Added a few more mountain man words to the lingo dictionary.  If, while you are reading a story on here and don’t know what the word might mean, look it up in the mountain man lingo dictionary.

There is a category to the right……I’d draw an arrow to it if I could.

Talking with Brandon this afternoon, we talked about how the Lewis and Clark expedition, back in 1803 had an air rifle with them.  Few know about this fact.  The rifle had a French type name if I recall, Giodarde or something like that.  It was capable of firing 20, 46 caliber balls, one after the other without having to recharge the rifle with more air.

Essentially this was a large caliber bb-gun!  I could go on and on about this, but there is a You Tube video you really need to see that brings out the whole story about the expedition and how this rifle played such a big part.

Copy and paste this and enjoy the video, it is very well done.

Bears Butt

June 17, 2011

I heard from someone that my stories are very difficult to read and make them crazy trying to figure out what I’m trying to say.  I thought about it…for a second….and then decided I will continue to write the way I am writing.  For instance:

Normal (for me) writing:

We wuz sudnly faced with a momentus decidin factor uf what ta do now.  Duz we go on an face the unknowed, or duz we turn tail an git outa here with ours hair?

Not Normal (for me) writing about the same subject:

We were suddenly faced with a very difficult decision.  Do we go on knowing that there could be a disaster ahead that might cause us to lose a life or two or maybe some other serious injury.  Or do we turn back on the trail we know is safer than what we might face by going ahead?

NA!  I like the shorter version…it might be harder to read, but it leaves the reader a whole lot more interpretation of “what the heck is he saying exactly”!

Enjoy!

Bears Butt  the man with the “dot com”!!!

For some of you new to this site, the Sir Butt series is a continuing series of interview questions to Sir Butt and his responses to those questions.  It would be of great value (if there is any value in any of this) to go back into the archives of Sir Butt and begin with the first posting and read from there.  It might make more sense (again if there is any sense to any of this).

Bears Butt

COMPANY NAME: USA CHEMICAL CO.

SUPPLIERS OF SPRAY CHEMICALS FOR ALL AGRICULTURAL NEEDS.

REASON FOR THE JOB: PERSONS OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND ALL AROUND THE WORLD ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF USING USA CHEMICAL CO. HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES AND GROUND KILLERS.  IN OUR FORWARD THINKING COMPANY PLAN, WE FEEL IT ONLY FITTING TO MAKE CERTAIN OUR PRODUCTS ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE INTENDED TO DO AND ARE NOT EFFECTING THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND/OR ANIMAL LIFE NEGATIVELY IN ANY WAY.  THEREFORE, WE FEEL IT IS NECESSARY TO SAMPLE LOCAL ANIMALS AND INSPECT THEIR LIVERS FOR ANY ADVERSE CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE CAUSED BY OUR PRODUCTS.

LOCATION OF JOB: ANYWHERE THE INCUMBENT WISHES TO CALL HOME.

SUBMIT APPLICATION BY INTERNET VIA: PERSONEL@USACHEMICAL.BIZ

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF JOB: INCUMBENT IS REQUIRED TO FURNISH SAMPLES OF THE LIVERS (SAMPLES) FROM ANIMAL/FISH HARVESTED.  ALL SAMPLES WILL BE SHIPPED IN PRE-PAID SHIPPING CONTAINERS PROVIDED BY USA CHEMICAL CO.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE JOB: INCUMBENT WILL BE REQUIRED TO RELOCATE AFTER COMPLETING EACH JOB ASSIGNMENT.  JOB ASSIGNMENTS ENTAIL THE TAKING OF ANIMALS, INCLUDING FISH FROM WITHIN AND AROUND AREAS WHERE USA CHEMICALS HAVE BEEN USED.

INCUMBENT WILL BE PAID ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF SAMPLES PROVIDED AT A RATE OF $2,000 P/SAMPLE DELIVERED.  INCUMBENT CAN APPEAL FOR ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION PENDING JOB COMPLETION IF THE INCUMBENT FEELS HIS/HER LIFE HAS BEEN ENDANGERED IN ANY WAY.  APPEALS CAN ONLY BE PAID UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $5,000 P/SAMPLE DELIVERED.  SAMPLE SIZE DOES NOT DICTATE MORE OR LESS COMPENSATION TO THE INCUMBENT.  A GOPHER LIVER PAYS EQUAL TO AN ELEPHANT LIVER.

