Bob Butz

Murderers in the Wild

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:39 -0400

If the rugged lifestyle demanded by North America's wilderness has shaped some of history's most memorable characters, it has also attracted its share of criminals, loners and misfits. In their isolation, these people have found a ready environment in which to turn their most tormented thoughts into reprehensible acts. Here's a short list of heinous "mountain men" who made headlines in the 20th century.

John Turnow aka "The Beast-Man"

Wynooche River, Washington

Crime: Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds, Turnow escaped from a sanitarium and took to the Washington wilderness in 1909. In 1911, he murdered his two nephews, who had come into the mountains searching for him.

Outcome: A little over a year later he was ambushed by deputies who stumbled upon his wilderness camp, which was guarded by an army of tethered frogs. Turnow was killed in the ensuing shootout.

Albert Johnson aka "The Mad Trapper of Rat River"

Yukon Territory, Canada

Crime: In the winter of 1932, after killing one Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable and wounding another, Albert Johnson led the Mounties on a 45-day chase through the Arctic Circle wilderness.

Outcome: Enduring subzero temperatures with only the supplies he carried in his backpack, the Mad Trapper, wearing heavy homemade snowshoes, survived multiple gun battles with his pursuers. When he was killed in a final shootout, his emaciated body weighed "not much over 100-pounds" according to one constable at the scene.

Michael Oros aka "Sheslay Free Mike"

British Columbia, Canada

Crime: A self-proclaimed prophet and Vietnam-era hippie, Oros was suspected of murder in the 1981 disappearance of a German trapper. Brought in for questioning but released due to lack of evidence, Oros took to the bush, where he lived alone, believing mysterious government agents were secretly hunting and trying to kill him.

Outcome: After Oros was implicated in the break-in of a cabin in 1985, a team of Royal Canadian Mountain Police was dispatched by helicopter to bring him in for questioning. Armed with two rifles, Oros ambushed the group and killed one constable before he was shot dead.

William Hollenbaugh aka "Bicycle Pete"

Shade Gap, Pennsylvania

Crime: In May 1966, a Huntingdon County hermit known to locals as Bicycle Pete kidnapped 17-year-old Peggy Ann Bradnick on her way home from school.

Outcome: Holding his captive at gunpoint, Hollenbaugh led police and FBI agents through the mountains of central Pennsylvania for eight days-the longeset manhunt in the state's history. One officer and a police dog were killed in the final shootout with the deranged loner, who was also killed. Bradnick survived unharmed, and a movie and even a song were made about her ordeal.

Simon Gunanoot

British Columbia, Canada

Crime: A prosperous American Indian trapper and businessman, Gunanoot was accused of murdering two men in 1906.
Outcome: Gunanoot, along with his mother, father, wife, children and brother-in-law-also a suspect in the murders-escaped into the Canadian mountains, where the group eluded capture for 13 years. Gunanoot gave himself up in 1919, stood trial and was acquitted.

Claude Dallas

Owyhee River, Idaho

Crime: After a pair of Idaho game wardens walked into Dallas's remote camp in 1981 to investigate allegations of illegal trapping, the self-styled mountain man gunned down both agents with a .357. He then retrievedd a .22-caliber rifle and finished them off with execution-style shots to the head.

Outcome: Dallas dumped the bodies and went on the lam for more than 15 months before being apprehended, sent to trial and convicted of manslaughter. He escaped prison in 1986, but was soon recaptured. In 2005, after serving 22 years of his 30-year sentence, Dallas was released on parole.

One Nation, Under Hogs

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:38 -0400

Wild pigs are everywhere, and that's nothing to oink at. They root. They wallow. They eat almost anything-whitetail fawns, newborn calves, the eggs of nesting birds, not to mention acres of crops. Peanuts in Georgia. Sweet potatoes in Texas. Because they're intelligent, adaptable and prolific breeders, they're spreading. The bad news is that they carry disease. The good news? Wild hogs are oodles of fun to hunt.

"They keep spreading because people keep introducing them into new areas," says Auburn University wildlife and forestry professor Stephen Ditchkoff. He calls the wild hog, including Russian boars, "one of the greatest ecological threats we face in the United States."

Ditchkoff predicts that within 10 years wild hogs will be found in all 50 states. In 1982, at least 18 states reported having them. Today, at least 31 states are infested, and the estimated nationwide population is as high as 5 million.

"I even have reports of hogs in Alaska," says Ditchkoff, who has organized the National Conference on Wild Hogs, a three-day meeting May 21-23 in Mobile, Ala. (sfws.auburn.edu/wild pigconf). There, more than 200 state biologists will discuss how to manage the crisis.

