sj
Staff member
Old time aerial hunting story from a J3
- Thread starter sj
- Start date
A good friend of mine that passed away last year had a career in aerial hunting. He told me that he started out with a 65hp j-3 right after WW2 and worked his way up to a 150 supercub. It sure was fun talking to him, most of the time he even did his own gunning! Some of those old guys really knew how to fly.
If any of you want a good book to read about aerial hunting, try to find a copy of Sky Trails. It's the story of Clyde Ice.
If any of you want a good book to read about aerial hunting, try to find a copy of Sky Trails. It's the story of Clyde Ice.
flydakota
Registered User
Des lacks ND
I have a 1947 pa11, with a 0-235 78735 In the log from 6/52 to 7/53 the Name Clyde W. Ice A&E 1928 and Ivan F. Ellis A&E 14244 appear. They changed it from a, Cont. A65-8 to a 0-235-c Ly. during the summer months they added spray equipment converting the plane to a restricted cat. Then in the fall / winter converting it back to a normal cat. Under the nature of Flight in one line it says hunt and then gives dates and time flown! So now I would like to find a copy of the book you mentioned (sky trails)
articfox
Registered User
Palmer Alaska
I groove on these old hunting stories. My dad, Art Wikle raised our family by aerial hunting in the winter and crop-dusting in and around South Dakota. I remember (just kind of thinking back, eh?), when I was around 4 or 5 and my mom would get a little tired of chasing me around so Pops would bring me along. It seemed so natural to be freezing my ass off in the back of that cub. I remember the fleas, the smell and shotgun blasts. I used to love the smell of that 100/130 avgas in the morning. I will never forget that. His mentor was a guy named Cliff Foss, also from South Dakota. Cliff's old cub is parked out by Big Lake. The number of animals they harvested was in the thousands. They had a pretty good bounty system on top of selling fur so we made a pretty good living at it. The coyotes were eating the farmers up pretty bad back then. I used to swear that the old man just had to look at them and they would grab their chests and die.
Pops will be in Valdez with me this year again. We're staying at the Artic's Air Academy booth/camper and I'll make sure he brings some photos. Swing on by.
Artic
Pops will be in Valdez with me this year again. We're staying at the Artic's Air Academy booth/camper and I'll make sure he brings some photos. Swing on by.
Artic
S2D
MEMBER
Montana
I'm pretty sure Cecil kicked the bucket a couple months ago.
I've got an old PA-18 that Joe Foss used to own. some day I'm going to restore it.
phdigger123
FRIEND
Cottage Grove, Mn
Cecil Ice died December 2, 2012. He gave me my first airplane ride in a Supercub when I was about 6 years old. I learned to fly at Ice Aviation in Pierre, SD when I was in high school.
Marc Davis
Registered User
Portland, Oregon
Our local mentor talks about hunting fox on skis in a cub. His friend would mount a shotgun to each strut. There is also a story about shooting one of the struts off.
Posted Using the Free SuperCub.Org Android App!
Posted Using the Free SuperCub.Org Android App!
articfox
Registered User
Palmer Alaska
Rog. I talked to Pops yesterday. He said they always stopped in to say hi. Dad purchased a Scout from them when I was around 15. He told me all kinds of stories that were pretty groovy. Dad was always hunting around Bison S.D. and showed me a few newspaper clips. Neat stuff you forget about. Joe and Cliff were brothers of course. I have some old video with Cliff and my Dad out at Pierre. Clyde had an A model cub that was said to have over 4000 hours on the engine before he majored it. Can you imagine? That whole scene was outstanding.
gbflyer
Registered User
PAGS
I got my second - ever ride in a Super Cub from Cecil, must have been '90 or '91. He had to have been well into his 70's then. He had been in a spray plane most of the day. We bought the -125 from he and Jeff and went to Pierre to pick it up. He took me up, first thing he did was demonstrate what happens when you get too slow and cross - controlled and the resulting stall - spin all the while telling me about how an old rancher had killed himself watching the cow have a calf doing the same thing. He said it sure was a shame to wreck such a nice airplane. Made me do it a couple of times and then we went back to the airport, checkout over.
