By W. Hamilton Gibson
Soft cover 320 pages
Available from Rowman and Littlefield
1-800-462-6920
$14.95 + $5 Shipping
This is a reprint of an excellent 1881 book that gives real insight into 19th Century woods living and trapping.
The book is written for the trapper intending to stay in the woods through trapping season. The construction of the trapper’s base camp cabin and line cabins is covered as is how to make a birch bark canoe, dugout canoe, a scow, and a wooden boat as well as more mundane items like snowshoes and the Indian sledge for traversing the snow.
Clothing, arms and other gear are covered. The simple basic food stuffs packed in and how to prepare them in the most appetizing way as well as the simple cooking utensils packed in and employed are there. Every detail of the expedition is covered down to the weights of the packs per trip.
Bedding made from materials at hand, and insect repellent and salves as well as smudge fires to keep them at bay. These mosquitoes, black flies, and midgets are no laughing matter in places. Not only can they torment you all day and keep you from sleeping at night but in extreme cases they can drain a dangerous amount of blood from you.
There is an overview of all the animals that may be encountered as well as information on trapping them. Since this was written in 1881 there are instructions on how to trap things no longer legal to trap like geese, owls, and deer which might be of use to someone who finds himself in a survival situation.
All the equipment they used back then for trapping and how it was employed is covered. While steel traps were preferred there is a complete description of the various types of homemade traps and how to make and use them. This could easily become lifesaving information for someone caught in an emergency survival situation. The fish trap is a lot more efficient at providing fish for dinner than a hook and line and that’s why it is illegal for game fish. Gun and bow and arrow traps as well as spear equipped deadfalls are no longer legal due to the risk they pose to passing humans, but they still make interesting reading.
We have come a long way since 1881 and it is worth knowing how they did things back then and how much they could do with very little and the things that nature provides. This is information worth knowing that has largely been forgotten to the detriment of today’s outdoorsman. Knowing how these men went into the woods and stayed for a trapping season can be vital for the backwoodsman intent on staying deep in the woods. I can highly recommend this book.—Jim Dickson
