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Show Volume XXIII Issue X The Ogden Valley news Page 11 June 15, 2016 The Autobiography of Robert L. “Bob” Wangsgard – Part XII Note: The following is composed of excerpts from the autobiography of Robert L. “Bob” Wangsgard who turned 100 years December 22, 2015. This autobiography was written a little more than 15 years ago when Bob was preparing to celebrate his 85th birthday. Part I-XI ran in earlier issues of the paper. If you missed a section that you would like a copy of, please contact Shanna Francis at 801-7452688 or Jeannie Wendell at 801-745-2879. I learned to shoot guns at an early age. I mastered 22’s by age ten, and shotguns and rifles by 12 or 13. There were wild chickens around the wheat fields and lots of deer around the dry farm alfalfa field and on the range. We could drive over on the hill in the evening and be back home in two hours with some wild chickens or a fat buck deer. We shared these with relatives or neighbors or friends. We went out the next week and came back with a fresh supply. After coming back to live in Ogden in late 1941, I became a legal hunter. I bought hunting and fishing licenses and observed legal seasons and limits. Rulon Stanfield and Jim Linford were two close friends and hunting pals. For about thirty years, from 1942 to 1972, we hunted together. Kent and Rick Linford went along as soon as their mothers would let them. They joined the group as hunters as soon as they were old enough to buy licenses. We learned where the pheasants and chuckars were thick in Box Elder County and hunted there with great success. We even had our picture in the Standard Examiner as the first group to return through the checking station with our limit of birds. We went elk hunting near Alpine, Idaho and near Pinedale, Wyoming. Elk permits were on a lottery basis in Utah, but over a period of years, we managed to draw three or four permits and hunted East of Huntsville and on Monte Cristo. We were successful in getting one elk on each hunt. We divided the meat and were pleased that we did not have any extra to divide and eat. Twice one of us drew an antelope permit for Utah’s west desert and we had successful hunts west of Delta. For a number of years we applied for antelope permits in Wyoming. These were most enjoyable hunting experiences. Our permits were for south of Rock Springs and we stayed at the Wallace cabin in Pine Mountain. Hunting was good and we always got our antelope. Pat and my family went along on these hunts and we enjoyed the hospitality and fine food of the Wallace family. The antelope hunting stopped in 1960 when the Wallaces sold their cabin. Together with three friends, I bought ¼ interest in a propeller-driven air boat. For a number of years we hunted ducks with the aid of this boat. We would drive to the Bear River Refuge and launch the boat into one of the canals. After a mile in the canal, we would drag the boat over the dike and skim across one of the huge ponds to a likely-looking area of cattails or reeds. We would then set up a blind and put out decoys and wait for the ducks. We usually go some ducks just before closing hours. We then skimmed across the pond, drug the boat over the dike, drove up the canal, loaded the boat on the tractor, and headed for Ogden. We arrived in Ogden an hour or two after dark, washed the boat, parked it, and went home. We then had to clean the ducks that smelled up the house. After all that, we had to eat the ducks, which, frankly, didn’t taste that good. After a few years of this “sport,” I stopped hunting ducks and although the title to the boat is still in my safe deposit box, I never heard what became of it. Deer hunting was an exciting time. We had the range ground and the deer were plentiful. We had horses to ride and to carry the deer out to the roads. We had private roads to access into the center of the isolated areas where the deer were inclined to hide when hunting season opened. We had a barn in Huntsville to hang the deer to chill and age. Through long experience, we knew the areas where the big bucks were most likely to be found and the direction they were most likely to move when driven from their hiding places. After the first two days of hunting, we usually each had a deer hanging in the barn and the hunt was over. One deer hunt I will never forget. We were hunting about ½ mile south and east from where the new Snowbasin Road now joins the Trapper’s Loop Road. A member of our party suddenly found himself facing a huge monarch trophy buck 20 feet in front of him. