Do you think you could have lived like a Mt. man..

... back in the 1830’s or so. I know I couldn’t.

We are to old to apply they did not live long back then! LOL

...easily...and thrived...Liver Eatin Johnson and Hugh glass would have been my bootshine boys lol

Probably not.

...Indian reservations would currently be WMA’s had I been a mountain man

Maybe

You'd have to stick to them southern mountains where it's warm, lol.

...I sleep in my chest freezer les

I'd like to think so, however; the older I get I find myself really enjoying central air and heating, indoor plumbing, hot water on demand and big, giant, fluffy rolls of good toilet paper! Not to mention electricity, refrigeration and modern medicine. I would like to get me an original .58 Hawken for the wall though.....

I'd say yes, but you never know until you're in that position I guess. Personally, while I do enjoy the comforts of electricity, running water, etc, I don't see them as necessary. I think our world has gotten away from how we were supposed to live... simple. I'll admit I've gotten away from that big time as I sit here on the computer talking with a bunch of trappers on the internet.

Savell, that is some funny stuff

I have camped and trapped in bad weather. Most of those early America beaver trappers were part of large groups. A few lived with and married into Indian families. A few worked in a team of 2-3-4. They were tough before they went west. Early 1800's life in American cities was no cake walk. Life in rural America was a constant struggle. Lots of babies and kids died. The ones that made it to 14-16 years old were tough. Rural kids already had the skills and knowledge to be able to eat only what they could kill and forage.
Knew how to make shelters build fires tan leather and make clothes.
Natural selection was definitely at work in those days. Only the smart and healthy lived long enough to go west and trap. Only a few even wanted to try.

kinda makes one fearful of the future we're currently layin the groundwork for...

had we been born back then yes we could of done it.

I'm sure there's a lot of bones out there that were once a wanna be mountain man.

No, but I would have invented the first pizza oven, micro brewery in area, and opened a bar that served good beer and pizza. And, you all that want to try being mountain men can bring your finished pelts in I would have been a "fair" buyer even if you just wanted to trade for some beer and pizza. Would have love to run the business that bought the hides, even the town bank, too.
Jim

More realistically I'd like to be on one of these survival shows where they leave you out in the middle of no where and then hope you come crying home to momma in 36 hours.

Can you imagine Savell on Alone or him and Matt Jones teamed up on Naked and Affraid. lol.

Most certainly, 8 to 12 hours a day. I believe we are living just how we are supposed to now however. People with God given talents invented all the comforts we have now and I intend to take advantage of it all.

The old saying is You do not miss what you never had .Our ancestors did not concern themselves with having to pay the cable tv bill ,the electric bill or the replacement cost for a new microwave .In those days the daily needs where the daily priorities .Food, water, shelter where what those living in the wilderness required .But it was the same for those living in the more settled areas at that time For about 10 years I would tent camp to archery hunt deer It was rugged compared to most modern day living conditions .But we had a heater for the tent ,propane lanterns ,coolers filled with ice and modern day food supplies .One year for about 7 days straight the day time high temp was in the 20's and the morning low was 10 t o 12 degrees .But we where prepared for it .The old mountain men that made it where prepared for it .The ones that where not prepared for it soon return home or failed to live through it . I really enjoyed those 10 to 14 day deer hunting trips because all I needed to concern myself with was being prepared to hunt each day .The bills where not showing up in a mailbox ,the phone did not ring, and the washing machine did not break down .I think I could have done it but I also know is those days if you made a mistake in judgment it might have been the last mistake you made

camera girls would all be pregnant by the time the 3 weeks was up

If I lived in 1830, I think I could definitely live like a mountain man. But in today's time it would be harder to live that way. Having a dentist with a shot of Novocain to fix a rotten or busted tooth would be a comfort too hard to pass up. Also there was a time in my life where I probably would have died had there not been modern medical treatment and drugs available to me.

But if I was actually living in 1830, I would be thrilled to live and die like a mountain man. Although I'd prefer to be a scout, explorer, Indiana fighter like Kit Carson.

I would give it a shot and probably have ended up like most of them....dead by 40 if not sooner.

kitt carson was mostly an indian betrayer.

It would be the bugs in the summer that would suck. The rest I THINK I could handle. Mistakes in that lifestyle would be a lot more serious...

I could do it. It would take a lot of work but most of the living would be free. An axe, knife, rifle and a few traps is all I would need to buy. The rest nature will give me.

Given the times frame yes. If I survived childhood illness I would naturally have much closer to nature. Trapping was A lucrative trade and the nature of folks list for the adventure

All of us could of done that.....back before we were spoiled by the modern way. It is neat to romantisize about how they lived, but the harsh reality would slap any of us in the face pretty hard these days. Who after living now would want to take what is on your back and dissapear into the wilderness for the rest of your life, however short or long that was?! Sounds good sometimes, but realisticly, ain't gonna happen, close as we come is going trappin! Which is a heck of alot more than most people living today will ever experience!

