term turtle populations. Two common species you’re likely to see are the painted turtle and snapping turtle. The wood turtle, spotted turtle, spiny softshell and Eastern musk turtle are rare, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife urges reports of sighting these turtles to the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (vtherpatlas.org).
Win the Ultimate FUR-FISH-GAME
100th Anniversary Sweepstakes - Over $8,000 in prizes!
One lucky person will win it all!
Watch for the ad appearing in our July, August, or September 2025 issues, follow the instructions, and you'll be entered to be the sole winner of all these prizes. (Click on the above photo to see more details about each prize.) There will also be 10 runner-up prize winners of a 100th Anniversary FUR-FISH-GAME Metal Tack Sign. No electronic entries will be accepted. One entry per person. Prizes provided by Redding Reloading, FOXPRO, Mossberg, Black Hills Ammunition, Magnum Research, DR Power Equipment, Lenon Lures, Kenetrek, Duke Traps, Montana Canvas, Iosso Products, U Outdoors, and Wildlife Research Center.
Black Bear Kills Florida Man
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A black bear attack in killed a Florida man. Photo: Michael Anfang/Unsplash
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has confirmed the first fatal black bear attack in state history in May. On Monday morning, May 5, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office notified FWC staff of a possible fatal wildlife encounter. Family members reported a relative missing from his residence and signs of recent disturbances that could have been caused by bears around the property. FWC law enforcement and bear management staff responded to secure the area, prioritize public safety, collect information and implement standing protocols to lethally remove any bears suspected of being involved.
The remains of 89-year-old Robert Markel were found about 100 yards from his home. Investigators noted evidence indicating a physical encounter between a bear and Markel near his home, along with a dog recently killed by a bear nearby and signs the bear entered Merkel’s home, although the exact sequence of events remains unclear. The FWC’s Human-Bear Conflict Response Policies and Guidelines outline how the agency should respond when faced with situations that require the removal of a bear for public safety. In this case, each of the three documented circumstances requires lethal removal, a decision FWC does not make lightly.
Two days following the attack, FWC personnel lethally removed three adult male bears weighing 207, 263 and 434 pounds. There was an unsuccessful attempt to trap a fourth bear. DNA evidence was collected for necropsy and testing, along with DNA samples collected from physical evidence at the scene. Necropsy results revealed that the 263-pound male bear had the partial remains of Markel. DNA results on May 9, also positively identified the 263-pound male’s DNA was present on Markel, inside his residence and on the dog’s body. The only bear DNA found at the scene matched the three bears lethally taken.
Jerome is in Florida’s South Bear Management Unit, which has the third largest bear population in the state, more than 1,000 animals. FWC received 16 bear-related calls within a 10-mile radius of nearby Copeland between May 5, 2024, and May 4, 2025, resulting in five site visits, five capture efforts, three bears that were relocated and hazed, and one bear that was humanely killed.
While it is rare for wild black bears to injure people in Florida, people have been bitten and scratched by bears, most often when there are cubs, food sources or dogs present. FWC receives an average of 6,300 bear-related calls annually and has documented 42 prior incidents where wild black bears have made physical contact with people since the 1970s. Of those, three resulted in serious injuries requiring medical attention prior to this incident.
Several states, including Florida, recommend learning what to do to avoid bear problems by visiting BearWise.org.
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is encouraging the public to be bear aware and take steps to prevent potential conflicts with the state’s 24,000 black bears by never feeding bears; securing food, garbage and recycling that have food odors which attract bears; removing bird feeders in the spring; not leaving pet food outdoors; and cleaning and storing barbeque grills and picnic tables that contain food scraps or residues that can attract black bears. For more information on Wisconsin bears, visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/bearmanagement
Also, Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) is urging the public to remove their birdfeeders and take additional steps now to prevent conflicts with bears over the spring and summer. Bear incidents have increased. VFWD says this is a result of Vermont’s healthy black bear population learning to associate people and food. Even with a steady increase in the number bears harvested by hunters, including a record bear bag in 2024, Vermont’s bear population has been stable and shows signs of growth over the past five years.
