The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1922-03-23
Pickens County Man Is Most
Successful Hunter and Trapper


over the country last week that a
mammoth wildcat had beejl killed
near Augusta. The cat was rep
resented as weighing seventeen
pounds and having whipped five dogs
ut ono time in fair fight.
That was u fair size wildcat, but
in four days last month Mr.. r. e.
Chastain, who lives near Table Rock
in Pickcns county, caught three wild
cats, the smallest of which was lar
ger than the ch-advcrtised Angus
ta cat and the largest of which
weighed twenty-five pounds.
And Mr. Chastain did not fight
his dogs with the cats. He caught
the animals in traps and took them
out unassisted, put them in boxes o.
sacks and brought them to Pickens
where he scld them at $40 each. One
has tc be experienced and have q
coed nerve to take wildcats cut Of
Il trap without help, but Mr.. Chastain
does it regularly and has never been
painfully hurt at it, though he has
received several scratches at different
times.
Ed Chastain is the champion trap
per and hunter Cf Pickcns county
and we doubt if there is a better one
in the state. Mr.. Chastain not only
| enjoys the sport but he makes con-
siderable money out of it, and some
times he longs to live where the big
| game roams and make profession Of
trapping and hunting.
| Knowing something Of Mr.. Chas-
tain's reputation Tho Sentinel asked
him how lcng he had boon trapping
wild animals and how many of the
different kinds he had caught.
Mr.. Chastain has been trapping for
about ten years and during that time
he has caught over 600 muskrats, SO
coons, 33 minks, $50 skunks and civet
eats, 10 wild cats, 25 wcascls, and a
smaller number Of other kinds of
animals and fowls. He ships the
skins to st. Louis, Chicago and New
York. a mink skin is worth from 81
to So, muskrat skin from 50 to SIS,
skunk skin $3.50, civit cat skins about
SO cents, weasel skins and 10 cents,
coon skin $3.50 and wildcat skins
abou&$1
During the past ten years Mr..
Chastain has also shot and killed
scvcnty-fve hawks. He killed eight
hawks in one day. He also killed ten
owls, three ravens and four eagles,
nineteen wild turkeys, two dccrs and
many phcasants along the North
Carolina lino. He cncc killed thirteen
crews with three shots He has kill
ed as high as thirty six squirrels in
one day and eleven in one tree. One
day he killed thirty-t three squirrels,
an owl and Il rattlcsnakc. He aver
ages killing six rnttlcsnakcs year,
the largest one he ever killed being
five feet long and having sixteen
rattlcs.
The Scntingl hereby appoints Mr..
ChaStain committee Of one to cap
turr CT Kill q horn snake next SUM-
mcr and bring it TO pi"kcns. If he
c9tch"a enc alive we earnestly re-
quest him [" have it well tied before
Re brings il to us.
! --------- Observation-Disclosures
MIR. WILLIAM CHAPMAN DEAD.
Mr. William Chapman, we'll
kncwn citizen Ct the upper part Of
Pickcns county. died at the home Of
his son, Manscll Chapman, Saturday
night. lntcrmcnt was at Antioch
Sunday.
Mr.. Chapman was about IS years
Of age and member Of the Baptist
church. Hc is survived by his wife
and the following children: Rural po-
liccman r. II. Chapman, Manscll
Chapman, Mrs. l.. S. Reecc, Mrs. IT.
vim Dodgcns, Mrs. Will Elcnburg,
Mrs. Anthony Ellcnburg, all of Pick
ems county He also leaves one broth
cr, Mr.. Jim Chapman, of Quebec, N.
G. Another brother, Mr.. Curric
Chapman, died about month ago.