By: Bears Butt

Well, tomorrow I will probably post up something from Sir Butt and maybe something else, who knows, but for all of you I am about to embark on a short vacation.  VACATION?  You ask!  But you are retired!  Why on Earth would you need a vacation?  Well, it’s not for me actually.  It’s for my friends and family who will be at the annual Willow Creek Free Trappers Rendezvous!

You see, Sir Butt usually makes an appearance at this rendezvous and I, being part of the security guard, must make certain the area is safe for Sir Butt to arrive and give his presentation.

Besides, what is a mountain man rendezvous without the presence of the one and only Bears Butt??  Well, it would be a good rendezvous without Bears Butt, but it would not be one HE would remember (not that he remembers much after any rendezvous).

Old age has quite the liking for taking ones memory and making it mush.

Anyway, tomorrow there will be a posting, but alas, no more until the rendezvous is behind us!  You, of course,  will not miss anything should you be in attendance at the rendezvous event.

I certainly hope you can push all of your other “must dos” aside and add a “must do” called the rendezvous!

RRRRROOOOONNNNNNDDDDEEEEEEEVVVVVVVOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

And the city will never be the same again!

Bears Butt

Sept. 1 (almost) 2011

Written on August 31st, 2011 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

This recipe is out of “The Biggest Loser Cookbook”, pg 51 and Sherry and I really LOVE this sausage.  The book says that each 2 oz.  patty contains 72 calories, 12 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat (less than 1 g saturated), 37 mg cholesterol, trace fiber and 101 mg sodium.  But then, who cares about that?  This stuff tastes GREAT!

We always double or triple, sometimes quadruple the recipe and our patties are bigger than 2 oz….to me, 2 oz is 2 bites.

You will need:  1/2 lb. extra lean ground pork

1 TBL minced red onion

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (don’t leave this out even if you are not a fan of “hot”)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix this all up in a bowl and then press out the individual patties using your hands.  Wrap each patty up in wax paper and put in a freezer container and freeze.  Then when you are ready to eat pull out what you want, unwrap and fry until done.  Pretty simple huh?

These babies are really yummy and with just enough bite to let you know you survived last nights party!  Life is good!

Bears Butt

Last day of August, 2011

Written on August 31st, 2011 , Recipes
By: Bears Butt

My good friend and fellow mountain man, Dry Dog, has graciously agreed to allow me to post his very best Pickled Egg recipe on this site!  I THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. DRY DOG for this privilege.

Let’s begin by saying that this recipe will make 36 to 48 of the best pickled eggs anyone could ever want.  Pickled eggs go with almost everything including, but not limited to, beer and good times!

Boil up your eggs and get the shells off of them.  Do NOT use any of the boiled eggs that have breaks in the white portions.  Breaks like that will allow the fluids into the yolk area and makes an ugly looking mess out of the bottle of eggs.  They won’t effect the goodness of the final product, it just looks bad.

Buy a bottle of  Hot Yellow Peppers (Dry Dog likes El Pato or Mezzata brands)

Buy a bottle of sliced jalapeno peppers

Buy some yellow onions, Little Smokies, pearl onions, green peppers (Dry Dog calls these things Bells and Whistles), whatever you like when it is pickled.

If you are using yellow onions, slice them up and have them ready.

In a glass container with a large mouth opening, pour all of the liquid from the hot yellow peppers into the jar.

Now you are going to start to “layer” the ingredients.  Add enough eggs to cover the bottom of the jar.  Then add “some” of the other ingredients.  You know, some Little smokies, onion slices, jalapenos, yellow peppers and then another layer of eggs.  Keep doing this until you run out of room for any more in the jar.  Key thing to note right now…leave a little space between the last egg and the lid.  You will see why later.  Pour enough of the jalapeno juice into the bottle, but be sure and leave enough liquid in the original bottle to keep what jalapeno slices there are covered.

Now fill the jar up with straight white vinegar!  Screw the lid down tight on the bottle.  Carefully turn the jar upside down, hold it, now turn it right side up, hold it, now turn it upside down again, hold it, right side up, hold it, upside down, hold it.  Can you see that you are getting the Hot Yellow Pepper juice mixed up with the vinegar by doing this?