INCUMBENT WILL BE ALLOWED TO HAVE AS HIS/HER ESCORTS, ANY OR ALL FAMILY MEMBERS INCLUDING SIBLINGS AND UP TO 5 PERSONAL FRIENDS.  ALL OF WHOM WILL TRAVEL AT THE EXPENSE OF USA CHEMICAL CO.  ANY AND ALL LICENSE FEES WILL BE INCLUDED FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

INCUMBENT, FAMILY AND FRIENDS  WILL BE PROVIDED VISAS AND ALL TRAVEL PAPERWORK NESSESSARY FOR WORLD WIDE TRAVELLING.  INCLUDING THE COUNTRIES OF CHINA, AFRICA AND NEW ZEALAND.

AIR TRANSPORTATION TO JOB DESTINATIONS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES WILL BE ARRANGED AND PAID FOR BY USA CHEMICAL CO. IN ADVANCE AND THE INCUMBENT MUST BE ON THE JOB SITE WITHIN THE PARAMETERS SET FOR THAT JOB.  AIR TRANSPORTATION WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED FOR THE INCUMBENTS FAMILY AND FRIENDS.  SHOULD SPECIAL CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT, GUIDE SERVICES ETC. BE NECESSARY FOR THE INCUMBENT, FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO ADEQUATELY COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT  USA CHEMICAL CO. WILL PAY ANY AND ALL EXPENCES.  USA CHEMICAL CO. WILL ALSO PAY FOR TRANSPORTATION EXPENSES FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE JOB SITE, AT THE JOB SITE AND BACK TO THE AIRPORT WHEN THE JOB IS COMPLETED.  THESE EXPENSES WILL MOST LIKELY INCLUDE CHAUFFEUR DRIVERS.

INCUMBENT WILL BE FURNISHED A 40 FOOT CLASS A MOTORHOME FOR TRAVELLING IN AND AROUND THE UNITED STATES.  ANY AND ALL EXPENSES RELATED TO THE USE OF THE MOTOR HOME WILL BE PAID BY USA CHEMICAL CO., INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:  INSURANCE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, FUEL, MAINTAINENCE, PARKING FEES, TOLL FEES, CAMPING FEES  ETC.

THE INCUMBENT WILL BE PROVIDED A CREDIT CARD WHICH MUST ONLY BE USED TO PURCHASE FOOD, CLOTHING, AMMUNITION, GUNS, FISHING TACKLE, CAMPING EQUIPMENT ETC. FOR HIM/HERSELF, FAMILY AND PERSONAL FRIENDS ACCOMPANYING THE INCUMBENT ON THE ASSIGNMENT.  A SPECIAL ALLOWANCE OF UP TO 25% FOR SERVICE TIPS IS PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE WHILE USING THIS CREDIT CARD.

THE INCUMBENT, FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL BE PROVIDED ANY AND ALL LICENSES FOR THE STATE AND/OR COUNTRY IN WHICH THE JOB ASSIGNMENT TAKES PLACE.

UPON ARRIVING ON THE JOB SITE, THE INCUMBENT WILL BE GIVEN A LIST OF ANIMALS THAT NEED TO BE HARVESTED.  THE INCUMBENT IS RESPONSIBLE TO OBTAIN AT LEAST ONE SAMPLE OF EACH OF THE ANIMALS ON THE LIST AND PROPERLY REMOVE AND SHIP THE LIVER TO THE PREDETERMINED DESTINATION, IN THE CONTAINER PROVIDED WITH PREPAID SHIPPING.  SHOULD THE INCUMBENT FIND IT DIFFICULT TO LOCATE AND HARVEST AN ANIMAL ON THE LIST, HE/SHE MAY AT THEIR DISCRESTION HIRE GUIDES AND/OR ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT TO ASSIST IN THE HARVESTING OF THAT ANIMAL.  ONCE HARVESTED AND THE LIVER REMOVED FOR SHIPPING, THE REMAINDER OF THE ANIMAL CAN BE UTILIZED BY THE INCUMBENT, HIS/HER FAMILY AND/OR ANY GUESTS ACCOMPANYING THE INCUMBENT.   IF AN ANIMAL HARVESTED IS CONSIDERED BY THE INCUMBENT TO BE ONE WORTHY OF TAXIDERMY SERVICES OF ANY KIND, USA CHEMICAL CO. WILL PAY ANY AND ALL FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT AND WILL PAY SHIPPING COSTS TO ANY ADDRESS THE INCUMBENT WISHES THE FINISHED MOUNT TO BE SENT.  IF THE INCUMBENT WISHES TO SELL OR DONATE THE MOUNTED ANIMAL HE/SHE WILL BE ALLOWED TO KEEP ANY AND ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE.  USA CHEMICAL CO., WILL PAY ANY AND ALL EXPORT/EXCISE TAXES AND/OR FEDERAL/STATE TAXES ON ANY SOLD OR DONATED MOUNT.

