Marty Meierotto - In the Land of Wilderness: The writings of Marty Meierotto

ISBN Number: 978-1-59433-961-5

eBook ISBN Number: 978-1-59433-962-2

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2020911827

Copyright 2020 Alaska Trappers Association

First Edition 2020

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in any form, or by any mechanical or electronic means including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, in whole or in part in any form, and in any case not without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the one person that has made my chosen lifestyle possible for these many years, my wife Dominique. Through countless sacrifices on her part, that she silently and unselfishly made, I have been able to pursue my passion in life. There have been so many crises (both big and small) that she has had to deal with alone, while I was away in the Bush. Through many of these, I was completely isolated. She had no way of getting support from me. I still dont know how, or why she did it. For many years in the early days, I would leave for weeks or even months. She had no way of knowing if I were alive or dead. How many women would stand for a kiss on the cheek in October and a promise that I might be back for Christmas. She would watch me fly away, and have no knowledge that I even made it to my destination, let alone survived many weeks in the arctic wilderness, until my return weeks later. Her faith in me is nothing short of amazing. I will never be worthy of the honor, love, and faith she has brought into my life.

Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible without the efforts of Randy Zarnke and what I will refer to as the Alaska Trappers Association book team. All I had was a pile of stories and an idea. Randys expertise in editing and knowledge of bringing a manuscript to book form amazed me. As a trapper himself and the president of the Alaska Trappers Association, he was able to decipher my rough trapper speak and turn it into intelligible English. Justin Maple and Ryan Ragan massaged a pile of words and pictures to make it look like a book. Bill Brophy proof-read the text. I owe all these men a debt of gratitude.

I am thankful for Alaskas wilderness. It is the source of all my adventures and inspiration. I hope there will always be this special land of wild places to fuel the imagination for our next generation, and there will always be a group of special people like the ATA book team that will enable all of us to share it.

Foreword

Where do I start? Theres so much to say about this guy and this book, that its difficult to decide where to begin. I could just say that Marty Meierotto is one helluva guy and leave it at that, but thats not my style.

Ive known Marty for something like 30 years. Over that time, Ive learned that he is a man with many facets.

For one, he is physically tough; maybe as tough as the wolverines he traps. Marty attributes his toughness to the two major occupations which have filled his adult life, namely trapping and working as a smoke-jumper. Both are physically demanding and keep him in top shape.

Marty tries to pass himself off as a bumpkin, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This man has a lot on the ball.

Hes a voracious reader. He and I routinely exchange books. The ones he loans me are always top-notch. Perhaps all that reading he has done during his lifetime is partially responsible for making him a good and productive writer.

Martys an excellent pilot. Hes flown his own plane for 30 years in weather conditions that are often challenging. He also flew smoke-jumpers and gear for the Bureau of Land Management for five years. No accidents. That says a lot.

Marty is friendly, positive and optimistic. He shares credit with those around him, even when most of it rightfully belongs to him. Hes always willing to help a friend, or even a stranger for that matter. Good luck trying to keep him away if he hears that somebody is building a cabin in the wilderness.

It maybe goes without saying, but Ill say it anyway. Martys an excellent trapper. He loves everything about the Bush lifestyle, even the challenges.

Marty is true to himself. Heck, hes worn that bandana for something like 45 years. I sometimes wonder if he wears it to bed.

Hes dedicated family man. Nothing is more important to Marty than his girls, who you will meet in the pages of this book.

Marty grew up in a medium-size town in Wisconsin, as did I. Back there, a man was judged by his character. There was no higher praise than to say that a man was the real deal. No brag, hard-worker, honest, etc. Well Marty is the real deal.

Many of the people who read this book have gotten to know Marty through the TV program entitled Mountain Men. He appeared on the show for eight years during the past decade. Marty diligently portrayed the hunter and trapper as honestly as possible. As a result, he gave trappers a good image. He also put a big chunk of the money into a college fund for his daughter Noah.

So what about this book?? Youre going to like it. Marty has an engaging writing style, which is easy to read. Between these covers, he has given you lots of solid advice and great insight into the workings of the natural world. Hes also shared plenty of that sense of humor which is unique to him and him alone. There are also a few chapters that deal with very serious, life-and-death issues. He deals with them straight on, just as you would expect. By the time you get to the end, you will know this unique character at least a little better than you do now.

When Marty asked me to help him with this book project, it was easy to say yes. Hes done a lot for me and for the Alaska Trappers Association. This is my way of giving back. Thanks for asking, old friend. Its been a pleasure.

- Randy Zarnke

Area of Detail

Map of trapline on Squirrel River.

Chapter 1

My brother Jeff and I with some beaver and the Big S, our first trapping machine.

Beaver Trapping The Hard Way

This was the first article I had published. I was in high school at the time. It appeared in the February 1979 issue of Fur-Fish-Game. My brother, Jeff, and a friend of ours, Randy Spindler, teamed up. With a huge amount of help from my Father, we trapped beaver during the winter season in Northern Wisconsin. Looking back on it from all the passing years, it was one of the best trapping seasons I have had. Oh! To be that young and excited again!

O f all trapping, beaver trapping is the hardest, and the hardest way to trap them is during mid-winter. In spite of all its shortcomings, my two partners (my brother Jeff and our friend Randy Spindler) and I decided to give a big line a try.

It probably seems a little odd to have a three partner set-up, but it worked out pretty slick, especially when skinning time came. As it was, we were all in high school and all three of us did our share of trapping. Pooling our traps, wits and beaver ponds, we figured we could do just fine.

Here in northern Wisconsin where we trap, the land is crossed with many streams and a few swamps, almost all of which forms the Nemadji River drainage system. This covers a fair piece of land and we planned on trapping nearly all of it.