A lover of the outdoors and a born woodsman, E. N. Woodcock, a trapper and hunter during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, shares his life story in fascinating detail. Born in 1844 in the village of Lymansville, Pennsylvania, he inherited an insatiable desire for the trap, gun, and wild from his Revolutionary War-era grandfather, Maj. Isaac Lyman. In his more than fifty years working the trap line, Woodcock never hunted illegally or out of season.
Beginning with his experiences as a young boy learning the trade of trapping and hunting, the author chronicles his escapades throughout an untamed America, including trapping bear and deer in northern Michigan, wolfing in southeastern Oregon, hunting in California and Washington, and killing his first cougar in the mountains of Idaho. He examines the merits of traps versus guns amid his exciting accounts of narrow escapes and exhilarating hunting trips. Well known in his native Pennsylvania for his abilities, he was also a faithful contributor to Hunter-Trader-Trapper magazine. In a familiar and forthcoming tone, Woodcock details the hardships of his life, yet his voice never wavers in his undying fondness for the outdoors and the adventure that it offers.