SHOULD THE INCUMBENT FIND DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING A LIVER SAMPLE FROM ONE OR MORE OF THE ANIMALS ON THE JOB LIST HE/SHE MAY HIRE SOMEONE TO CONTINUE TO PERSUE THE ANIMAL IN HIS/HER ABSENCE AND MOVE TO THE NEXT JOB ASSIGNMENT AREA.  THE INCUMBENT CAN NOT PROMISE USA CHEMICAL CO TO PAY THE NEWLY HIRED PERSON MORE THAN $1,500 P/SAMPLE DELIVERED.  SHOULD AN ANIMAL ON THE LIST NOT BE HARVESTED, THE INCUMBENT MAY EXPECT TO BE REASSIGNED TO THAT AREA IN THE FUTURE TO TRY AGAIN.  REASSIGNMENTS COME WITH A REDUCED PRICE PER SAMPLE TO BE DETERMINED BY THE DEMAND FOR THAT SAMPLE.  THIS PRACTICE ENCOURAGES THE INCUMBENT TO HARVEST EVERY ANIMAL ON THE LIST THE FIRST TIME THE ASSIGNMENT IS GIVEN.

WHILE TRAVELLING, WHETHER INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, THE INCUMBENT, FAMILY AND PERSONAL FRIENDS WILL HAVE 100% OF THEIR MEDICAL NEEDS MET AT ALL TIMES.  IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THE INCUMBENT DIES WHILE ON ASSIGNMENT, IT IS ADVISED HE/SHE LIST WHO WILL TAKE OVER THE JOB FROM THE FAMILY OR PERSONAL FRIENDS THAT ACCOMPANY HIM/HER ON THE ASSIGNMENT.  SHOULD ALL PERSONS TRAVELLING WITH THE INCUMBENT, INCLUDING THE INCUMBENT DIE WHILE ON AN ASSIGNMENT THIS JOB WILL BE RE-POSTED AND ANOTHER INCUMBENT SOUGHT, AS IS THE CASE AT THIS POINT.

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPANY.

Bears Butt

June 13, 2011

Hey everyone.  I think it’s time we made ourselves a fire starting set.  What’s in it?  You ask.  A metal container for some tinder and some char.  A piece of flint rock.  A metal striker.  A bag to carry it all in.  AND another larger metal container in which you make your char.

Now what are all these things I’m talking about?

Metal container: This should be a fairly small container with a metal lid that is fairly tight so as not to let moisture in.  Moisture is a very bad thing when it comes to making fire using a flint and a steel.  My small tin measures about 2 ½ inches across and is about ½ inch deep.  I actually only carry my char in it and my tinder in another moisture tight container.

Around where I live we have places where people drop off unwanted items like a charity type store and the store re-sells it for pretty cheap compared to the cost of the item when it was new.  In the case of these metal containers, the condition only needs to be moisture resistant and it does not need to be pretty.  Actually, you will probably burn the outside paint off when you make your first fire, just to give the container an old timey look.

By the way, while you are in that store, look for a metal container that is larger than the one you are going to carry with your fire starting kit.  One that maybe about 6 inches across and 2 inches deep.  Actually most any size that is bigger will do.  You will understand as we get into this farther just about what you want to pick up.

You probably don’t have to go to any store either.  Look around your home.  Did Uncle Joe give you a presentation knife that was in a metal container?  The metal container in that bottom drawer.  The one that used to have a knife in it.  Or what about Aunt Diane giving you a container of cookies.  Isn’t that made of metal?  Get what I’m saying here?

