Memories of Ten Buck

My first knowledge of Ten Buck was when one of out five daughters was invited by a neighbor, Dr. Bob Lyons for a weekend. Our Karen and Mandy Lyons were good friends. Bob's father-in-law, Bob Armstrong, was one of the charter members in 1936. I heard about the natural beauty and wild life. Also what a great experience a weekend visit there was.

It was some years later, in 1972, Bob invited neighbors, Bill Doerr and myself to partake in the annual deer hunt as guest. The club had two openings and was looking for prospects. Bill and I were both privileged to become members in 1973. It has been a long and delightful adventure for my family and I.

At that time Ten Buck had an interesting thirty seven year history of hiring cooks from various sources to cook for the hunt, work weekends, etc.,. When I came in Goldie Wilcox had been doing the job for a while. She was a delight and often was hired to provide meals when members booked weekends for friends and family. Nothing like coming in from the cold to the smell of freshly baked bread. Goldie contracted cancer and could no longer serve. Lovda Crowell took on the task. She had previously cooked for Oakland Hunt Club, which was much larger and became too big a job but she figured cooking for ten men she could handle. What a fine, intelligent lady and a delight to have around. When she got too old we tried to work with some of her granddaughters but that generation just wasn?t the same. So after a few years of this we decided to look after our own cooking. Things could have been better, then along came a new member, super chef Ray Hanchett. We have all gained weight and love it.

When I came the club "Chief Agitator" Bill Fagan dubbed me "New Boy" and he had fun with it for years. I can't believe new boy grew up so fast. I have been in camp long enough, 34 years at this writing, to be the oldest member in age and membership. I hope I can keep getting patched up to enjoy a few more years of Ten Buck hunting and camaraderie.

Looking back its interesting to see how our present membership came to be. If I hadn?t come in, eight of the present ten members would never have heard of Ten Buck. I directly brought in Jack Porter, Stan Gutowski and Fred McCurdy and the rest fell into place. Actually, all ten members follow from Bob Armstrong who brought in Bob Lyons who brought in Bill Doerr, son Mike and Myself. A Super Recruiter!

May new members felt an urge to build something or improve the Ten buck operation somehow, I was no exception. We had no parking stops, so one weekend, with family help, I dreamed up the present setup and installed. They have been replaced the same way when old age dry rot started to get them. One weekend the Heinlen kin put a new bridge across the McGinn a few hundred yards below Camp 24 Bridge. It was a poor spot and never used. If finally washed away one spring. Another weekend the Heinlen and Doerr families designed and built the first wood shed at Ten Buck. It has since been moved and rebuilt following exactly our design and construction, I guess we did something right. Bob Eldred, president of the old Community National Bank of Pontiac and sons dreamed up and built the sauna log cabin, which has held up surprisingly well.

The whole camp [pulled together to build the pole barn. Art Compton with the help of his son bob and myself, a six-pack and a fifth of C.C. placed all the poles on a Friday afternoon and evening. In those days we didn?t have any retired members. The remaining eight got up after dark Friday and by Sunday afternoon the job was 80% finished. The next week with a stain job and shingles its still looking pretty sound.

One Sunday afternoon, before heading home, about thirty one years ago, I had all six children scouting around for "body parts" and we put together a wooden Buck deer. Some of our members needed a model for deer recognition course 101 that I was running. Somehow its survived all these years, even though it has recently been banished outdoors to the front yard. I've been told many a members child and more grandchildren have been posed on his back for pictures, some used for Christmas cards.

What a fine club and piece of property to be a part of. All who have enjoyed Ten buck have to be thankful that Art Nicholie in 1936 had the money and courage to purchase this land for private use and then had the wisdom and foresight to form a club and invite nine Pontiac area men to share and enjoy it with him.

To this point in 2006, I have shared the club with twenty-four men. No two were alike, all interesting and we all shared the love of hunting, camaraderie and the great outdoors.

Dick Heinlen
February, 2006