Not without a sense of humor, Ditchkoff is looking forward to a presentation to be given by Australian biologists. "The paper's titled 'Bacon Busting Down Under,'" he says.

Crow 101

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:38 -0400

When there's nothing left to hunt, there are still crows. Here are four tips for
busting blackbirds, along with
a look at some top gear.

1. To bring crows in close, add a rabbit motion decoy to your spread and mix crow
rallying calls with a few high-pitched rabbit-in-distress calls.

2. When setting up in the woods along a field, call from the highest point around. Crows winging in at treetop level will be at eye level as they pass over your spread.

3. Crows aren't difficult to bring down. No. 7½ and 8 target loads will give you sufficiently dense patterns and less shoulder-pounding recoil.

4. While ear-blasting volume may be good for drawing crows across a great distance, too much volume will spook wary birds when they're in close. Drop it down a few decibels as the birds approach.

Calls: Clockwise from top right: Knight & Hale Magnum Camo Crow;
Top Gun Magnum Crow; Primos Old Crow; Quaker Boy Crankin' Crow; Hunter's Specialties Hammerin' Crow

Dueling Quail Groups

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:37 -0400

When news broke this past August that the 110,000-member-strong Pheasants Forever wanted to help the beleaguered quail, not everyone was thrilled. In addition to increasing advocacy and education for quail research and land improvements benefiting quail, Quail Forever (QF) was launched with the goal of establishing 12 new chapters by Christmas and 50 chapters with 12,000 new dues-paying members by next year.

"Let's just say I was disappointed," says Rocky Evans, president of Quail Unlimited (QU), the 44,000-member nonprofit that has dominated the quail conservation turf since 1981. According to Evans, if there was a great deal of untapped support for quail organizations, QU would already be much larger than it is.

"One survey showed there are about a million and a half potential quail hunters in the United States," says Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever president and spokesman for QF. "So we believe there's definitely room to grow. The difference between our organization model and QU is that all the money raised by our local chapters remains local, while QU leaves only half of it there."

Actually, QU leaves 60 percent with local chapters, while the other 40 goes to national projects. Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, gives both groups five stars.

Vincent says he tried for more than a year and a half to work out a merger with QU, until the latter walked away from the talks.

"They offered to take us over, and we didn't feel that was in the best interest of QU," says Evans. He claims QU members have been targeted directly by Pheasants Forever volunteers. Vincent denies such claims.

It's been called the greatest challenge Quail Unlimited has faced, but Evans doesn't think so.
"This doesn't change a thing," he says. "Our plan right now is to stay the course."

Crossbows Draw Fire

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

Earlier this year, the Pope and Young Club joined forces with other bowhunting clubs to decree that the intrusion of crossbows into archery seasons poses the most "imminent and critical threat to the future of bowhunting as we know it." So what prompted the angry declaration?

It began with a recent position statement issued by the Archery Trade Association (ATA), which stated that since federal agencies recognize crossbows and crossbow accessories as archery equipment through the Federal Archery Excise tax, so does the ATA.

And while the ATA "does not support a reduction in the length of archery seasons to accommodate a separate crossbow season," it does support the decisions made so far by wildlife agencies that are looking to the crossbow as a way to increase hunter participation and curb whitetail populations.

Some dyed-in-the-wool archers see that as playing both sides of the fence. The letter allegedly sent by the Pope and Young Club to the ATA's board of directors in May maintains that "crossbows are not bows" and have no place in the regular archery season for able-bodied hunters. They point out unspecified activities by the ATA "to undermine our bow seasons" and express dismay that the association would support a product that "threatens to displace or destroy most of what your industry and our sport were built upon."
Bowhunting hard-liners are crying foul, but is anyone listening?

"Nobody takes Pope and Young seriously anymore," says Bill Troubridge, owner of Excalibur Crossbows, Inc. "All along, the stance they've taken on the crossbow issue proves they don't represent anybody but their own self-interest. What's worse, they are actively working against wildlife agencies in states considering the crossbow while they also organize to shut down seasons in states where crossbows are currently allowed. Sounds like elements of an anti-hunting agenda to me."

Pope and Young did not send the letter, according to Executive Secretary Kevin Hisey, but his organization did sign it and stands behind its content. He says Pope and Young is getting blamed as
a strategy "by people in the industry who are trying to loosen or eliminate current equipment restrictions."

Should hunters be legally allowed to use crossbows during archery-only deer seasons? VOTE NOW

Get the Drift

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

Dynamic and deadly-that's float hunting. A tactic most often associated with moose, caribou and black bear, the idea of hunting from a canoe is foreign to most Midwesterners. But in states where it's legal to shoot from a boat not powered by a motor, rivers offer a stealthy avenue into prime whitetail country where the scenery changes around every bend and point-blank shot opportunities abound.