Small Metal Container with Char in it

Now we are going to have fun making this fire kit, so it might take us a while to get it all together.  And it isn’t going to cost us anything if we are willing to look around for the items.

Char: Char is “cooked cotton cloth”.  It has to be 100% pure cotton, so look on the label of that old T-shirt of yours, the one that is in the rag bag.  It can be an old towel or better yet some of those lantern wicks that are used in hurricane lamps.  The ones you have for emergency use stuck in your storage area and are filled with kerosene.  Ya, those wicks.  But to keep costs to zero, just use old clothing or towels.  They MUST be 100% cotton.

Cut the cotton up in sizes about 2 inches square and place each piece in your larger tin container.  Stack them up until the container is full.  They don’t have to be in a perfect stack, they can be scattered in the container, just make sure to fill it up pretty full.

Now put the lid on the container, good and tight.  Take a nail, awl, small screwdriver (nail is best) and poke about 10 small holes in the lid of the container.  Why are we doing that?  Well, we are going to put this big container in a fire and it is going to get hot.  When it does, it will start getting the cotton inside it hot as well.  When the cotton gets REALLY hot it will want to start burning, but there isn’t enough oxygen inside the container to allow it to burn, so it will smolder.  You can tell when it is smoldering because smoke will be coming out of the holes you made.  Even some of the smoke might catch on fire as it smokes.   This is fun to watch.  As it smokes and smokes you will begin to see the smoking slowing down.  Inside the container the cotton has almost exhausted itself of anything that could possibly burn, and is turning into charred cotton.  The fibers of the cotton cloth will still be visible when it cools down later, and it will be ready to accept a hot spark and hold it.  Let it sit in the fire for an hour or so.  Be VERY careful after that hour when you are taking the container out of the fire.  It will be VERY HOT!  Also, if you do not have tongs, welding gloves or anything that can get the container out of the fire without getting yourself burned  just leave it in there until the fire is out and things cool down to the touch.  It won’t hurt a thing.  It might even make the char better.

Tinder: This is dry material that is actually going to burst into flames when we need it to.  Tinder can be most anything that is very dry and fibrous.  Most mountain men will find tinder under the bark of a softwood tree such as a long dead quaking aspen.  Or under a heavy pine bow  or thick bush where the grasses and such are protected from the rain and snow.  Whatever you get for the tinder make sure you get enough to make a pretty good sized “nest” of it.  Something about the size of a softball or even larger will keep your hands from getting burnt when the flames begin to rise.

Let’s say you choose to get your tinder from the bark of a quaking aspen.  Peel some of the bark off and the material that was next to the actual tree trunk is very good for use as tinder.  Pull some of it off and rub it between your hands.

If you are using dried grass, pull up a sizable quantity and scrunch it into a ball and then pull it apart to form the nest.

Tinder from under the bark of a quakie

Flint: Flint is a rock that is quite hard as far as rock hardness goes.  Flint is found most everywhere in the United States and comes in a vast array of colors and such.  When you are out hiking or camping just start looking around on the ground for rocks that “look” like they might be harder than steel.  I really can’t explain what flint looks like, but once you find some, you will get better at knowing what sort of rock is harder than steel.  If you are having a hard time finding a flint rock big enough that you can use for making a fire, you can always go to a rendezvous in your area and purchase one.  Sometimes the guy selling flint rocks will just up and give you one.  Those are the best kind.  If you can’t seem to locate a rendezvous, go to a rock shop.  Almost every medium to large city has one of them.

Flint Rock Pieces and Metal Striker

Metal Striker (steel): This will probably be the hardest thing to find for your kit.  Almost any type of steel metal can be used as a striker.  A small wood file.  A flat piece of metal.  Broken part off from the underside of a car.  Most of the mountain men have strikers that look like a “U” shape.  Some are really fancy with twists and stuff, but all of them have at least one surface that is relatively smooth and flat.  A good striker is usually about ¼ inch wide and long enough for you to hold it with your four fingers.  You have to be able to hold the striker and be able to hit down (strike) on the edge of the flint rock without hitting your fingers or hand.  If you hit yourself, it will cut you and you don’t want that to happen.  You just might have to break down and go to a rendezvous to purchase one of these.  They are usually less than $5 for one and you can try several of them out before you buy it to make sure it fits your size hand (4 fingers).

