Bugas would always retain a love for his home state of Wyoming, saying "Its wide, un-cramped spaces ... give me a feeling of personal freedom I have never felt anywhere else."

Over the years (starting in 1949) he acquired over twenty-thousand-acres in Sunlight Basin ("by far the largest private ownership") and Clark's Fork, within the Absaroka Mountain Range in northwest Wyoming (near what is historically known for being the home of Buffalo Bill).
There he owned multiple working cattle ranches, with over 800 head of Hereford cattle, and he would frequently return to his beloved ranches with his wife and children, teaching them to move cattle and enjoy the Wyoming life as he so did.
He would spend his time there riding, fishing, and hunting amidst the ranch's twelve-thousand foot mountain peaks, canyons, waterfalls, and rivers.
Later in his life, Bugas traveled to his ranches every May and October for the cattle drives.

Bugas's picturesque ranch was used as the filming set for the Marlboro Man cigarette advertisements.

Bugas had a strong belief that his ranchland "ought to have fewer elk and more cattle" (and he put up miles of high fencing to keep migratory elk out of his pastures), and fought for restrictions on private development there ("provided they do not interfere with his cattle ranching activities").
Bugas loved the area because of its "rugged beauty," and was committed to protecting it "against excessive intrusion by man," keeping it "as wild and isolated" as when he bought it. "
He would never permit the access roads to be improved or for a bridge to be built, and for much of his life the only way to get to the ranch was by a hand trolley strung across the river."
It remained one of the most remote working ranches still in existence in the United States, accessible only by air or horseback, with no conventional roads leading to the ranch.

Bugas's ranch in Sunlight Basin contains the Bugas-Holding site, a notable Late Prehistoric age winter hunting campsite located along Sunlight Creek, a stream in the lower elevations with evidence of bison and mountain sheep hunting.

Author Loren Estleman wrote that Bugas "exhibited a rough frontier charm that might not have been all artifice, helped along by frank dark eyes slanting away from a nose like the prow of an icebreaker and a shy smile that showed no teeth.
His pioneer inflections were gentle.
Company scuttlebutt said he was embarrassed by stories about his obstreperous past and had taken steps to eradicate the frontier influence from his manner, including speech lessons." ("
In an old-style gunfight I'd have picked him as my first target.")

Because of his exploits in fighting the bad guys (while at both the FBI and Ford), Bugas thus "became the consummate hero—legendary to this day"—and earned the reputation as the real life John Wayne, complete with his preferred ascot neckerchief and worn-out hat. (
Bugas reportedly would rub a new hat in the dirt, saying "You never want to let anyone see you in a new hat," and then shoot a hole through it with his gun.)
His preferred dress was Levis and an old shirt, often a University of Wyoming Cowboy T-shirt, and he had a penchant for singing Wyoming cowboy songs.

Bugas was an expert rider as well as marksman in all sizes of firearms (from his days in the FBI).
He was an avid mountain game hunter (including bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and elk on his ranches, and bear and cats in Wyoming and Montana) as well as wingshooter (frequenting partridge, pheasant, and grouse shoots at his ranches and throughout the world).

Described as "stiff and formal" (he favored classical music and "an evening at the theatre"), Bugas was known for his "cowboy morality."
He once saw a man on a train verbally abusing a woman and, "grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, Bugas took him out between the swaying cars to chastise him and, when the man swung at him, knocked him down."

Along with this authentic wild west persona came a connection with the game of poker, and media often referenced his "poker-faced" demeanor.
The Detroit Free Press describe
Bugas would always retain a love for his home state of Wyoming, saying "Its wide, un-cramped spaces ... give me a feeling of personal freedom I have never felt anywhere else."
Over the years (starting in 1949) he acquired over twenty-thousand-acres in Sunlight Basin ("by far the largest private ownership") and Clark's Fork, within the Absaroka Mountain Range in northwest Wyoming (near what is historically known for being the home of Buffalo Bill). There he owned multiple working cattle ranches, with over 800 head of Hereford cattle, and he would frequently return to his beloved ranches with his wife and children, teaching them to move cattle and enjoy the Wyoming life as he so did. He would spend his time there riding, fishing, and hunting amidst the ranch's twelve-thousand foot mountain peaks, canyons, waterfalls, and rivers. Later in his life, Bugas traveled to his ranches every May and October for the cattle drives.
Bugas's picturesque ranch was used as the filming set for the Marlboro Man cigarette advertisements.
Bugas had a strong belief that his ranchland "ought to have fewer elk and more cattle" (and he put up miles of high fencing to keep migratory elk out of his pastures), and fought for restrictions on private development there ("provided they do not interfere with his cattle ranching activities"). Bugas loved the area because of its "rugged beauty," and was committed to protecting it "against excessive intrusion by man," keeping it "as wild and isolated" as when he bought it. "He would never permit the access roads to be improved or for a bridge to be built, and for much of his life the only way to get to the ranch was by a hand trolley strung across the river." It remained one of the most remote working ranches still in existence in the United States, accessible only by air or horseback, with no conventional roads leading to the ranch.
Bugas's ranch in Sunlight Basin contains the Bugas-Holding site, a notable Late Prehistoric age winter hunting campsite located along Sunlight Creek, a stream in the lower elevations with evidence of bison and mountain sheep hunting.
Author Loren Estleman wrote that Bugas "exhibited a rough frontier charm that might not have been all artifice, helped along by frank dark eyes slanting away from a nose like the prow of an icebreaker and a shy smile that showed no teeth. His pioneer inflections were gentle. Company scuttlebutt said he was embarrassed by stories about his obstreperous past and had taken steps to eradicate the frontier influence from his manner, including speech lessons." ("In an old-style gunfight I'd have picked him as my first target.")
Because of his exploits in fighting the bad guys (while at both the FBI and Ford), Bugas thus "became the consummate hero—legendary to this day"—and earned the reputation as the real life John Wayne, complete with his preferred ascot neckerchief and worn-out hat. (Bugas reportedly would rub a new hat in the dirt, saying "You never want to let anyone see you in a new hat," and then shoot a hole through it with his gun.) His preferred dress was Levis and an old shirt, often a University of Wyoming Cowboy T-shirt, and he had a penchant for singing Wyoming cowboy songs.
Bugas was an expert rider as well as marksman in all sizes of firearms (from his days in the FBI). He was an avid mountain game hunter (including bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and elk on his ranches, and bear and cats in Wyoming and Montana) as well as wingshooter (frequenting partridge, pheasant, and grouse shoots at his ranches and throughout the world).
Described as "stiff and formal" (he favored classical music and "an evening at the theatre"), Bugas was known for his "cowboy morality." He once saw a man on a train verbally abusing a woman and, "grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, Bugas took him out between the swaying cars to chastise him and, when the man swung at him, knocked him down."
Along with this authentic wild west persona came a connection with the game of poker, and media often referenced his "poker-faced" demeanor. The Detroit Free Press describe
John Bugas