Along the easygoing, meandering path of a typical Midwestern river, you'll find a mix of farms, fields, swamps and vast tracts of state and federal forestlands. Brush-choked riverbanks provide both sanctuary and, come deer season, consistent avenues of escape. Vegetation and mast-producing trees tend to be fuller and more reliable along river bottoms in dry years. As a species, the whitetail evolved along watercourses. In most of America, however-aside from the gator country of the Deep South-deer have never quite learned to fear waterborne predators, and unless they catch wind of him, a deer generally won't consider a man in a canoe a threat.

Presuming the wind is right, you can expect close-quarters shooting-15 to 20 yards-at deer that will often be bedded down when you spot the twitch of an ear, a glint of antler or a gleaming, obsidian eye. A whitetail
surprised by an oncoming canoe might bolt for heavy cover only to stop and look back. More often, it will just dumbly stare as you drift by. Look for deer at river bends and on points of land jutting into the current. When there's snow on the ground, whitetails stand out like billboards. Plus, there's less foliage to interfere with your shot. Pay attention to areas under cedar trees, where the snow is not as deep.

Boom Towns

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

North Dakota

Dog Density: There are 200,000 animals on 20,000 acres* of public and private land in western North Dakota.

Hot spots: South-
central North Dakota and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation; southwestern part of the state near Dickinson and Watford.

Contact: For shooting opportunities in the southwest, call the Medora Ranger District office in Dickinson (701-225-5151) or the McKenzie Ranger District office in Watford (701-842-2393). For Standing Rock Reservation, call 701-854-7236.

South Dakota

Dog Density: No estimate for private land. Public land estimated at 10,000 animals on 1,000 acres.

Hot spots: Southwestern South Dakota, near the town of Wall; around the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands on the Nebraska border.

Contact: To find private landowners in southwestern South Dakota who welcome hunters, contact the Wall Ranger District office (605-279-2125) or the Wall Chamber of Commerce (605-279-2665).

Nebraska

Dog Density: 1.4 million dogs on 137,000 acres

Hot spots: Custer and Lincoln counties in central Nebraska; Chase and Dundy counties west of McCook in the southwest; Panhandle counties of Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne and Deuel.

Contact: Call the Chamber of Commerce offices in the above counties for private landowners who offer access to prairie dog hunters.

Oklahoma

Dog Density: 320,000 dogs on 32,000 acres

Hot spots: Cimarron, Texas and Beaver counties

Contact: For information on private lands where prairie dog hunters are welcome, contact the Cimarron County Chamber of Commerce (580-554-3344), Guymon Chamber of Commerce (580-338-3376), Beaver County Chamber of Commerce (580-625-4726), Hooker Chamber of Commerce (580-652-2809) or Laverne Chamber of Commerce (580-921-3612).

*Biologists tabulate populations based on the combined acreage of prairie dog towns. On average, 10 prairie dogs occupy one square acre.

Cougar Catchers

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

In the last five years, the Midwest has had 24 confirmed cases of cougars being shot, hit by cars, photographed or videotaped. "I call it the 'unsettling' of the Midwest," says Jay Tischendorf, a wildlife veterinarian and founder of the American Ecological Research Institute (AERIE), based
in Great Falls, Mont.

Cougars are expanding their range eastward, and that puts them on a collision course with humans. In most of these instances, the cougar ends up dead. That's why Tischendorf and AERIE have assembled an on-call, rapid-response team of experts in puma tracking, snaring and live-trapping.

Since animal-control officers and wildlife agencies east of the Rockies tend to be inexperienced in dealing with problem cougars, Tischendorf says, AERIE can
provide the discreet, professional services of a team that is able to safely catch big cats, particularly in high-density areas. The team is quick to
deploy, arriving where needed within 12 to 24 hours. The cost: $1,000 to $2,000 per day, plus expenses.
"Our motto is simple," says Tischendorf. "We're like a puma-oriented Paladin: Have hounds. Have traps. Will travel."

Sturgeon Generals

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:36 -0400

Sure, only five fish a year can be caught-or speared, actually, with a huge seven-pronged trident weighing 30 pounds or better. But that hasn't kept the sturgeon season at Black Lake near the tiny Michigan town of Cheboygan from becoming one of the biggest parties on ice.

Each year, hundreds gather for the event, which begins February
5 and runs until February 13, or until the quota is reached, whichever comes first. With people drawing for a new chance to combat the fish every day, the season might go a week. Or it might, as it did in 2002, close in 35 minutes.

