What exactly is a dry-gulcher?

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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Missouri Breaks

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lolli66 — 17 years ago(February 19, 2009 02:29 PM)

Is that slang for a hired gun in general, a bounty hunter,What?
"You think I was telling you the truth? Maybemaybe."

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Reality-Bites — 17 years ago(March 14, 2009 03:42 PM)

Yes, it's slang for a hired killer, but one who specializes in ambushing from a distance, as in long-range sniper firing - a shooter hidden out of sight of his victims. (I'm guessing the name came from the shooter using a dry gulch to hide in, so his victims couldn't easily see where the shots were being fired from).

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lolli66 — 17 years ago(March 23, 2009 02:17 PM)

Thank you very much, that makes sense.
"You think I was telling you the truth? Maybemaybe."

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Big_Boss_Ogg — 16 years ago(February 23, 2010 09:13 PM)

I don't think it could be reserved for someone who could be legitimized so to speak as a sniper, that implies perhaps in some way that he would be employed gainfully and repeatedly in that function.
My two cents worth are, I think it came to mean anyone who would shoot you from hiding, certainly, but also would stoop to shooting you in the back. So a dry gulcher would be a craven, base coward with no sand in his craw at all.

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www.wedd — 15 years ago(September 29, 2010 05:39 PM)

Which is certainly true of Brando's character- shooting from a distance, never getting close- and his trademark seems to be getting people at very undignified moments (on the toilet, having sex).

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bear022013-588-696101 — 12 years ago(September 23, 2013 04:24 PM)

Wrong sir.

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xego1 — 15 years ago(March 28, 2011 01:48 AM)

you might remember also that Ben Johnson uses the term in "The Wild Bunch"
"You won't get a chance to dry-gulch me old man"

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andrew-burge — 14 years ago(June 01, 2011 04:14 PM)

It's a term to describe an ambush robber, someone who lies in wait and then (typically) murders their target unseen and then loots the corpse.

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nutsberryfarm — 12 years ago(August 15, 2013 04:54 PM)

sounds painful.
Where there's smoke, there's barbecue!

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brucedgo — 12 years ago(September 26, 2013 09:18 PM)

To dry-gulch is simply to "ambush."
There are no connotations regarding motives. I suspect guns are nearly always involved though.
and the rocks it pummels.

• James Berardinelli