Now the hard part.  Put the jar in an out of the way place, but not in any fridge or cold environment.  Warm is just fine.  This recipe does not call for the jar to ever be put in a cold place.  Now you have to wait at least a week before you can enjoy the contents.  Longer is better, but longer also makes the hot “heat” from the yellow peppers and jalapenos permeate the eggs and bells and whistles.  If you wait say two months, the ingredients will be very hot to the taste.

Self imposed limit:  two eggs in any one day.  A very hard thing to limit yourself to.

Enjoy!  These are the VERY BEST PICKLED EGGS YOU WILL EVER TASTE!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 30th, 2011 , Recipes
By: Bears Butt

Anyone who has hunted knows that spears and arrows have been used for a very long time in gaining man something to eat.  Sometimes we will even find an arrow head from a Native Americans attempt at getting some food and perhaps he missed the shot or maybe it did connect and later the animal died and left the arrow laying in the dirt.  Whatever the case, let’s look closely at the arrow head and its design.

Flint rock was the main rock used by the Native Americans in making their arrow heads.  A light weight rock that can be made very sharp on the edges.  They would “nap” these rocks to the proper shape for the animal they would use the arrow against.  Heavier arrow heads for bigger game.  Skinny arrow heads for birds and smallish fish  and tiny arrow heads for, well let’s just say, small game.

The arrow heads were sharpened on two edges and then firmly tied to an arrow shaft made of wood.  Of course feathers were tied on the opposite end of the stick in order to add stability to the arrow and make it “turn” as it flew forward.  The turning added a degree of accuracy to the arrow.  Many an animal fell to these arrows.

Now let’s get away from the arrow for a minute.  Who reading this has ice fished?  Let’s see a raise of hands.  Ok, so it looks like most of you have ice fished.  How many of you used an ice auger to make a hole in the ice?  Another raise of hands please.  AH HA!  Only a few of the ladies have, but most of the guys.  I guess the ladies had guys drill their holes for them.  Ok, enough of that.

Have you ever looked at the design of the auger blade?  It is only sharpened on one side, while the other side of the blade is flat.  Why is that?  Have you ever looked at the blade on an Ulu knife?  It too is only beveled on one side and flat on the other side.  How many of you have steak knives of other knives in the house that are only sharpened on one side?  By sharpened I mean the blade is beveled on one side of the blade and the other side is flat.

Why manufactures only bevel one side of a steak knife is beyond me, but they do it.  Ulu knives being beveled on one side also is a baffle to me.  I see no purpose in these two instruments only being sharpened (beveled) on one side.  Why?  Just take a minute, find one of your steak knives or your ulu and grab up a block of cheese.  Now, using this knife carefully try to slice off a thin piece of cheese.  Press straight down and try to let the knife do all the cutting work.  What happens?  If your bevel is on the left side of your block of cheese, the knife will begin thick at the beginning of the cut and will be quite a bit thinner at the bottom of the cut and the blade will cut “away” from the beveled side of the blade.  Weird huh?

As for an ice auger this is a good thing.  The auger blade cuts away from the bevel and so it is digging into the ice with each roatation.  I can see where an ice auger would not cut ice if it was beveled on both sides.  Whoever came up with this idea for the auger blade is a genious!  I thank them dearly, because I love to ice fish.

Now lets apply this beveled on one side idea to an arrow head.  There is an article written by Dr. Ed Ashby at this site:

http://www.alaskabowhunting.com/PR/Single_Bevel_Broadheads.pdf

That explains the good and bad points of a single bevel broadhead and using them against game animals.  Most of his points are good, in that one main factor of using such broad heads is upon impact with a game animal, there is less “drag” on the arrow and thus deeper penetration.  And probably the bigger factor of using a single bevel broadhead is its bone breaking capability.  Why break bones?  It weakens the animals abilities to flee and thus gives the hunter a better chance of getting that animal down and ready for eating.