A Carrying Bag: You can just put all  of the things you now have in your pocket and that would suffice as a carrying bag.  Or you could gather up an old pair of levis and cut one leg  off a bit, then sew up one of the open ends.  If you do that, make sure to leave some part of it long enough to be able to fold it over the open end as a flap.  Other items that make good bags are marble bags, pieces of leather scraps or even a small purse found at one of them second hand stores.  Once you have the bag you can put all the stuff you have for fire making in it.

Fire Starting Bag

OK.  We should have ourselves a flint rock, striker, char, tinder, a small metal container that is empty and a metal container with char in it.

Take some char out of the large container and put it in the smaller container.  When you go camping you probably won’t want to carry around the larger container, but you will want to have dry char with you.  That is where this little container comes in handy and it will fit inside your bag.

How do we use this to make a fire?

Well, first off, let’s begin with the end result in mind…a fire!  Make sure you can have a fire where you want one and that a fire won’t cause the forest to burn down, or your neighbors barn or house to burn.  Any living quarters of a home is NOT a safe place for a fire.  Make sure you  have a fireplace where you are going to build this fire, or are outside with a designated fire pit available and that there are no fire restrictions being enforced.  When you have this, gather up some smallish dry twigs and lay some in a cross grid fashion inside the fire pit.  Then build up the sides of the grid like arrangement so the twigs create what looks sort of like a loose wooden crate with no top.  Gather more twigs and place them along side, but outside,  the fire pit.

Next:

Take your tinder and make a nest out of it.  It should be cupped with plenty of tinder material all around the cup.  It will look very much like a robin’s nest when you have it made about perfect.

Now:

Take a piece (or several pieces) of char out of the container and hold it firmly under the flint rock with your fingers.  Pinch the flint rock between your fingers (which are holding the char) and your thumb, which will be on top of the flint rock.   Be sure to leave part of the char protruding out and away from the flint;  far enough out that when you create sparks they have a chance to fall onto the char.

Then:

Holding the striker with the four fingers and thumb of the other hand and clearly out of harms way (so you don’t hit the flint with your fingers), swiftly bring the striker down against the edge of the flint rock.  You should see sparks go flying.  These sparks are actually tiny shavings of metal being scraped away from your steel striker.  Look at the char and try to see if any of the sparks caused a glowing reddish/orange dot on the char.  If none exist, strike down again.  Keep doing this until one of the sparks actually does make a glowing spec on the char.

When a spark is caught:

With the char now containing at least one glowing spot, place the char inside the cup made in the tinder.  Pick up the entire nest of tinder and carefully squeeze in the sides of the nest around the char, but not so tight as to not be able to still see the char.    Bring the entire nest up close to your mouth and begin to carefully blow air into the char.  You will soon see smoke coming from the nest as the char cloth gets more and more of its mass glowing.  Keep this up until you see flames coming from the tinder nest.  (You probably have learned by this time, that you should be blowing into the nest while the breeze is at your back, carrying the smoke away from your face).  Now place (or toss) the nest into your stand of fire starting twigs.  Bingo!

Fire!

Build the fire up:

Carefully take the twigs you set outside the fire ring and place them gingerly over the top of the fire.  Be careful not to smother the fire with too many twigs at the same time.  Let the fire slowly build itself up until you have enough fire to start larger diameter sticks and eventually able to burn dry logs.

There you have it!  Enjoy your time in the outdoors!  Be safe!  And when you are done with your fire, make sure you douse it with water, stir it, douse it some more, stir again, and douse it until any and all hint of heat is completely gone AND then cover it with dirt  before you leave it.

Your flint and steel fire starting kit will work for you as long as you want it to and your materials don’t get wet.

Bears Butt

June 12, 2011

Before the area became a draw only limited entry buck hunt the Willow Creek Free trappers used to try and get into the Crawfords to hunt during the late muzzleloader deer season.  We had a few pretty good hunts in there.  I’m sure you have read the nose to tail story.  That was a hunt in the Crawfords.

Well, all good things tend to come to an end eventually and so it was with the Crawfords.  The fish and wildlife people from the states of Wyoming and Utah got together and decided we were shooting too many of Wyomings big bucks; bucks that were coming into this area as their wintering and breeding area.  So, Utah made it a limited entry draw area.

