Adirondack Fur Trapper’s Epic Tales of Adventure

Stories Missing From 50 Years A Trapper And Treasure Hunter by Johnny Thorpe

 

STONY CREEK, NY | Take a trip to the Adirondack Mountains and sit with Johnny Thorpe in his cabin and listen to untold tales from his storied life.

 

 

Adirondack Man Episodes

Johnny Thorpe

Legendary Adirondack Fur Trapper


STONY CREEK, NY | Johnny Thorpe is a name well-known to generations of trappers and fur takers across North America. His documented fur catches broke records throughout the 1960's and his pioneering exploits as a long-liner were recounted in magazines such as Fur, Fish, Game, in rousing tales said to have inspired many trappers, amature and pro alike. He trapped all over the country and taught many professionals his successful methods.

His status as an elder statesman of trapping was established long ago. He was inducted into the National Trapper's Hall of Fame in 1996, and was sought after as a writer right up to his last published articles for Trapper's World.

When Johnny wasn't trapping, he was carving wooden Indians, wildlife, and totem poles or off on a new adventure, mining gold, treasure hunting. His later excursions were documented by Alan Probst, in his All-Outdoor Series.

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Johnny Thorpe- An Outdoorsman For All Seasons
by Jessica Kane

Standing in his dirt driveway, Johnny Thorpe peered out from under his cowboy hat as he brushed paint onto a totem pole he recently carved. Nearby, two silver foxes with bushy tails were slumbering in a large cage in the afternoon sun. Johnny has been a professional fur trapper since he was 15 years old. Since Harry Truman was in the White House sipping whisky. He's considered one of the top ten fur trappers in the country – without a doubt one of the most experienced - and held the New York State bobcat bounty record for six years running. He'll be 75 on August 1st, but you wouldn’t know it. “I don’t have much wrong with me,” he said, a hint of a smile in his calm blue eyes. "You'd have a hard time keeping up with me in the woods.” Johnny lives largely independent of the prevailing consumerist culture, making his way through life off Good Mother Earth. In between trapping seasons, Johnny Thorpe has done everything from carving totem poles and designing leather belts (tanning the cowhides himself) to treasure hunting, ginseng hunting, mining gold, and horseshoeing. Read The Rest Of The Article On Flickr