60 Nebraskaland • July 2021
Late November Duck Hunt 1983. Pictured from left are
Scott Schroth; Joe Francis; Bones (Joe's Lab); Satch (my Lab);
and me. The bag included buffleheads, bluebills, redheads,
widgeon and mallards. We hunted on the Salt Valley Lakes,
near Lincoln.
No permanent blinds were allowed so we hiked about 3/4
mile from the parking lot carrying our homemade portable
blind and two dozen decoys. The competition to be the first
to claim a location was quite intense in those days and we
regarded this spot (nicknamed Cedar Point) as the best in the
Salt Valley. Many others did, too. As Satch was retrieving the
last duck, a boat blind motored up to be the next to hunt there
— they had monitored us with binoculars and knew exactly
when we had reached our point system limit.
Scott has passed away, while Joe and I still live in Lincoln.
(Photos by Mary Schroth.)
– Douglas Blaine Harris, Lincoln
Hunting South of the farm on the trailrace east of
Columbus 1977. Carroll Mellinger and his sons, son-in-law
and oldest grandson display their successful opening day
pheasants. It was a family tradition to all gather on opening
weekend. Breaded and fried pheasant were always on the
menu for the first day.
Chad Blahak, Joe Blahak, Dennis Ryba, Al Kluever, Dave
Mellinger, Carroll Mellinger, and Greg Mellinger.
– Diane Blahak, Lincoln
Coyote Hunt 1919. This is a photo of my cousins of the Green
and Stevens families of Polk, Nebraska, after a successful coyote
hunt using dogs.
The other photo (left) shows my brothers Roy Green (pictured
left) and Wayne Green after trapping a raccoon near the Big Blue
River southeast of Stromsburg about 1963.
– Merlin Green, Lincoln
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov. Photos
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PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