As luck would have it, Wapiti and I drew out on the unit the second year it was a draw unit.  We were really excited because it was to be held just after Thanksgiving and would run for a couple of weeks.  The snow was just starting to stick in the mountains and the Wind River Range in Wyoming had really been dumped on.  What that meant to the Crawfords was the snow would push the deer out and down into their winter range.  And that would be right where we were going to be.  Two of the happiest muzzleloader hunters in the whole world.

As the time approached to head for the mountain, Tracker was for sure going to be going with us.  He wanted to film the entire hunt and capture all the highlights as they occurred.  Next was Many Steps.  He was just a youngster and had decided not to go to high school any more and his mother insisted he go with us into the Crawfords.  It was just fine with us.  So the four of us planned our hunt and made arrangements for trailers, trucks and equipment.

That time of year you can expect almost anything as far as weather goes.  You can have an unseasonably warm spell, extreme cold, deep snow, rain or sunshine and typical late fall weather.  The Crawfords are located on the Wyoming and Utah border near the town of Randolph.  Randolph is historically “the coldest place in Utah”.  This particular year was just that!  During the hunt the temperature dropped to minus 20 degrees!

Have you ever stood outside in minus 20 degrees?  Your nostrils stick together on the inside of your nose.  And if that’s not enough, if you breathe through your mouth the moisture from your breath freezes to your face in a big circle around your mouth.  Your eyes are constantly tearing up and your nose freezes on the end!  And that is just what happens to humans.  In the animal world the domestic cattle, stuck out in an open meadow, hunch up, putting their feet close together, they turn their back side to the wind and hope the closeness of all their internal organs is enough insulation to keep the blood pumping through their heart, which is in the center of the hunch.

The whole world is COLD!  Nothing escapes the cold.  When I opened a can of beer, which was in the cooler in order to keep from freezing, it almost always immediately began to freeze and foam out the top.  I had to set the can between the fire and the rock fire ring in order to keep it from freezing solid between drinks.  Tracker was going to make him and Wapiti a whiskey type drink one evening.  We did not have any ice cubes.  So Tracker, being the ingenious one he is, put some water in an ice cube tray and sat it outside on a stump.  Went inside the camp trailer and poured whiskey into two glasses, went back out to the ice cube tray and cracked ice cubes for their drinks….the time lapse was only a couple of minutes….THAT’S  COLD!

Inside the trailer, we had some liquid Crisco brand vegetable oil for cooking.  One day I went to get it to cook with and it was as solid as a stone.  I looked at Tracker who was filming the event and holding the Crisco up in my left hand, I spoke in sort of a Mexican voice saying “Hey Crisco, how cold is it”?  Yep!  20 below is mighty cold.  So cold in fact that when the day time temperature rose up to zero degrees, we felt like taking our coats off.

So here we are on this great adventure in the Crawfords.  Ya, it was cold, ya there was a bit of snow on the ground, but there were buck deer in almost every direction you looked.  Some were very small, some not so small and some were gigantic!  We had our pick from the candy store for sure.  Actually, we did not know exactly how good it was for choosing a large buck from the area.  We were used to hunting during the regular muzzleloader deer season and if you had a chance to shoot a buck you took the chance, whether that buck was a spike or a big four point.   It did not matter, it was a legal buck and so you took the shot.  In the Crawfords we could pass up shooting the smaller bucks and go for the bigger ones.  If we saw them in an area one day, they would not be too far from there the next day.  Just like choosing candy from a candy store.

We got to know quite a few of the other hunters in the area as well.  They had only let about 30 hunters into the entire area to hunt, and where we camped was on the main road in and out of the Crawford mountains.  Everyone would stop each night and show us their deer or talk about what they saw that day.  It was just like a big family in the Crawfords and everyone was there for the same purpose and everyone was having the time of their lives.  That is the same way it is today.

On this hunt there was a very special thing that was going to happen and we didn’t know it at the time.  Many Steps had brought his snowboard.  So, what do you think he did when we were heading back toward camp?  Snowboarded as much as he could until the roadway didn’t have enough slope to let him slide.  We believe to this day that he was the first and the only one to ever snowboard in the Crawford Mountains!

