'Mountain Man' Troy James Knapp captured after six years Sanpete Sheriff's Officers escort Troy James Knapp, 45, to the Sanpete County Jail. AUTHORITIES have captured an elusive survivalist who is suspected of robbing Utah cabins, leaving some covered with threats and bullet holes. Troy James Knapp, 45, dubbed the "Mountain Man" by cabin owners, was taken into custody in the snowy mountains outside of Ferron in central Utah after firing several shots at officers in a helicopter, authorities said. No one was hit before Mr Knapp was captured while trying to flee on foot from dozens of officers who converged on snowmobiles, Sanpete County Sheriff Brian Nielson said. Mr Knapp was armed with at least one rifle and one handgun, authorities said, adding that he was wearing camouflage clothes and sporting a red beard with some gray. "He was severely outgunned at the time," Mr Nielson said. He ran into a number of officers that were also well armed and he could see that he was out of his league. The area is about 290 kilometres north of the site where detectives believed Mr Knapp was a year ago. Authorities have said Mr Knapp was armed and dangerous when he broke into dozens of mountain cabins across remote southern Utah. They said he has been photographed by motion-triggered camera on snowshoes with a stolen rifle slung over his shoulder. Mr Knapp has been living off the comfort of those cabins in winter then retreating to makeshift summer camps deep in the forest with stolen guns and supplies, detectives have said. The manhunt escalated in the spring of 2012 as the summer tourist season approached. Detectives suspected Mr Knapp was roaming the mountains around Zion National Park, following rivers, using pay phones, and even riding park shuttle buses to stock up on food in a nearby town. Zion rangers were alerted and distributed posters warning cabin owners to be on the lookout. Authorities say Mr Knapp's motives have never been clear but speculated that he was fed up with civilization. The last known sighting of Mr Knapp was October 1 by a surveillance camera in Sanpete County. Iron, Kane and Garfield counties have all issued arrest warrants for him on burglary and weapons charges. While there have been no violent confrontations with Mr Knapp, authorities had feared he was a ticking time bomb. He is suspected of leaving some cabins riddled with bullet holes, defacing religious icons and writing taunting notes. Hey Sheriff ... Gonna put you in the ground!" he wrote in one note, according to court records. Records indicate Mr Knapp fell off the radar in 2002 when he apparently left California in violation of his parole for a burglary conviction. He had been charged with theft in 2000 in California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to records. Authorities lost track off Mr Knapp around 2003. "He just dropped off the face of the Earth," Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Michael Wingert said in February 2012. In 2007, southern Utah authorities began investigating a string of cabin burglaries they believed were tied to one person. Over the years, detectives found unattended summer camps stocked with dozens of guns and stolen, high-end outdoor gear. It wasn't until early 2012 that investigators identified Mr Knapp as the suspect from cabin surveillance photos and videos. Mr Wingert compared his skills as a survivalist to Davy Crockett. As a teenager, Mr Knapp was convicted in Michigan of breaking and entering, passing bad checks and unlawful flight from authorities, according to court records in Kalamazoo County. His most serious arrest for felony assault in Michigan was reduced in 1994 to a charge of malicious destruction of property after he agreed to plead guilty.