East Cleveland leader. [volume] (East Cleveland, Ohio) 1942-1970, 1960-12-08
Continued from Page l.
Large Birds Easier

Large Birds Easier
It didn't take young Lee long
to realize that larger birds,
such as pheasants, were by far
more simple!
| Alternating his time between
chool attendance, and roaming
the Michigan wilds for game,
Lee managed to graduate as
yaledictorian of his high school
class. He then went to Detroit
as an apprentice to Matt Huus-)
ko, who is now considered to be
the top taxidermist in the
United States. Lees present
association is still with Huusko;
the preliminary layout work
for specimen museum displays,
as we'll as the tanning of the
major portion of deer hides used
in this country is done at the
Birch studio.
/ World War II interrupted the
career of Lee Birch in his devo-
tion to the preservation of wild
animals. But with his service in
the 9th Army Air Force as a
Bit crew member behind him,
(this included being severely
wounded, as well as spending
some time as a P.O.W.) he dis
covered the need for a good
| taxidermist in this area, and so
established himself in East
Cleveland.
From capturing the perma-
nent qualities of trophies OBJ
tained by others, Lees entry
into the guide business was al
most a foregone conclusion. In
the past "a years, his hunting
expeditions have taken him all \
over the world. Through him,
you may arrange for any type |
of hunting expedition, from a
Canadian Spring Bear Hunt
(which is the least expensive)
to an African Safari in Tan
ganyika.
Leaves For Africa Soon
Christmas Day, Mr.. Birch
will leave for Africa as head
Of a four-party expedition, and
expects to return about the Sec
ond week in February. With
flights to Paris, Rome, Athens,
and then to Cairo for New
Years Eve, the ultimate goal
of this group will be in the Re-
public of Somaliland. Movie
making and some hither-to-fore
untried fishing in salt-Lake
Rudolph will be aims of the
party as well as the collection
of animal trophies.
When questioned about how
the current difficulties in parts
of Africa will affect the expedi-
ton, he replied there have been
no problems concerning politics
in the area to which they plan
to go. He likened the situation
to what we Nigh feel here in
Ohio should there be a local up
rising in perhaps Mexico j
which is probably nothing.
An interesting sidelight to
the discussion about this trip
was his explanation of the
Birch technique for lion hunt
ing.
Customarily, the lion is
hunted after a carcass is
dragged over q five mile area,
then hung to a tree as bait.
When the lion arrives on the
scene, the waiting hunters need
only good craftsmanship to col
lect trophy.
Lees method combines all the
excitement of an action-packed
television thriller with the
maximum amount of danger to
life and limb. His technique is
to send an unarmed native
crawling in the midst Of a thorn
thicket where the lion habitual-
ly sleeps. When a sleeping lion
is sighted, the native crawls
back and announces the loca-
tion Of the quarry.
The hunter then silently
worms his way to within 10
feet of the dormant animal
and here is where you should
learn that this particular brand
of bush lion, as it is called, is
a particularly mean-disposi-
toned beast - then the hunter
shouts "Boo!" The startled lion
is faced with but two choices;
retreat or charge.
Sport Not For Amateurs
You can see this sport is not
for the amateur gun-lover who
plinks at tin cans for practice!
From the feminine stand
point, Lee Birch is all that
a professional guide-hunter
should be. Blue-eyed and sandy
haired, he has a charming,
soft-spoken manner that builds
confidence and respect.
Inquiries into the possibility