When it was time for me to leave, it was pretty windy. He told me "now you see that ramp there? Go ahead and just take off right there. You can use that radio and let them know if you want to, but I never do." So I did.
He gave me a copy of that book about his father, who was still alive or maybe had just recently passed at the time if I remember right (he was 100 I believe). I don't think it's around any more, seems like it got loaned and never returned m
What a character.
When it was time for me to leave, it was pretty windy. He told me "now you see that ramp there? Go ahead and just take off right there. You can use that radio and let them know if you want to, but I never do." So I did.
He gave me a copy of that book about his father, who was still alive or maybe had just recently passed at the time if I remember right (he was 100 I believe). I don't think it's around any more, seems like it got loaned and never returned m
What a character.
RanchPilot
Registered User
Wyoming
I know a guy who gives his gunners only a few misses before he takes the shotgun away and does the shooting himself, along with the flying. I'm neither pilot, nor gunner, enough to do both at the same time!
55-PA18A
SPONSOR
Dillingham, Alaska
Another good book with stories about using Cubs for aerial hunting is "Flying, A Little Over Stall Speed", by Don Johnson (1999). He mentions living in the Fosston, MN area. He started out with a J-3 and eventually had a spraying business with a number of different planes. They went after fox and coyotes in the Minnesota area, then started going up in to Canada to hunt wolves. He wrote about using multiple cherry bombs connected with dynamite fuse and also cracker shells from a 12 ga. shotgun to move wolves out of the heavy brush. I'll bet there were stories they wouldn't/couldn't write about that would be a hoot to hear.
Jim W
Jim W
Cubus Maximus
Registered User
A friend of mine and his father from the Alexandria, MN area started in J-3's (and later moved to an Aeronca Sedan) with fox and coyote. GREAT stories on how to sneak up on a fox using terrain masking when they know you're after them. Took a long time to finally get the one with a den on a hill top. (my friend went on to fly Cobras in Vietnam)
They finished out hunting wolves in Canada with a PA-18-125. One of my favorite stories, among many, was tracking a pack down and finally getting the last of 5 just before it made the tree line at dusk. Now what...no time to gut them out before dark...so, two tied to the landing gear legs, two stuffed kinda' into baggage and one in the backseater/gunner's lap. Somehow the 125 Cub made it into the air with all that aboard (on skis) and made it back to Sioux Lookout with the windows fogging up from all the residual body heat. One of the wolves in the baggage had its teeth by the backseater's ear and it was having muscle contractions opening and shutting its mouth...a very uncomfortable flight!
They finished out hunting wolves in Canada with a PA-18-125. One of my favorite stories, among many, was tracking a pack down and finally getting the last of 5 just before it made the tree line at dusk. Now what...no time to gut them out before dark...so, two tied to the landing gear legs, two stuffed kinda' into baggage and one in the backseater/gunner's lap. Somehow the 125 Cub made it into the air with all that aboard (on skis) and made it back to Sioux Lookout with the windows fogging up from all the residual body heat. One of the wolves in the baggage had its teeth by the backseater's ear and it was having muscle contractions opening and shutting its mouth...a very uncomfortable flight!
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RE87-Zulu
PATRON
Sweetwater, Texas
I have heard and have seen pics of the Ice brothers. There was a fellow that had a dirt strip at Marathon,Tx that came home after WWII ( He flew combat in P-47, over the channel ) started a flying service in a new j-3 said had all the bells and whistles gave $1,100 for it. He hunted coyotes for local ranches and flew people for hire ( guess you could call it charter) he used a gunner and also developed a gun mount. He had an Adobe Hanger east of town. It is still there but is falling down.
Some great stories out there....met an old fella in the Black Hills, Vern Kraemer....he was quite a man....not sure if he is still around... Art Wikle is a great guy...and I am thankful that he along with Artic taught me...Arts SD stories are incredible, and pictures are great....I remember a video he showed me of he and his friend bull doging steers from the tire of a PA-11....
RE87-Zulu
PATRON
Sweetwater, Texas
I would love to see that video. That fellow at Marathon was my father-in-law, he taught me to fly, in the fifties he move his operation to Ft. Stockton,Tx and had the airport there for almost 50 years. The things those fellows did in an airplane were amazing. They did have a lot more freedom and less regulations than we do now.
