He built his own house, forged his own tools, and made his own clothes.

At a very early date rifles were manufactured at the High Shoals of the Yadkin; Squire Boone, Daniel's brother, was an expert gunsmith.

The difficulty of securing food for the settlements forced every man to become a hunter and to scour the forest for wild game.

Thus the pioneer, through force of sheer necessity, became a dead shot--which stood him in good stead in the days of Indian incursions and bloody retaliatory raids.
Primitive in their games, recreations, and amusements, which not infrequently degenerated into contests of savage brutality, the pioneers always set the highest premium upon personal bravery, physical prowess, and skill in manly sports.

At all public gatherings, general musters, "vendues" or auctions, and even funerals, whisky flowed with extraordinary freedom.