Bunkhouse Buddies is one of Peter’s earlier works, written in 1960. The prose is salacious and shocking, given the time period. This raunchy story could not be published in the United States until after the landmark Memoirs vs. Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling which cleared the way for erotic to be protected under free speech. Peter had published in Denmark prior to the court’s decision. Peter was quoted about Bunkhouse Buddies:
It’s no secret that many men became cowboys because they preferred the company and camaraderie of other rough and tumble men to the gentler life with women. These cowboys lived in groups of six to ten in bunkhouses – housing provided by the ranch owner at no cost or at the cost of lower wages. The function of a traditional bunkhouse was to give a young cowboy an opportunity to find his footing and save money before he settled down and married. Not every cowboy had those particular plans. Many just wanted to be around other cowboys like themselves, confirmed bachelors. Buried deep in the Big Hole River Valley of Montana, the Cock Crow Ranch bunkhouse was entirely made up of lifelong bachelors. When a new cowboy came along, it was never certain if he would “fit in” with the bachelor lifestyle or if he was going to have to find a new ranch with morals more in line with his own. A good fit was rare, but when that cowboy came along, he got to share in a brotherhood unlike any other. —Peter Schutes, 1961 Los Angeles, CA
