By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH COUNTY, Ind. – Over the last 20 years, Glenn and Sheila Butcher and their children, Tabitha and Josh, have seen many changes in the family business, Bass and Bucks.
The business opened in 1999 in Lagro.
“We started in Lagro, at what is now Zoomer’s, but was Pefley’s Farm Equipment,” Josh said, sitting behind a desk in one of the business’ showrooms. “Before that it was Sloan’s Sport Center.
“We originally started there, just selling bait and archery equipment.”
About a year later, the business moved to Southwood Avenue, behind Crystal Glass & Exteriors. In 2004, it moved to its present location, 4890 W. Millcreek Pike.
“There’s not much we could do in town and being on that landlocked property we were at,” Josh said. “Having 182 acres out here is a bit nicer.”
The business is located on property that once house Manor Care and a nearby restaurant. The actual business is located in the former restaurant. Other acreage is dedicated to a shooting range and a few outdoor archery ranges. It also has an indoor archery range, as well as a facility, the Star Lodge, that various groups use for excursions, receptions and other events.
The indoor archery range handles targets up to 50 yards away. The shooting range can go up to 750 yards. It also houses a trap shooting range now used by Northfield and Southwood high school shooting teams.
The two outdoor archery ranges have 3-D targets. One has 30 targets and the other has 40.
“Year around we host events that bring hundreds of people to the community,” Josh said. “We started a first annual event last year that brought 171 people from 13 different states.
“That was pretty cool for a first-year event, and we’re pretty excited to have it again for this year. It will be Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.”
The facility plays host to the Wabash County 4-H Shooting Sports, Josh noted.
“We have an S3DA youth archery squad that we run through the shop,” he continued. “It ranges from 50 to 80 kids from Wabash County and the other surrounding counties. They don’t have to be tied to any specific school. We’ve got seven to eight schools in that.”
The youth is something the family has been dedicated to helping every since the business opened.
“Our long-term mission was to make sure we didn’t forget about the youth,” Glenn Butcher said. “Make sure the youth had the programming and keeping busy in outdoor activities, instead of having them going down different roads in life.
“You don’t have to hunt. We never said you have to hunt. There’s a lot of people who like to shoot archery and like to shoot guns as a stress reliever.”
In addition to youth activities, Bass and Bucks also has hosted numerous training sessions for agencies ranging from local departments to the Department of Natural Resources, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the military and the Secret Service, Glenn noted.
“They’ve used the island (the family owns an island in the middle of the Wabash River) and the water to train before going on their missions,” he said.
Glenn said the business is not done growing.
The Butchers are currently developing plans to build a reception hall.
“If we do this, we want to hold at least 1,000 people,” he said. “To do a venue this size in the county, there’s not one that is a thousand person venue. We’ve got the facility, the parking and the space to do it. We’ve got all the plans and are talking to architects right now.”
The family also has the Star Lodge on its property, a building it rescued from the former Girl Scout camp, Camp Kokiwanee. ACRES Land Trust took over the camp, and offered the Butchers the building.
It was taken apart, transported to Bass & Bucks and rebuilt, a process that took about 18 months.
Working with family can be challenging, Glenn said.
“But over the years, all in all, it’s been very good,” he added.
Josh said each family member has their own specific duties, “so we’re not trying to do each other’s job.”
Josh oversees the archery area, while sister Tabitha oversees the firearms. Glenn oversees day-to-day operations while Sheila does the accounting.
Tabitha believes working with family is a blessing.
“We’re very social people, as far as with our customers and stuff,” she said. “We’ve pretty much given everything we have to this property. To spend time together, a lot of time it’s during work. We’re fortunate to have that opportunity to spend time together. It’s hard to otherwise.”
Sheila believes she and Glenn are blessed to be able to work with their adult children, something many don’t have.
“We’re living the American dream, when you thing generational,” she said. “To us, hunting is a generational thing, so to be able to pass that on to the next generation is pretty cool.”
Tabitha added, jokingly, “We never wanted our parents to have empty nest syndrome, so we stayed.”
The business is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It’s telephone number is 260-569-1853.