Claude Dallas 5 Part Series

Is this how the whole story really went down?



Part 1







Part 2







Part 3








Part 4






Part 5






The song

Knowing the country, to bad they couldn't get it close to the same type of terrain.
They got some parts right and a lot they didn't.

Nettleton was right Dallas was a trash trapper and a bully.
But Nettleton isn't much different a drunk with a badge.

Does any one know or remember how it all started?

Didnt know anything about this until i watched it, it is a sad deal, first off two people lost their lives doing their jobs,those families lost there sons, husbands and dads etc.. for someone to take a life over fur is way out there in my opinion, secondly, it involved trapping and was related by the news, thus giving us what i would say another black eye as it portrayed him as a trapper, and we all know how little it takes to get those, sad deal

Definately a black eye. Dont know the whole story or maybe even what is true or not. You can say a trapper did this, and it does give us a black eye. But in the end was he really a trapper?

utahcoyote wrote:

Definately a black eye. Dont know the whole story or maybe even what is true or not. You can say a trapper did this, and it does give us a black eye. But in the end was he really a trapper?

i dont think he should or could be called a trapper,a true trapper wouldnt of put himself in that situation ie.. tresspassing, trapping out of season. i would also like to see the whole version of th story

If you guys only knew the truth about the one F-G officer.
And I see no one knows or remembers why the officers even went down to Bull basin to check on him.

Dallas was turned in by a father/son trappers. They were jealous and scared of Claude. They were as much to blame as Claude for getting the officers killed.
Claudes only thing at the time was Nevada was open to bobcats and Idaho wasn't and Claude was living in Idaho with unsealed bobcats and killing deer out of season.

We all could have done without Claude and his B.S. would have been better realation between trappers and F-G in the west.

i dont know the whole story and am glad someone can shed a little light, however your second paragraph says alot dallas, one trappers shouldnt be afraid of each other, just respect the trapping boundaries, and secondly, the father /son did the right thing in my opinion in turning him in for violating game laws, we as trappers are faced with more regs all the time, we dont need people volunteering to put their hand in and help stir the pot for fish and game, we have fish and game officers here who are not real nice, i dont give them a reason to check on me and am polite and follow instructions when checked, that is the way it is, they are doing their job, even if we dont always agree with them, and i totally agree with your last sentence, would of made it alittle easier for you guys

There is no boundaries in the west on public land, it's who can bluff the biggest, the old saying" no honor among thieves".

i see, i didnt realize that is how it is out there, here if some is trapping an area, everyone else gives them room and dont crowd in, or waits until they move on, and i guess i should point out i dont trap public land, all my sets are on private land, makes a differance there too, we ahve alot of bird hunters withdaogs, so i steer clear of public land,we had that play out last year and almost lost dryland setting 220's

I wouldnt say the west is that bad. i come upon trappers all the time and I respect their traps and they respect mine. Once in awhile a thief will find a set or two, but not too often

I can also agree that there are some game wardens who are out to cause problems for trappers. We had one in my area who has since retired. Once again though that is not the norm.

utahcoyote, never trapped in Idaho?
Some rotten trappers here will go out of their way to get you busted, several rotten eggs here, but not all.
Also the warden have a bad taste in their mouths for trappers, only difference they have badges.
They are taught all are guilty we just haven't caught you yet.

I have never trapped Idaho I ought to though can never trap enough cats. Never considered how the wardens were there though, but it makes sense they are still holding a grudge because of this incident. Too bad those other " trappers " want go see people get in trouble

I can remember following the Claude Dallas manhunt back then, but it was also how he was brought up. Its sad how some guys want follow laws, it doesn't matter what it is! So many mistakes early when he kept getting caught, that he became bullet proof. I agree that he wasn't a trapper just a want a be. Just a poacher! Cold Blooded Game Warden Killer!! Plain and simple. He could have just let them take the cats, take the fine and move on. I guess Dallas was mentally back in the late 1800's. Does anyone know when he gets out of prison?

He got out a couple years back.
Lived in a town in sw Idaho for a year then took off, no clue to where he went. If he's smart he went to South America.
He isn't allowed to carry any type of weapon cause of the seriousness of the crime. No bows, black powder. A rock and club is about it.

Heard he had went back to his stomping grounds planning on staying but local property owner said no and called in the sheriff to run him off that was a couple of years ago. No idea where he is at now. Don't care really.

ouhunter, no, he is just a killer. Wouldn't have mattered one day he would have killed someone over something just as stupid.

Thanks for the info, your right he was going to kill someone it was just a matter of time.

I followed the Claude Dallas story from the start. I was a government trapper at the time and the govt. trapper in the district next to me used to ride line on a ranch with Claude. He told me a side of Claude that most all of you haven't mentioned. I was told he was basically a loner. Very good with a handgun, rifle and throwing a knife. I also knew Pogue from some encounters I had when hunting in Idaho. I left the government (or should say, they left me due to budget cuts) and went on to become a Deputy Sheriff. I met others in my profession that were a lot like Pogue. They were the type that you wish would go find another occupation so they wouldn't muddy yours. I'm not saying that Claude was in the right for doing what he did, but I have always lived by the saying, "Never judge another man until you have walked a few miles in his shoes." I think there were mistakes made on both sides, but it is now water under the bridge. It sure didn't help our image as trappers with the general public when this occured. I have retired from Law Enforcement and now look back as most that are getting old do and wonder if I were in that situation, would I have handled it differently if I had been Pogue or if I had been Claude?? Guess I will never know.