A couple of deadly beasts will be profiled in major book releases in February. Hat tip to Wade McKnight for scouting the first one out—a recounting of one of the greatest hunting tales in history. No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History At the turn of the twentieth century, in … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Fierce Beasts Of February
‘Bearskin’
It’s emblematic of my nature that, having decided that I should read novels for fun again, I have gone on a freakin’ bender. Right now, I’m poaching in Hillbilly Highways’ territory with Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin. Hope HP doesn’t get too riled. Damn, it’s good. There’s probably nothing I like better than a “literary” crime novel. … [Read more...] about ‘Bearskin’
‘Songs Of The Plains’
By Rick Schwertfeger Captain, Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas My wife, sons and I were swimming in Texas’ slow flowing Guadalupe River during the annual Kerrville Folk Festival on the morning after seeing a remarkable performance by Ian Tyson. The Canadian western singer/songwriter had blown away the traditional folkies … [Read more...] about ‘Songs Of The Plains’
‘I’d Sooner Put A Ball Through Your Heart’ — Rifleman Timothy Murphy In Defense Of Middle Fort
Timothy Murphy was a badass American soldier. That’s true whether he actually did the legendary deed for which he’s famous or not. Consider this: Murphy fought through the American Revolution from the commencement of armed hostilities in 1775 to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. He crossed the Delaware in December 1776 in … [Read more...] about ‘I’d Sooner Put A Ball Through Your Heart’ — Rifleman Timothy Murphy In Defense Of Middle Fort
Tim Murphy And The Legendary Kill Shot
Tim Murphy is a legend among riflemen — a Frontier Partisan sharpshooter who, deploying his long rifle on October 7, 1777, turned the tide of the American Revolution. According to folklore that has accreted over a couple of centuries, Murphy — under direct orders from Colonel Daniel Morgan — climbed a tree during a heavy firefight at Bemis … [Read more...] about Tim Murphy And The Legendary Kill Shot
Helmer’s Run
There are so many stories of frontiersmen covering prodigious amounts of territory under extreme duress that it’s become a trope — the stuff of cinematic drama. Mountain Man Hugh Glass’s ordeal was the basis for the Oscar-winning The Revenant. John Colter’s run for life from the Blackfeet was transposed into an African setting for The Naked … [Read more...] about Helmer’s Run
Black West, White North
The scouts have been out and they’ve brought back valuable and actionable intel from the wild country. Deuce Richardson picked up the trail of G.W. Thomas by way of James Reasoner. Reasoner, a seasoned old scout if there ever was one, put Deuce on the trail: Author G.W. Thomas has started a new blog called NORTH-WEST ADVENTURES, all about … [Read more...] about Black West, White North
Rangers For The Crown
The frontiers of New York saw some of the most savage and intense irregular warfare of the American Revolution. Though it runs counter to deep-seated American stereotypes, the British forces were the most effective irregular Frontier Partisan fighters on those blood-soaked borders. The Revolutionary War in Upstate and Western New York was, like … [Read more...] about Rangers For The Crown
A Salute To Brian Garfield
One of the greats has gone up the trail. Brian Garfield died on December 29. A versatile writer of Western, crime and history, Garfield penned one of the books that shaped me. As a kid in junior high school, I read the covers off of his novel Wild Times, which was made into a TV miniseries starring Sam Elliott as Hugh Cardiff, sharpshooter and … [Read more...] about A Salute To Brian Garfield
Pulpy Goodness And A Cherry Bounce — Working The Trapline — January 2019
Guess I’ll be re-upping with Cinemax in 2019. The Tong Wars drama Warrior is scheduled for some time in the year, and since its got Banshee’s filthy paws all over it, I’ve got to watch. “Inspired by an idea from martial-arts legend Bruce Lee, this gritty, action- packed crime drama is set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown … [Read more...] about Pulpy Goodness And A Cherry Bounce — Working The Trapline — January 2019
