I met R L Thomas on the second day of Ohio's first beaver season back around 1961 . He was trapping with some of the other Ohio state assn. Officers on the property next to the one I was on . They had gotten some of their traps on my property by mistake, and I had taken them up and put them out by the road with a note . Next morning they were setting there in their car and were as mad as hornets . We got things smoothed over when they saw they were the ones in the wrong . I knew the location of every beaver colony within 10 miles , and knew the owners of most of the properties . I offer to get them permission on some places since I was only allowed to trap 2 beaver per season back then . I got to know Thomas well ,Went with him to set and check traps . I had been trapping on my own for 9 years , but I learned a lot from him on setting traps . He came over and trapped beaver for several years and I would go on his line with him and his partner . I don't remember that fellows name . He was a good guy also . I sold fur to Thomas , and got a lot more than my local buyer payed . Thomas also bought the local buyers fur and he was happy I got them together . I went into the Army in 1964 and never saw Thomas after that . Lots of good memories from those days on the line back then . I was sad to hear when he passed away several years ago . As a side note I think about that encounter with them on that day they found their traps pulled every time I hear Scott's name . My old trapping partner had gone into the Army that Sumner and I was trapping with another friend of mine . Scott pointed a gun at my friend during that encounter . If it had been my old partner he did that to there would have been one of two things that would have happened . Either Scott would have shot him , my buddy would have taken the gun from him any shot Scott . We always knew my buddy was wired , but he was later declared insane . He did not back done from anything and was as strong as an oxen . I am sure Scott never knew how his life would have changed if my old partner had been there that morning .
