Profile: Tom Brown Jr.

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
woodjin said:
.

What surprises me is that you said you saw bass in the Albertson branch. Is the area that you saw them a large (lake like) area of the branch? A study was done a few years back by Rutgers regarding pollution and fish in the pine barrens, in the study they didn't find any bass in the true pine barren streams. This part of Albertson branch...has someone been stocking it maybe?

Woodjin
The part of Albertson that I am talking about is between "White Bridge" where Fleming Pike (a dirt road) crosses the Branch and upstream to Miller's bogs.
Millers is on Pump Branch. Blue Anchor Brook dumps into Albertson a little upstream of White Bridge and downstream of Millers.
Both Pump Branch and Blue Anchor Brook have private lakes (Elmtown, Haluwasa, Lake of the Four Fountains etc.) along their courses and I am sure many of the bass are escapees.The water doesn't seem to bother them.
There are also catfish in that stretch.
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
That is interesting Scott. I would have to agree with you that these bass are most likely coming from these lakes. I wouldn't be surprised if some natural selection/ evolution is at work allowing these bass to exist in acidic waters. Either way I still think Tom Brown made up or mis identified this bass he refers to in his book.

Bob, thanks for the warning about Curly! I'll certainly be on the lookout! (lol)

Jeff
 

grendel

Explorer
Feb 24, 2006
561
2
Fredericksburg VA
overall once you wade through the spiritual crap and other BS, his books have some great info. I have used some of his herbal cures,and learned alot about survival and nature observation.
 
bobpbx said:
I have never seen a pack of wild dogs in my 40 years of living around the pines. .

I saw a pack back in the 70's but it wasn't in the Pines. It was in Pennsauken on Westfield Avenue not too far from Camden. There were 5 or 6 of them and looked pretty mangy. I guess when they're in towns they're called strays and not wild but they were pretty scary looking just the same.

Steve
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,155
4,258
Pines; Bamber area
BEHR655 said:
I saw a pack back in the 70's but it wasn't in the Pines. It was in Pennsauken on Westfield Avenue not too far from Camden. There were 5 or 6 of them and looked pretty mangy. I guess when they're in towns they're called strays and not wild but they were pretty scary looking just the same.

Those dogs are older now. I understand they don't take any crap from anyone, and have moved into the pines. They had a rumble a couple weeks ago over Batsto River way......LOL!
 

Broke Jeep Joe

Explorer
Mar 8, 2006
779
475
Waterford Twp
OK, OK I think the feral or ferrell dogs have been kicked to death, all puns intended. Maybe we should pick up some Camden dogs and get them together with the piney dogs and see who wins. LOL ! On the serious side of it guys, the whole point of my post about the dogs was to gain knowledge and inform people that may or may not be aware of their presence. Also keep in mind, just becasue you don't see something doen't mean it's not there. I hope you never have to experience being tracked or hunted by anything while you are enjoying yourselves on a hike or "bushwack" I think we all need to let this post die on the vine. Just my .02 again. :bang:
 
Broke Jeep Joe said:
OK, OK I think the feral or ferrell dogs have been kicked to death, all puns intended. Maybe we should pick up some Camden dogs and get them together with the piney dogs and see who wins. LOL ! On the serious side of it guys, the whole point of my post about the dogs was to gain knowledge and inform people that may or may not be aware of their presence. Also keep in mind, just becasue you don't see something doen't mean it's not there. I hope you never have to experience being tracked or hunted by anything while you are enjoying yourselves on a hike or "bushwack" I think we all need to let this post die on the vine. Just my .02 again. :bang:

Broke Jeep,

This is just a discussion about Tom Brown and wild dogs were mentioned. It's not about you. You information was very interesting and appreciated and it's too bad you took WAMBA's funny the wrong way. Everyone has moved on.

Steve
 

Broke Jeep Joe

Explorer
Mar 8, 2006
779
475
Waterford Twp
If you have moved on as you say, why the comment on the rumble in the Batsto area ? Why respond at all ? If you recall, it wasn't me who took offense to WAMBA'a post, I could care less, I just feel we are beating this topic to death. Enough is enough. This will be my last post on the topic.
 
Broke Jeep Joe said:
If you have moved on as you say, why the comment on the rumble in the Batsto area ?

Ummm....because it's funny? Just like WAMBA's post about Will Ferrel, Farrel, Firil, what ever, was funny. I don't think he was knocking anyone for their spelling. I just think he saw a good opportunity and took it. Laughter will help you live longer you know. :D

Steve
 

ecampbell

Piney
Jan 2, 2003
2,840
958
Somebody just made my ignore list, first one too!

Broke Jeep Joe said:
If you have moved on as you say, why the comment on the rumble in the Batsto area ? Why respond at all ? If you recall, it wasn't me who took offense to WAMBA'a post, I could care less, I just feel we are beating this topic to death. Enough is enough. This will be my last post on the topic.
 