By having your two edged arrow head beveled on one side of each of the cutting edges of the arrow head, the arrow contacts meat and/or bone and it tends to rotate through.  This rotation not only makes for a very large wound channel, but it breaks bones while penetrating.  I say any advantage you can get while hunting with a bow is a good thing and this rotation through the animal is more likely to cut a major artery or inflict some serious internal injury causing the animal to succumb quicker.  A much better thing for the animal.

I think if it were me going after big game with a bow and arrow, I would want some of these types of arrow heads in my arsenal.

Please read that article by Dr. Ashby if you are at all interested in archery and hunting.  You won’t be dissapointed.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 30th, 2011 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

On August 28th, 2010, Sherry and I took a ride up the newly graded road from Mantua to Inspiration Point.  It was a very nice Fall ride with very few folks coming and going.  The road was smoother than I have ever been on going up there and back.  Very nice indeed.

The next day, August 29th, I recorded on my calendar we had a dusting of snow on the peaks!  Today, August 30, 2011 the expected high is going to be near 90!  What a difference a year makes.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 30th, 2011 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

Wapiti Dung called the other day and said he saw that the beaver was rebuilding it’s dam down on the farm.  HMMMMM.  So yesterday Beaver Man Brek and I made a visit with 14 traps of various sizes and shapes.  We came home with none of the 14 traps in our hands.  If Mr. beaver tries to get from the bay to Doc Beards or visa versa, he will have one very hard time getting through the maze of iron and wire!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 30th, 2011 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

It’s almost September, 2011 and the fall hunting is about to begin!  Look out doves on September 1st!  Also, beginning on Sept. 1 is the rabbit hunt and grouse hunt.  Can it get any better than that?  On Sept. 3 for those with a special permit, they can head out to capture up a Sandhill Crane.

The 10th lends itself to a once in a lifetime Rocky Mountain Goat hunt.  The Willard Peak mountains is packed with them badboys and the DWR for the state made sure plenty of tags have been given out to thin the hurd.

On the 17th the youth hunters of the state can chase after bull elk.  And some folks with special tags can get after the Desert big horn sheep and moose.  Limited entry antelope, elk and this year marks the first ever Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep hunt to be held in Utah!

The date of Sept. 24th has not been nailed down yet, but my bet is the DWR will open that date up for Sage grouse, Sharptail, Hungarian Partridge and Chukar hunting.

AND last but not least, the 28th of the month will mean the Willow Creekers will be out and about on the muzzleloader deer hunt!  If you are one of the lucky ones, there are some other limited entry muzzleloader antelope, elk and deer hunts going on as well.

October will see the duck hunt begin as well as the Pork Gun hunters hitting the mountains for the general elk hunt and deer hunts.

We are going to experience some MAJOR changes to this schedule next year at this time.  Will the changes make for better hunting?  Only time will tell.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 28th, 2011 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/docs/BoatingHighlights.pdf

This link takes you to the rule book for boating on Utahs’ waters.  Did you know that if your boat has a motor 50 hp or larger that you must have insurance?

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 27th, 2011 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

When you think about things in general and in a perspective sense, ones location on this earth can quickly be attached to exactly where you are at.  That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as a single statement, so let me explain.

I am sitting here typing away on what I am writing.  To someone in Europe, I am in the Rocky Mountains.  To someone in New York, I am in the Rocky Mountains.  To someone in Missouri, I am at the foot of the Wasatch Front, in the Rocky Mountains.  To someone in Colorado, I am on the other side of the Rocky Mountains.  To someone in Salt Lake City, Utah, I am in Willard, Utah.  Now does my first statement make any sense.  Still no?  Tough.

Back when the mountain men were roaming around this great nation they began back East.  Where?  Well let’s say Saint Louis, Missouri.  Or South at Taos, New Mexico.  Of course back then the Missouri location was on the edge of the unknown.  Civilization had creeped that far and being on the bank of the Missouri River, the river defined the boundary of the wilderness to the West.  Taos, on the other hand was in the Mexican territory.  These men were there because it was a relatively safe place to be, among people similar to them (not Native Americans) and the trapping season was not on.