We spent nine full days hunting In that wonderful place and I ended up with a fine 3 by 3 muley buck with a spread of 27 inches and height of 28 inches.  A very nice fully mature buck that had a harem of about 25 does.  Wapiti took a very nice 4X4 buck that was very symmetrical but it was a younger buck, maybe 4 years old.  What was the most awesome thing about it all though was the number of VERY BIG bucks we did see.  Wapiti shot at several that would have dwarfed the one I tagged.   But for whatever reason he couldn’t hit them or if he did it wasn’t in a vital spot.  To get buck fever is very easy to do in the Crawfords.

I have hunted the Crawfords on two separate occasions since the draw began and been with two other groups of hunters on two other occasions.  None of those hunts was a bad hunt and every one brought back some very fond memories.  Every hunt found the hunters filling their tags with some very nice bucks and every hunter had at least one good shot at a record book animal, whether they took the shot or not, the chance was there.

Good luck drawing the tag, that’s the single hardest thing to do about the Crawford Hunt!

Bears Butt

June 6, 2011

FISHING, HUNTING, CAMPING, HIKING….ANYTHING THAT IS DONE OUT OF DOORS…..IT’S A WAY OF LIFE, ANY YOU JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT.

Heard this at rendezvous a couple of weeks ago.

I was going into the grocery story to pick up some beer and outside the door was these kids trying to give away some cute little puppies.  I told them I would have to think about it and would let them know when I came out.

Well, time I came out they only had one left.  So I said ok, and took it, box and all.

When I got home I see that this little dog doesn’t have any legs.  Born without them.  Oh, how sad.  But the little guy is just as happy as heck and rolls around to get where it needs to go.

I had to get rid of that dog.

Well, I was working on a stretch of fence out near the highway and I’m working as hard as I can, and the dog is just there watching.  I have him in the wheelbarrow and when he would whine I would move him up the fence line and then go back to fixing the fence.  All of a sudden this dog took into chasing cars.  I almost had a heart attack!  So, I got rid of the dog.

First off let me tell you right up front that this explanation is intended for the novice, so that when someone hands them a muzzle loading rifle they should be able to say, “Oh, this is a nice__whatever it is________gun”!

Which came first the chicken or the egg?  You decide for yourself and then please keep the answer to yourself…thank you!

Which came first  the flintlock or the cap lock?  The flintlock came first!  Well, let’s just say, the flintlock came before the cap lock.  There were other guns that preceded the flintlock, but that is not what we are talking about here.

Both guns have a barrel and stock and a lock assembly and trigger assembly and a ram rod.  Some of both types even have sights on the rear and the front.  Have you ever heard of “Lock, Stock and Barrel”?

So what is the lock?

Flint lock, get it?  Cap lock, get it?

Flintlocks have a few pieces that aren’t on a cap lock.  So here we go with the difference.  The flintlock, now going to be called a “flinter”, has a screw down mechanism that is an integral part of the hammer, that allows the user to pinch a small piece of flint rock (that’s ROCK not LOCK) in it.  Most often the user will also employ a small piece of leather or cloth between the metal of the screw down mechanism and the flint rock (ROCK).  This keeps the flint rock (what?) from breaking under the pressure the mechanism exerts on it.

The flinter also has to have something for the flint rock to strike against to cause a spark.  You see the whole idea behind a flintlock is to get a spark to ignite powder and set the main charge in the gun off.  When you make a fire using a piece of flint and a steel striker, you strike down onto the edge of the flint with the steel striker, which causes sparks to cast about and land on your char cloth.  Then you place the char cloth into a nest of very dry wood shavings or other material called tinder.  Then you blow into the nest until it bursts into flame.  Trust me on that.

The flintlock (LOCK not ROCK) works on the same principle utilizing the flint rock (ROCK not LOCK) striking the steel of what is called the “frizzen”.  The frizzen on the gun can pivot and it pivots towards the front of the gun.  The frizzen is also held rather tightly by a strong spring, called a main spring, which makes the flint really have to bear down some pressure to get the device to pivot.  As the flint basically scrapes down the face of the frizzen, the frizzen moves away and the flint continues it’s downward motion cascading sparks as it moves.  As the frizzen moves out of the way, it exposes finely ground gun powder (blackpowder) that is housed under the frizzen in what is called “the pan”.  The sparks are hot pieces of metal shavings that the flint rock has scraped away from the face of the frizzen and they fall into the gunpowder and cause it to explode (burns really fast).  This explosion is nothing but pure fire and some of this fire is cast into the main powder chamber inside the guns’ barrel through what is called the “touch hole”.  The touch hole is nothing more than a hole in the side of the barrel that goes from the outside world into the inside of the guns barrel.  If you point the muzzle end of the gun barrel toward the sun, and press your eye very tightly against the touch hole, you might be able to see some light coming in.  Of course that would only work with a gun that was not loaded.