Chronic Wasting Disease Increasing In Missouri, Illinois
Additional cases of CWD have been found in Missouri and Illinois. Photo: Nikhil Mistry/Unsplsh
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has confirmed 243 new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer in 35 counties. Seven of those counties – Audrain, Callaway, Lewis, Marion, Miller, Morgan, and Texas – had their first CWD-positive case. The CWD-positives were found through sampling and testing of more than 36,000 deer during deer season and post-season targeted removal efforts. Most of the positives were from hunter-harvested deer submitted for sampling. Missouri has an estimated deer population of more than 1.5 million whitetails. CWD is a 100% fatal in the deer family, and the disease has been attributed to significant deer population declines in other states. CWD threatens Missouri’s deer population, hunting culture and economy. These new cases bring the total number of CWD positives found in the state to 815 over 46 counties since 2012. Although the number of CWD-positive counties increased, MDC notes that CWD management efforts have kept infection rates low, less than 1%. Learn more about CWD at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
In Illinois, the state’s Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) says CWD was detected in four additional counties, Putnam, Marshall, Adams and Peoria, expanding CWD’s geographic presence in free-ranging deer in northern Illinois. Adams County is the first documented case recorded outside of the leading edge of the CWD endemic region. Affected Illinois counties now include Adams, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago. A primary goal of ongoing CWD management in Illinois includes lowering the prevalence in affected areas to slow the spread of the disease. This management effort has kept prevalence low in the state for almost an entire generation of deer hunters. Visit https://dnr.illinois.gov/programs/cwd.html.
Bipartisan Bill Aims to Extend National Park Maintenance Funding
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) recently celebrated the reintroduction of a bill to extend critical maintenance funding for national parks and public lands across the country. The America the Beautiful Act reintroduced by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Warner (D-VA) would provide an additional $11.2 billion over eight years to address the parks' crumbling roads, decaying buildings, outdated drinking and wastewater systems and other critical repair needs. The 2020 Great American Outdoors Act's national park and public lands maintenance funding is scheduled to sunset this year. The new America the Beautiful Act will ensure substantial federal funding to continue addressing the deferred maintenance backlog that has reached more than $23 billion. Recent staffing reductions within the National Park Service threaten to undermine the progress made. NPCA estimates the Park Service has lost up to 2,500 employees, roughly 12.5% of the agency's workforce, since January. Without adequate personnel to implement repairs and maintain safety, our parks face the risk of slipping backward.
WDNR Launches Wisconsin Fishing Finder
The Fishing Finder was developed to make your Wisconsin fishing easier.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) recently announced the launch of a new Wisconsin Fishing Finder, a comprehensive online fishing resource for anglers. Wisconsin has many great fishing holes, including 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River. With so many places to choose from, finding a place to fish can be like finding a needle in a haystack. The Fishing Finder can help. It uses any internet browser to give anglers access to fishing information including: Fishing regulations (bag and length limits) for lakes and trout streams, boat launch locations and access points, shore fishing locations, public lands and easements, healthy guidelines for eating fish, lake habitat information, habitat improvement projects, invasive species, fish stocking information, and where to by a fishing license. Visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/outreach/wifishingfinder.
Hunting Rattlesnakes
100th Anniversary Article from February 1930
by W.H.C. Angermann
Editor’s Note – Snake hunting when this article was published, was considered good for wildlife. For example, beginning in 1961, the York County Conservation Society, in southcentral Pennsylvania, held an annual “copperhead roundup” to rid Muddy Creek, a state-stocked trout waters, and its Indian Steps Museum grounds, along the Susquehanna River of copperheads. Why? Between 1950 and 1960, six people were bitten by copperheads in that area, and the sportsmen of the era wanted to do something to eliminate this risk. Snake hunts continued at Indian Steps into the 2000s. Today, enlightened outdoor people realize snakes play a major role in keeping rodents and other unwanted pests – including venomous snake varieties – in check and should not be killed willy-nilly. Consider this an interesting look into another time.
In the spring of 1925, on a sunny afternoon in April, me, my buddy, father and Mr. Jaeger started rattlesnake hunting. I had a steel bar, buddy had a bar, Dad had a billy club and Jaeger had a double barrel 12-gauge shotgun.
Jaeger said he was afraid of rattlers and was going to shoot them. I replied for him to let me know before he pulled the trigger on his blunderbuss because I wanted to be behind him. When shooting in rocks, shot will glance. So, after going up the bluff a few hundred yards, we killed a blue racer and a bull snake.
Maybe some of you wonder how we get the rattlers.
Well, at that time of the year, they are out sunning themselves. We were walking along slowly, watching our step, when I told my buddy he had better take his time, because about 3 feet in front of him lay three timber rattlers in a coil. He didn’t see them until I hollered.
Then the fun began. He jumped out of the way, and Jaeger wanted to let his blunderbuss talk, when I said I would fix them. I took my bar and with one lick put them out of bliss.
About that time Dad said, "Here they are, under this rock."
When he let the rock down on them, they began to sing their farewell song. Buddy put his bar under the rock and slid it off of them. They were ready for battle, but Dad and he soon killed them. There were four rattlers under this rock. All were small but one, and he was 9 years old. They were all timber rattlers.