I would be tough ...not hooked up to T-Man......

Oh yeah. Without a doubt, If by mountain man, you really mean hermit that lives in the woods in a cabin and lives off the land. Maybe not if you mean travelling in large groups trapping for profit, not that I couldn't do that, I just prefer the isolation.

I crave to be away from society from time to time, it's why I prefer the kind of vacations I do...mountains, just me and the wife, nobody for miles around.

I could easily live with just the wife and the kids, in a cabin, never seeing another soul for the rest of my life.

x2

I lived alone in a tent for fifteen days on a spring grizzly hunt in Alaska. I loved it. Time more or less became meaningless and I went in whatever direction struck my fancy. It did suck not having candy bars.

I am pretty sure I could not have, but then most of them did not live all that long being a mountain man. Many died young and many found scouting jobs etc. so the mountain man tenure for many was not that long, but not easy either.

Bryce

If I was 35 years or so younger heck ya. But I'm too old and crippled up now!
Dennis

Why do you say that, Danny? Do you mean he never fought Indians? I've read several different biographies about him and never heard that claim about him. It's true that he was brutal in exterminating the tribes he fought against. But I also heard he was a faithful friend to and advocate for the Ute Indians.

It would have been easier for them then, not having been raised in today's world. Can't miss what you've never had.

You would have to have some mental illness to go live like a hermit in the bush by yourself for years on end.

That may be why it sounds so appealing to me

Maybe those who choose to live cheek to jowl with neighbors are the ones who are mentally ill. Look at all the social dysfunction in urban areas today.

Boco, he didn't mean all by himself ....but with only the right person , he would be content and happy.

Of course, everyone back then had to deal with people at times for business, supplies , medical help, etc. , but in day to day living, be tucked away in privacy to enjoy living with the love of your life.

A thought exquisite , and agreeable to my heart as well.

Well, idk if anyone would know the answer for sure but you either lived like that, or you died trying too...

I guess IF I was born back then I would of lived like a mountain man or died like one, one or the other.

They didn't do it right obviously. I learned from watching "alone" that you have to freak out every time you see a predator and every time you catch a fish you have to scream "Yes!" at the top of your lungs. I bet they didn't do that in Indian country back in the day. Who was the half breed mountain man who went West to escape slavery? Seemed like a pretty brave man. I've read his fictionalized life story a few time, would like to read the real one.

Beckwith

I am not so sure all 'mountain men' were particularly tough. Adaptable might be a better word. I have read of some trapping in or around the Teton's for beaver in the summer and then holing up for the winter at Fort Hall. As far as I know summer beaver makes good felt hats. I'm guessing I could have handled that.

It was a JOB and just like some jobs you either like them or hate them. I don't think any of them weer ready for that life but learned to adapt or die. I'm sure the majority failed or died trying to make It work.

I whine when I have to get out of my camper at 50* to start the generator for coffee.

"Woe unto those who choose to live house by house...…..field by field.....until there be no place ye may be placed alone in the midst of the earth."

My nephew once commented we wouldn’t have made very good mt men. We were three days in on a week long hunt in the mts of Co. and hadn’t drawn blood yet. I chuckled and asked if there weren’t antler restrictions and species restrictions and sex restrictions could we have not made meat several times over? He said Oh, I hadn’t thought about it like that. Yeah I guess we would be living pretty fat. No doubt in my mind if illness or hostiles didn’t get me I could live on the land very well.

But what did the Mtn Men do when a 330 misfired and clamped on their hand?

Yup. I heard the vast majority were poor desperate city slickers that had never set a trap or fired a gun. They saw an add in a paper for wokk and potential payout.

You wont get along well in the wilderness living alone over the long term.People become "bushed" living like that.
All the tasks necessary to live comfortably need to be shared within a family group or small community.
That is why all the people that thrived in the wilderness lived associated within a tribe.

Exactly.

Yup....wimmen did all the work, then some idiot thought they could improve on that system.

I always wonder how many died or wound up sick experimenting with plants and remedies that we know of today.

It would suck to have a single shot weapon......
When there is more than 1 feller you need to shoot.
The rest of it I could probably get along with.
Living in the winter would sure be a full time job.

Zim

Zim, I think that's why you see the old Mt.men with a couple of pistols, knife and hatchet in their sash or belt. That would give you 3 shots before it got really ugly.

I pretty much did, in '85 or 6, in the Idaho mtns, Payette Nat'l For to be exact.
Came to town every other month for bacon and other staples.