Ok, here it goes, the flint is held tightly in the mechanism of the hammer, a small amount of powder has been placed in the pan, and the frizzen is pulled back and pressed downward over top of the pan.  The hammer is then cocked all the way back.  The gun is pointed downrange toward the intended target.  Hopefully some aiming is taking place and the trigger is pulled until the hammer falls.  The flint hits the frizzen, pressure from the main spring attached to the frizzen is exerted, but the force of the hammer spring is greater than that of the main spring and the frizzen begins to move away from the flint rock.  Sparks begin to fly and continue to fly until the frizzen is completely moved away from the flint rock.  The hammer stops short of hitting the pan, which holds the powder.  By the time the hammer stops, the sparks have ignited the powder in the pan and has caused a small explosion.  Fire goes into the barrel through the touch hole, where a charge of powder and a seated projectile await.  The main powder charge ignites and sends the projectile down toward the intended target.

That is how a flintlock works.

Now let’s talk about the cap lock gun.

Lock, Stock and Barrel!  Stock?  Pretty much like that of the flinter.  Barrel?  Pretty much like that of the flinter, differences to be explained shortly.  Lock?  A substantial difference.

Lock.  The hammer does not have anything that needs to be tightened in it like the flinter does, so it just has a cupped face.

Barrel.  The touch hole in the barrel is threaded and a “drum” is screwed into this touch hole.  The drum also has a threaded hole in it.  A “nipple” is screwed into the drums’ threaded hole.  With the whole assembly in place, the cupped face of the hammer, will fit exactly over the top of the nipple.

I sense confusion.

Drum.  A cylindrical metal device used to basically extend the touch hole.  The threaded touch hole allows the drum to be screwed into the barrel and makes a tight seal against the barrel.

Nipple.  A metal device threaded on one end and tapers in a cone like shape.  The nipple has a small sized hole extending its’ full length.  The nipple is screwed into the drum.  In essence, the touch hole of the flintlock rifle has now been extended out at a 90 degree angle away from the barrel, and then turned another 90 degree angle upward and toward the rear of the barrel.  Close your eyes and try to visualize this in your mind as someone reads this to you.  Keep doing this until you clearly see what I mean.

Now that you have seen it.

A cap, what’s a cap?  A cap is a very small metal cup that has a very small charge of extremely finely ground  black powder  in it and is covered by a very, very thin layer of waterproof material.

A cap, is placed over the top of the cone shaped nipple.  The hammer is cocked.  When the hammer hits the top of the cap, forcing it down onto the top of the nipple, the pressure on the powder charge inside the cap, causes it to explode.  Since the hammer has a grundle of pressure being forced downward on the top of the cap, which is the pressure caused by the spring operating the hammer,  the explosion has nowhere to go but down through the hole or channel of the nipple, into the drum and then into the barrel where the main powder charge is waiting, just like with the flinter.

Advantages and disadvantages of each.

Flinter Advantages: None, except you really look cool shooting one at rendezvous and especially cool if you are winning prizes in the contests.     Disadvantages: Lots!  An extra spring to break.  A flint rock that almost always needs tending to.  The flint rock holding device could strip out.  Almost impossible to keep things in working order when the weather is wet.  An exploding mass of fire right in front of your aiming eye.  A delay between pulling the trigger and the main charge going off.  A miriade of stuff.

Cap Lock     Advantages: Tons over a flinter.  Simple design.  Can be used in inclement weather a whole lot better.  You don’t have to have a bunch of extra rocks and tools.  No fire flashing in front of you.  And nearly instant ignition when you shoot.  Disadvantages: You don’t look as cool on the firing line at rendezvous as a guy with a flinter.  Bragging rights are diminished if it’s just you against a flinter shooter and you happen to win.

OK, School is over!

Bears Butt

June 8, 2011

Fine Figures of Men