We have two kinds of rattlers, timber and prairie. Some people say the prairie rattlers aren't dangerous, but I don't take any chance on them.
We went on a little ways and found several small rattlers and a few black snakes and blue racers. We were gone about an hour and a half hour and killed 11 rattlers, four blue racers, three black snakes and one bull snake. I want to go out this spring and am going to take a few pictures.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Idaho Trappers’ Association
Idaho Trappers’ Association will hold its Summer Convention June 13 and 14, at the Lemhi County Fairgrounds, in Salmon, Idaho. Contact Rusty Kramer (208) 8703217.
New Mexico Trappers’ Association
New Mexico Trappers’ Association rendezvous is June 13 and 14, at the Mountain View Christian Camp, in Alto, New Mexico. Contact Shelly (575) 6491684 or gypsytrapper@yahoo.com.
Upper Peninsula Trappers’ Association
The Upper Peninsula Trappers’ Association will hold its U.P. Trappers’ Convention and Outdoor Show July 11 and 12, in Escanaba, Michigan, at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. Camping and food will be available on the fairgrounds. Activities will include demos, mini raffles, can raffles and a new “kids cave.” Contact Roy Dahlgren (906) 3991960 or email trapperroy@outlook.com, and visit www.uptrappers.com for more information.
New England Trappers
The New England Trappers (NET) will hold their NET Weekend August 14 - 16 in Bethel, Maine. Contact Neil Olson (207) 8755765 or (207) 7491179 for more information.
Idaho Trappers’ Association
The Idaho Trappers’ Association (ITA), in conjunction with the National Trappers’ Association, will hold their annual banquet September 6, at the Shoshone-Bannock Casino, in Fort Hall, Idaho. Contact Rusty Kramer, ITA President, at (208) 8703217.
West Virginia Trappers’ Association
The West Virginia Trappers Association (WVTA) will hold it 56th annual convention September 19 and 20, at the Gilmer County Recreation Center, located at 1365 Sycamore Run Road, in Glenville, West Virginia. Gates open at 9 a.m. Sept. 19, and 8 a.m. Sept. 20 with demos and seminars. Free Trappers Education Classes for all ages is available Vendors will be present both days. WVTA will also be host the National Trappers’ Association Southeastern Regional Convention, October 10 - 11, at the same location. Contact Jeremiah at (304) 916-3329 or visit www.wvtrappers.com.
Kansas Fur Harvesters Association
The Kansas Fur Harvesters Association will hold their Fall Rendezvous October 3 and 4 in Belleville, Kansas, at 910 O Street, the crossroads of Highway 36 and 81. Admission is free, and the event includes vendors, food, a trap setting contest, a women’s skillet toss and a white elephant sale on Saturday. Contact Eldon Dunstan (785) 243-4872 (evenings) or email Dunstanconst@gmail.com.
Coming in July
Features
-Request Groundhogs - Dave Fisher, by request, removes problem groundhogs for a church
and other properties and has fun doing it.
-Turtle Trapping Lessons From The Lunch Lady - Being a middle school teacher has its perks, Phil Goes discovers, when Lunch Lady Karen shares her turtle trapping techniques.
-Elk On A Budget - Think you can’t afford a Western elk hunt? Jim Zumbo says think again and tells you how to do it.
-Tubing For Cats - Catching catfish on a trotline is even more enjoyable when done from a float tube. Gary Shannon shows how.
-Mayfly Walleyes - Geoff Coleman says catching walleyes feeding on the 600 species of mayflies that hatch from their waters is a shortcut to some delicious fish fries.
-Vagabond Pronghorns - Jefffrey Miller tries vagabond-style Wyoming pronghorn hunting, and discovers something special about traveling light and easy.
Other Stories
• Making Waxed Trapping Sand – John Locke shares his recipe for making waxed trapping sand for the wet, winter months.
• Wolves of the Birchwood, Chapter 11
• Bucket List Sharptails – Ron Peach discovers sharptails while targeting prairie ducks.
• How Young Is Too Young To Start Hunting – Megan Plete Postal takes a look at this important topic and shares some ideas on starting young hunters.
• Wandering Bears In The Midwest – Jeffrey Goddin looks at increasing bear populations in the Midwest.
• Joe, The Black And Tan Coonhound – Brent Bonecutter shares the tale of Joe, a coonhound he knew and loved.
• Fighting Pickerel - (100th Anniversary Article) Mortimer Norton considers pickerel fishing in the 1920s.
• Nemesis In The Northwoods – Trevor J. Hubbs hunts ruffed grouse for the first time and learns why this bird is called the King.
End of the Line Photo of the Month
Mike Cheatham, Orleans, Indiana
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