WAMBA

Scout
Mar 20, 2006
74
0
Voorhees
...and back to the bass...
don't know if its incorrect or not, but in the wikipedia entry on the mullica river it says "The river is noted as a spawning ground for striped bass." i don't know if that's true or not since anybody could go and write something on wikipedia, but usually i tend to find the info in there fairly accurate for topics i do already know about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullica_River
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
WAMBA said:
...and back to the bass...
don't know if its incorrect or not, but in the wikipedia entry on the mullica river it says "The river is noted as a spawning ground for striped bass." i don't know if that's true or not since anybody could go and write something on wikipedia, but usually i tend to find the info in there fairly accurate for topics i do already know about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullica_River

The lower mullica is brackish. The salinity levels begin to pick up down stream of the forks where the river is tidal from the great bay. This is an excellent habitat for stripped bass. However, our disscussion concerned large mouth bass mostly, and their ability to exist in the very acidic waters up stream in the woods.

Jeff
 

Pan

Explorer
Jul 4, 2011
554
246
Arizona

Resurrecting this old thread I see that a lot of you guys got the same impression of Tom Brown - allegedly brought up by an Apache indian in the old indian ways in the NJ Pine Barrens - as did I, and that was reinforced by my listening to him and seeing him in person, when he gave a talk at Ramsey Sporting Goods on Rt. 17 in NJ 10 or 15 years ago.

Here's the current link to his tracking school, back in NJ it seems...

https://www.trackerschool.com/about_tracker_school.asp
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
I actually went to Tom's first class back in 86 at his farm in north jersey and visited his barrens camp with a friend of mine whose been to three of his classes on north branch of forked river.I worshipped the guy till I actually met him.Thats when I found out he is a chain smoker of marlboro cigarettes and dressed,talked and walked like evryone else.Shot my wild man of the woods image down real quick.I eventually came to believe he is 90% BS.He claims he never used trails but always cut across country but never wore shoes.The barrens would make hash out of his feet very quickly.I believe his philosophy of trying to become independant of anything that can't be made in the woods is a good one but he claims you can do this and live comfortably.I don't think anyone can do this and live comfortable without a small tribe to divvy up tasks among.There is just too much to do to establish anything more then a hand to mouth existence without help.I also never seen an Indian who wouldn't trade their bow for a gun and some ammo though it is wise to know how to make a bow when your ammo runs out.
Since then I have found several really good skills teachers who teach without the shamanistic hoodoo and have a much more realitic approach of just how easy it is.Tom had me banging my head with his method of making a bow drill.Rob Chatburn has a much better method and I got fire right away,with Tom's I never did.He says he teaches you the hard way so when you get it the easy way is so much easier.I think he just didn't know the better way.When someone croaks of hypothermia because all they knew was the hard way maybe the easy way will look better.Also isn't it coincidental that Stalking Wolf disappeared without a trace to die and never had a birth certificate and Rick moved to Europe (pretty inacessible for research to most of us) and then died in a horseback riding incident.Then there is the true story of a student who questioned Tom too closely about Rick's background and was immediately given his money back and ecorted from class.Why? Sounds like he don't like prying eyes.Read his book and learn what skills you can which are all in a few field guides,take the books like tracker,search,vision,grandfather,etc. as good reads sorta like Journey to the Center of the Earth is.
Al
 

Pan

Explorer
Jul 4, 2011
554
246
Arizona
I watched the video. Very interesting. I like the house they built. No, I don't believe Mr Brown's stories and he kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't know him, just what I read and the time I heard him talk - and there were various things in his talk that I deemed silly at the time, but I've forgotten. I just remember that he drove up in a shiny new Hummer. That article you linked to, Guy, mentions BOSS in Boulder, UT. I was there just last month. That is some spectacular country up there in southern Utah just north of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Iforgot to mention one evening at class as we were on our way back to the barn from a tracking session in an old field where we were picking out vole sign I raced ahead and climbed a large tree using a poison ivy vine that I regretably found out the next day ,it was fairly dark when i did this.In any case Tom and the whole class on the way back walked right under me.I was laying on a limb overhanging the trail about n10 ft above everyones heads.No one looked up including Tom and He nor anyone else mentioned later I was spotted.perhaps he spiritually sensed my presence but was nice enough not to call me out by letting me know he was the man or just possibly he really didn't know I was there or maybe he was laughing inside knowing i was about to get a very nasty case of poison ivy?Who knows.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
I just remember that he drove up in a shiny new Hummer.

You should see the boat he had. Wilderness survival education pays very, very well. And there is nothing wrong with that, unless things are misrepresented to those doing the paying. Wondering what the mud people are paid....
 
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