Trappers Hall of Fame inducts Clyde Pidcock
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
He is a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. He is a former independent business owner. He is a hunter, a fisherman, an author and a gentleman.
And now, he's a Hall of Famer.
"He" is none other than William Clyde Pidcock. Known as "Wild Bill" during the war years, Clyde, as his friends call him, was recently inducted into the Ohio State Trappers Association Hall of Fame.
Nick Bower, chairman of the Awards Committee from the Ohio State Trappers Association, notified Clyde of his Hall of Fame status.
"He made my life complete," Clyde says. "I'm happy that at the age of 91, I still have my memories and my love of trapping."
The induction was a culmination of Clyde's long history of trapping in southwest Ohio.
Clyde is the author of "A Half-Century of Mink Trapping," and has written numerous newspaper editorials and letters through the past 40 years. He was born in Carbine Hill, Ohio in 1918, and lived in the Rocky Fork Lake community for many years.
In 1925, at the age of 7, he lost his mother. With the Great Depression on the horizon, Clyde did what he needed to do. He went to work. He carried coal, collected scrap metal, sold newspapers, anything and everything to help his family including trapping.
Clyde began trapping with his father at the age of 5. "At that age, he knew he had a career ahead of him," Clyde's wife, Helen, told The Highland County Press. "Clyde's love for trapping began in 1923 and lasted for 75 years. He retired from trapping at the age of 80. And even though Clyde turned 91 on Sept. 17, his love for the sport is still with him. He loves to talk trapping."
At the age of 15, Clyde found a job through the WPA (Works Progress Act) to help his family survive the Depression. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Clyde joined the Navy. He would spend the next three and a-half years serving his country in the Pacific Theater.
After the war, he returned to Ohio, and returned to his passion trapping. Clyde covered a lot of territory in his days of trapping. He long-lined from Springfield, Ohio to middle Kentucky. He trapped in the winter and ran a bait-and-tackle shop in the summer.
"I went fishing for bait to use on the trap line," Clyde recalls. "I believed in using a lot of fish for trapping bait."
An avid reader and writer, Clyde wrote many articles for "The Trapper" magazine. His column, "Tips, Tails, and Opinions," was geared toward the young trappers and hunters.
"He was always so happy to hear from young trappers," Helen said. "He made sure he answered all of their questions and sent them his book."
Through all of his writings and public speaking, Clyde has been given the name of "The Ole Trapper." He says he doesn't remember when the nickname started, "just that it stuck."
"He still gets calls from people asking to speak to 'The Ole Trapper,'" Helen joked.
Clyde and Helen celebrated his Hall of Fame induction in Caldwell. Longtime Highland County residents, they now reside in Springfield. They have five grandsons, three of whom have been on the trap line with Clyde.
"When they get together, they always remember, talk, and laugh about past experiences. Clyde's love of the outdoors is seen in all of them through trapping, fishing, hunting, and sports of all sorts," Helen said.
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