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire. He opened the gun and adjusted the firing pin. He raised the gun and fired between the buck’s front legs. That shot broke the deer’s hind leg. I rode over to where he was yelling about this monarch deer. He told me the direction the deer had run and I rode that direction looking for it. About ¼ mile away I found the buck in some willows in the bottom of a very large deep wash. I dismounted by horse and shot the buck in the neck so I would not ruin the beautiful set of horns. I left my horse and slid down into the wash to cut the throat, and to bleed what, I thought, was a completely dead deer. Just as I finished cutting its throat, this great huge buck stood up and charged me. I grabbed the tallest antler on each side—one with each hand. This kept the main antlers on each side of my body. The buck jammed me back against the bank and he jabbed me several times with his ebbing strength. Two of the sharp spikes low on the antlers tore four-inch rips in both legs of my Levis and that opened three-inch long by half-inch deep gashes in each leg. I still have the scars on the front of each leg halfway between my knees and my hips. Hunting was so successful that we found we had more wild meat to eat than we wanted. While our children were at Utah State we furnished venison for their roommates. When Ruth graduated from USU, we no longer had a place to send the meat. I put my guns away in the hunting closet and have not fired a gun or even taken the case off the shotgun or rifle for almost 30 years. From The Past . . . Library Summer Sizzle Programs at Your Weber County Library OGDEN VALLEY BRANCH HUNTSVILLE Lil O’ Polynesia - June 23, 7:00 p.m. Lil O’ Polynesia, Northern Utah’s premier Polynesian dance studio and troupe. They feature traditional dances from around the Pacific, including Hawaii, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa. Their magical performance will transport you to a beach on a tropical isle! Randin Graves July 28, 7:00 p.m. Randin Graves who spent several years in Australia mastering the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal wind instrument that has been in use for around a thousand years. He is a world renowned expert and will be showing slides while performing. Red Desert Ramblers - August 18, 7:00 p.m. Red Desert Ramblers mix it up with Bluegrass, Country and Swing. They have won several awards for their outstanding performances and musical talent. PLEASANT VALLEY BRANCH – WASHINGTON TERRACE Kitty & the Cruisers - June 16, 7:00 p.m. Rockabilly is in full swing with Kitty and the Cruisers bringing you the best of the Golden Era of Rock n’ Roll as well as their own origi- nal music. This four-member band is led by the divine Kitty Royale whose voice has been described as “the sweetest pipes in Rockabilly”. With JT Jones rippin’ it up on guitar, Steve “Flash” Gordon poundin’ the skins, and Johnny Boom Boom smokin’ on the upright bass, this band is a power house of music that positively sizzles! Each member has years of musical experience in a wide variety of genres but together they found Rockabilly heaven. Don’t miss the event that will have you swingin’ and swayin’ all through the summer! Dunmore Lasses - July 21, 7:00 p.m. The Dunmore Lasses play a fusion of traditional Irish/Scottish and rock, performing around the state and have even provided original music for local film projects. Randin Graves - August 11, 7:00 p.m. Randin Graves who spent several years in Australia mastering the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal wind instrument that has been in use for around a thousand years. He is a world renowned expert and will be showing slides while performing. For more information, please call 801-3372670. Ogden Valley SCIENCE Summer Camps Educational Youth Hiking Adventures Focusing on Science and Art Hear It, See It, Touch It, Smell It & Taste It Student Ages 6 - 10 Registration $95/camp Each session will be from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and is restricted to a maximum of 10 students. For more info on classes and dates call Nicole Householder at 801-675-9017. Email nicole@thg-cs.com or visit www.thg-cs.com Saturday Night 5:00 p.m. Sunday Morning 9:30 a.m. Tuesday Night 5:00 p.m. followed by The Rosary and Adoration Fr. Ken Vialpando 801-399-5627 Tuesday 5:30-6:30 p.m. or by appointment. Saint Joseph Catholic Elementary, Middle School, and High School Providing a challenging, college-focused education in the proven tradition of Catholic schools, for the families of the Ogden Valley. We want to teach your children! For information on our program, financial assistance, tours, or application, please call 801-393-6051 or 801-394-1515. Can you help us identify these local basketball players from 1927. The only known player, Clarence Chard, is standing center. If you can help, please call or email Jeannie (801-745-2879) or Shanna (801-745-2688). |