Once it became time to venture toward the trapping grounds with prime hides waiting, they would pack up and head on out.  Later on, when Ashley and the boys took up the task of bringing the necessary goods (and Whiskey) out to the men in the trapping fields, the trip to St. Louis or Taos became un-nesessary.

The meeting places where Ashley would announce to all the men in the mountains via word of mouth became known at the “rendezvous site”.  And Ashley mixed things up quite a bit from year to year.  One time in what we call Wyoming, the next in Northern Utah, the next near central Wyoming and then things began to settle down to pretty much the same place for several years running.  But the fact remains Ashley and the boys would have plenty of stuff for the mountain men to restock up on including the whiskey part.  These rendezvous’ also brought in Native Americans who would camp on the peripheral of the white mans camp and they too would enjoy some of the same pleasures that the mountain men would enjoy.  Actually, the Native American women liked the idea because of the trinkets and shiney mirrors and other goods not known by their own kind, until these mountain men came around.  But that is not my point in this.  What is my point is the rendezvous.

Ok, so here we are at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.  The narrowest corridor of land  between the shear rock cliffs and the Great Salt Lake.  A small town named Willard, Utah!  A wonderful place with a wonderful view.  Quiet little place, with the exception of the freeway traffic noise.

Back in the days of the Pioneers venturing out West with Brigham Young in the lead and coming into the great valley of the Salt Lake, Brigham was smart enough to know that the valley before them could not sustain all of them.  Couple that with the fact that he needed some avenues “out of Dodge” (so to speak) if the U.S. Government decided to reign him in (he and his group of Mormons were not very well liked back then).  So, having the knowledge that up and down the Wasatch front streams poured out their fresh waters from the mountains and they flowed down and into the Great Salt Lake, he sent some of the Bretheren and Sisters to settle near these streams.  To erect homes, clear and till the land and become self sufficient.  His instructions were also to assist the Native Americans with food stuff and essentials, and to avoid conflicts with them.

He sent folks to the South and to the North.  On the Northern end they settled in Bountiful, Farmington, Along the Weber River, Ogden, North Ogden, North Willow Creek, Three Mile Creek and on to Brigham City.  There were more, but it took more time to settle some of the other settlements that currently dot the maps of our present time.

North Willow Creek is what it was called at the time.  Later named Willard, after one of the higher ups in the Morman, Latter Day Saints (LDS) church, who was very influential, Willard Richards.

Suddenly along comes a small group of people who were born in and around that small community.  Carrying black powder rifles and pistols and wearing deer skin leathers and wool capotes and who called themselves “The Willow Creek Free Trappers”!  A good looking bunch if I do say so myself!

Let it be known that Ashley and the boys never had a rendezvous on the banks of the North Willow Creek, but in a generally speaking sort of way, he had one pretty dang close.  This year, 2011, history is going to be made and it is going to happen right here and right on the banks of the Willow Creek!  The Willow Creek Free Trappers first rendezvous to be held on the Zundel farm in Willard, Utah, September 1st through September 5th.  If you get there early enough your camp could be right ON the bank of the Willow Creek.

The Willow Creek Free Trappers have been searching for the perfect place to purchase for rendezvous to be held.  A place loaded with tall trees, cool meadows and a stream running through it.  By golly, I think we have found that exact place to hold this years rendezvous.  We have been chasing a wild bunch of beavers that have created quite a stir in the Willow Creek.  There are loads of “beaver sharns”, so go hunting and come back with a perfect one.

This historic event will be a fun one as usual and I for one am really looking forward to it.  Come on out and join in this event.  You won’t be sorry.

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

 

Written on August 25th, 2011 , Just more stories
By: Bears Butt

If you are interested in seeing some of the hog bucks being taken so far in the archery hunt here in Utah, check out the Utah Wildlife Net.  Some of those guys have really bagged some BIG bucks, while others are in hot pursuit of some hogs.

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/index.php

And, just a few months ago we were being told there were no big bucks left in Utah.  I sure beg to differ!

Bears Butt

Aug. 2011

Written on August 23rd, 2011 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories

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BearsButt.com | Stories, Ramblings & Random Stuff From an Old Mountain Man

Just some of my old stories, new stories, and in general what is going on in my life.