The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1943-01-28

robin-for he renewed his member
ship again. Oh yes, his new card
also boasts this provision Zone mess
of fresh dressed fish on demand
Signed Dallas Berry"
We recently learned that Herman
Stager received the "mess of fish"
as gift from Ted. Herman had
planned to take his wife to a fish
fry at Ottawa the same night and
for some reason could not go at the
last minute. Herman says the fish
gift was a life saver, for he was
sure that Fairy would be just as
well satisfied with eating fish sand
wiches at home as to make the long
trip on thread bare tires and maybe
have to walk home if they had a
blowout,
Wilbur Niswander and Russell
Montgomery have been hitting the
hawks in this part of the country
and hitting them hard. If keeping
your shooting eye in trim is patrio-
tic, these boys should receive a
medal. So far this season they have
bagged 50 birds.
The boys have two guns which
are very effective in putting the
lead on the bird, one is a 218 Bee
and the other a % Varmiter.
The 218 Bee is equipped with an
power Winchester scope, the shell
case is the same size as the 1920,
but necked down to shoot the same
size bullet as that of % rifle. 1t
has a velocity of $500 ft. per second,
and is accurate for shooting up to
$50 yards.
The % Varmiter is equipped with
a ten power Winchester scope.
Shooting the case of the 250-300
necked down to the % bullet size,
which gives it a speed of 1000 #.
per second. This gun is death on
pests up to 220 yds. Wilbur states
that the Varmiter will shoot 1h
inch group at 220 yards. Wilbur
was showing yours truly some of
the different groups that Russ and
he had shot in practicing.
After seeing those groups and
remembering the hawk score,
wouldn't advise Hitler to let his
moustache grow much longer, and
be seen by these fellows. They
could give him shave and slit his
neck with shot and a half at 200
yards.
A few weeks ago they had an
especially good days hunt, the dead
at the end of the day numbered Is
hawks! Wilbur states that some
times it is possible for one to get a
second shot. 1t is thought that most
of these hawks migrate down from
Canada during the winter and early
spring to feed on our game supply.
Coopers, Red Tails and Sharp Shin
ned are the most common during
this time of year.
| interviewing Jesse Mangus last
week resulted in a very interesting
story on how he began buying furs.
! 1t started about five years before
Uncle Sam took part in the last
World War. Riley Creek as we'll as
the entire United States then reaped
plentiful annual fall fur harvest.
Jesse's trapping experiences started
when he was still in grade school.
Jim Sechler, Lloyd Hardwick and
Jesse trapped Big Riley Creek here
] in town on a partnership basis. The
I boys pooled their furs and shipped
them to market. This seemed too
slow a process for Lloyd and Jim, so
Jesse charged them small sum for
his trouble and bought their share
! of furs as soon as they were caught.
1t wasn't long until Jesse realized
that he had started quite business.
Muskrat skins brought thirty-five
cents piece. From 1917 to 1926
jim and Lloyd helped him to run
his ten mile trap line consisting of
several hundred traps. The marsh at
the South edge of Bluffton usually
required about a hundred traps, as
rats were plentiful. Jesse estimated
that the annual season catches
usually amounted to about three
hundred muskrats and ten mink.
Jesse's father, Charles, also 8
club member, has been buying furs
at their home on Railroad street fol
the past ten years and is still ar
active sportsman for his age. HI
states that he would like to accept {