Work

No self respecting white trash Wyomingite would get a  real job.   How could you work a real job, hunt every new season of animal, hike at will, re-make a gun stock on a whim, shop for a new hunting dog, etc?   A real job would be nothing but an inconvenience!

My dear late husband tried many ways to incorporate the above activities; to camouflage them to seem or look like jobs.   For example:   This time of year - January - he was a mountain lion guide.  He would "work" for days upon days chasing dogs across country, up and down hills, on snow shoes looking for a mountain lion so a client could be called in to complete the last few miles of the hunt on snowmobiles.   This excruciating physical effort would pay a few hundred dollars per hunt but the satisfaction, work out, and stories of the hunt were worth their weight in gold.

Another "job" he had was antler hunting.   Now mind you he was a purist at everything he did so, again, this work had to be done on foot, across country, and with only a backpack to carry the treasures back to the pickup.  There was the weeks of discussion and map study that took place prior to the first steps taken in the spring.  Then once the area was determined there was the day after day hiking and glassing and finding sometimes a few antlers but not very often a full set.   This too would likely bring in a few hundred dollars depending on the market that year.   The Boy Scouts at Jackson had it made.  Walk out to the feeding ground and pick them up, auction them off, have a nice day!

My favorite "job" that he had was the year of the rattle snake.   Again after much thought and study he determined that Reptile Gardens would pay a few thousand dollars for a 6 foot Wyoming rattler.   Day after day supposed rattle snake feeding grounds were visited looking for that "big one" just waiting to be caught.  Oh - did I tell you - it had to be a live 6 foot rattle snake!   Where was I - oh yeah - so the snakes came home, to the house, and were placed in a white 5 gallon plastic bucket  - that my husband had stolen from me (Garden supplies)  -with something  heavy to wait down the top of the bucket as a lid so the snake would not escape.  Like a card board box for example.   Some how I found out what he was doing.  I am not sure if it was the buckets disappearing or the kids ratting him out but I discovered that there were multiple rattling snakes in the garage - live snakes!    I then had a fit!   Oh My Gosh!   What Are You Thinking?   You Have To Get Rid Of Those Snakes!   Of course he did not.... until one day one got lose and he couldn't find it anywhere.   He was not worried about if I ran into it or the kids but the thought of our 80 year old neighbor lady finding it in her flower garden had him in a panic.   Yes - he found it and all was well except it didn't stop the snake hunter's  "job"  he just switched to finding them, killing them, then tanning them, and making the skins into belts.  I had pint jars of rattle snake skins rolled up soaking in their secret ingredient waiting to be tanned all over my house.   He also used the bones to make jewelery like earrings and necklaces.   I don't think he ever made a dime at this "job" but he did present me one Christmas with snake jewelry as a peace offering.