Get drawn and you can rent a shanty for 50 bucks a day. Real diehards keep GPS coordinates of places where sturgeon have been skewered in years past and tow their shanties to the spot. Then they hack an 8-by-3-foot window in the ice, drop a sucker decoy into the water and wait. Should a sturgeon appear, it's more about dropping the spear than throwing it. Connect and the only thing to do is hold on for dear life. Some fishermen have been yanked into their ice holes; others have had to kick out the walls of their shanties to make room to fight the fish.

Most of the people at the event never get drawn. For the unlucky masses, there's plenty of other action, such as mower races, sumo wrestling in an icy ring and a mechanical bull.

Getting Wild in Winter

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:35 -0400

A couple of Decembers ago, my wife's sister and her son came up north from New York for the holidays, smack-dab in the middle of a freakishly frigid
winter gale. It was cold outside even by northern Michigan standards. Every bit of standing water was frozen. A layer of snow coated the landscape and made everything look like candy: the little red barns and farmhouses, and especially the evergreen trees.

The house smelled of the pine and cinnamon sticks I set to simmer on the woodstove. We drank wine and ate dinners of venison and duck. It was all good until somebody broke out the Garrison Keillor tapes while we were stringing popcorn and cranberries. That's when I switched from a mug of warm cider to a highball of holiday cheer. I can only take so much of Keillor's breathy, deathbed intonation. A couple of hours of that and I was ready to do anything-even go icefishing.

Actually, it was my nephew's idea. I don't particularly like icefishing. There are over 11,000 inland lakes and ponds in Michigan, yet there always seems to be a crowd. The latest rumor had the walleyes in shallow, and we found the drop-off predictably packed.

I suggested to the boy that we strap on some snowshoes and hit a little backwoods pond I know. There, a mile in, we hacked a couple of windows through the ice. Within an hour we had jigged up enough bluegills for a proper shore lunch that I fried right there on the ice. The fish was accompanied by baked beans, which smelled heavenly in the frigid air, bubbling like lava in my favorite cast-iron pan.

Late-Season Ringnecks

"Got winter woes? Hit the holiday road." That's my motto if you're not lucky enough to have late-season grouse, pheasants or deer close to home, or a little farm or beaver pond to drop an icy line in.

According to Pheasants Forever, Nebraska had the best overall increase in pheasant numbers this year (28 percent). A cool, wet spring hurt pheasants in Iowa and Minnesota, states that reported 34 and 47 percent drops, respectively. South Dakota experienced its best season in 40 years last year, with an estimated 1.8 million roosters taken.

It's hard to go wrong with a late-
season hunt here. Imagine hours thrashing around in cattail bottoms, gnarly creek beds and tangled CRP and shelterbelts-all for the payoff of
seeing roosters going up in clouds against a sky as gray as lead. When the weather turns foul, Bill Dillon's Big Spur Lodge just outside the southeastern town of Armour, S.Dak., offers 14,000 acres of wild bird hunting at a reasonable price (www.bigspur.com).

Another destination I'm considering a trip to this year is either Ohio or Indiana for deer. Finding land to hunt here no longer is tough. The Ohio DNR Web site has a list of paper, electric and mining companies that have opened their lands to hunting (www.dnr
.state.oh.us).

In Indiana, public lands are listed by county at the DNR's Web site (www.in.gov/dnr). A few local deer-hunting friends suggest the 192,000-acre Hoosier National Forest in Brown County near the town of Wayne.

Winter Wildcats

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting and physically demanding winter adventures is a December or January bobcat hunt. Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are home to the biggest Midwest toms, weighing up to 45 pounds.

My trip in January will be my third attempt to take a mature tom with a longbow. Three years trying and I've yet to see a cat treed. Bobcat hunting is like that. Unless you're lucky enough to jump one off a fresh deer kill, your best shot tends to be at shotgun range as the cat slinks back through dense cover ahead of the dogs.

Two years ago, hunting the eastern Upper Peninsula with Sault Ste. Marie native John Cryderman, we cold-trailed a cat through dense jjack pines and deep snow for four miles before unleashing the hounds. Cut to a two-mile cross-country sprint through a treacherous series of blowdowns and rocky limestone hills. The cat disappeared into a cave and Cryderman called it a day, but not before I nearly broke an ankle after punching through snow up to my waist, my snowshoe jammed deep into a snow-covered fissure.

Rates for this kind of fun are anywhere from $250 to $500 per day. Since Wisconsin doesn't allow nonresident bobcat hunting, that only leaves Minnesota and-my vote-Michigan, where a fur-harvester license is available to nonresidents over the counter. In the Upper Peninsula, the limit is three cats per hunter.