Journal of a Trapper

Context:

Steve Rinella references a journal written by mountain man Osborne Russell that describes how the Shoshone people cooked beaver by burning off the hair and roasting it skin-on. He describes it as 'a very very good journal.'

Context:

The discussion references Osborne Russell's historical writings about wolverines (carkajew) and bighorn sheep in the Mountain Man era. Russell is mentioned as a historical documenter whose journals described wildlife as 'common' in the 1800s. Steve mentions they're working on a project about Mountain Men and references Russell's descriptions of bighorn sheep populations and encounters with 'sheep specialists.' The context clearly indicates they're discussing Russell's written historical accounts/journals, likely his famous 'Journal of a Trapper,' though the specific title is not mentioned.

Context:

Steve recommends this book to people and references it while discussing wolverines. He mentions that Osborne Russell describes wolverines as 'common' or 'abundant' in his journal, which surprises Steve given how rare they are today. Russell provides observations about animals in his synopses at the end of the journal.

Context:

Speaker 1 endorses this book and discusses how historians regard it as spot-on and reliable. They mention that historians like the book and that Osborne Russell was regarded as accurate in his accounts.

Context:

Discussed as a historical text from the 1820s about exploration in the Absaroka/Yellowstone region. The speaker mentions Russell was a 'very meticulous note taker' who described wolverines as 'common' in his journal, which is used to discuss historical wolverine populations and territory size.

Context:

Steve references this historical journal when discussing what it was like to live off the land historically, noting that 'a lot of times there was a lot to eat and a lot of times ain't shitty' - referring to the feast or famine nature of historical hunting and gathering.

Context:

Referenced in the same conversation about historical sheep hunting. When discussing 'My Life with the Eskimo,' someone asks 'Have you ever read Osborne Russell's Journal of a Trapper?' in the context of comparing mountain sheep (bighorn) hunting practices, noting that Russell wrote about hunting bighorns for food in the mountains.