Traditional Muzzleloading Association

The Center of Camp => People of the Times => Topic started by: Caddo on November 12, 2009, 09:15:29 AM

Title: How did they hunt
Post by: Caddo on November 12, 2009, 09:15:29 AM

I wonder how the longhunter hunted. Did they hunt as we do togay, game trail, salt licks, water holes,  did they wait in these areas for game to come along? I wonder if they still hunted the forest and slipped up on the animals. It may have been easy back then, game not as spooky. I haven't seen this discussed before and was just wondering what method they used the most. Any ideas?

Title:
Post by: Stryker on November 12, 2009, 10:48:32 AM

There are many first hand accounts of hunting back in the day. That include staking out salt licks, hunting by canoe at night with torches and even fire hunting. You might check out the hunters of Kentucky by Ted Franklin Belue and 44 years the life of a hunter by Meshach Browning.

Title:
Post by: Loyalist Dave on November 13, 2009, 08:44:34 AM

Quote

I wonder how the longhunter hunted. Did they hunt as we do togay, game trail, salt licks, water holes, did they wait in these areas for game to come along? I wonder if they still hunted the forest and slipped up on the animals. It may have been easy back then, game not as spooky.

I wouldn't bet on the game being less spooky back then.  Deer were prey for catamounts as well as Indians.  I think you are more likely to see deer ignore modern machines and scents today than the hunters back then.

Meshach Browning put out salt for deer.  He'd dig a small hole, and dump in rock salt to bait deer.  Salt licks and water sources were hunted back then as they would be today.

LD

Title:
Post by: jbullard1 on November 13, 2009, 06:21:30 PM

Please understand that I am no scholar on this subject but here is my take.
Game was taken anytime of year and as often as necessary and by means that might not be legal today. Any kind of baiting would be used, slipping down a creek in a canoe or on a raft with a torch and shooting game, a little grain for the wild turkey, traps, deadfalls, snares.
When I was in my early teens my 80+ yearold great grand mother would often send me hunting in the summer for quail, rabbit or squirrel, her reasoning was she owned the land and she wanted a rabbit to eat

Title:
Post by: Minnesota Mike on November 17, 2009, 04:55:56 PM

Longhunters used what ever would work and be as effective and quiet as possible. They were there to collect up as many skins as possible and then safely get back home with both packs and scalp intact.

There were some seasons to when game was taken - in particular, deer were preferably hunted during the summer (late summer?) as their hides had a redish hue to them - which was more sought after by the consumers in the eastern cities.

r/
MM

Title:
Post by: Mitch on November 17, 2009, 05:48:03 PM

Mike- the "red deer hides" refer to hair color, not hide color...these summer hides actually produce a finer grade of buckskin as winter hides have small holes(really small) from "winter hair" which is usually gray.....summer hides are denser that winter hides,therefore producing a finer leather.