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Vintage Hunting Gallery-Volume 14

Vintage Hunting Gallery-Volume 14

Vintage Bowhunting

We scoured the archives for old-school bowhunting field photos and discovered most were of whitetail hunters. But we found a few other species, too. We hope this handful of die-hard, early stick-and-string devotees encourages you to get out there as those whitetails start to feel the pull of the rut.


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1. New York 1955 
Leon Richards was hunting west of Syracuse, New York, on Howland Island when he killed this great big, typical whitetail. After field-dressing, it still weighed more than 200 pounds. 
 
B&C SCORE: 164-2/8 B&C points
LOCATION: New York
KILL DATE: 1955
HUNTER: Leon Richards 

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2. Montana 1976
Barry Wensel was hunting the thickets of Flathead County when he shot this non-typical whitetail at just 12 yards using a 77-pound Widow recurve. 
 
B&C SCORE: 201-4/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Flathead County, Montana
KILL DATE: 1976
HUNTER: Barry L. Wensel 
 

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3. California 1953 
With the state record cougar, Warren Johnston was on Pine Mountain in Ventura County when we arrowed this lion. 
 
B&C SCORE: 15-3/16 B&C points
LOCATION: Ventura County, California 
KILL DATE: 1953
HUNTER: Warren C. Johnston


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4. Alaska 1959 
The one and only Fred Bear stalked this barren ground caribou on his hands and knees in the rain and sleet. At 40 yards, he let an arrow fly with one of his experimental broadheads. It went low and right but severed the femoral artery. The fatally wounded caribou ran 400 yards, crossed the creek, and died. 
 
B&C SCORE: 417 B&C points
LOCATION: Little Delta River, Alaska 
KILL DATE: 1959
HUNTER: Fred Bear


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5. Illinois 1965
Armed with a crewcut, a plaid coat, and a recurve, Mel Johnson hunkered down in a homemade ground blind on the edge of a soybean field, hoping to get a shot at a big buck he’d seen cruising the area. When he released the string, that shot vaulted him straight into the record books with an outstanding whitetail, earning him the Pope and Young Club’s Ishi Award and the Boone and Crockett Club’s Sagamore Hill Award.
 
B&C SCORE: 204-4/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Illinois 
KILL DATE: 1965
HUNTER: Melvin J. Johnson


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6. Wisconsin 1977
Myles Keller was hunting in a whole lot of camo in Burnett County, Wisconsin, when he arrowed this great typical whitetail. Legend has it that the deer only saw Keller's pearly whites before he died. 
 
B&C SCORE: 174-7/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Burnett County, Wisconsin
KILL DATE: 1977
HUNTER: Myles T. Keller  

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7. Ohio 1964
With a great non-typical whitetail, Hugh Cox poses with stick and string in what appears to be his backyard. 
 
B&C SCORE: 191-1/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Hocking County, Ohio 
KILL DATE: 1964
HUNTER: Hugh Cox 


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8. Arizona 1989
Chuck Adams has killed plenty of record-book big game animals. And he's killed them all with a bow. He shot this Coues' whitetail 35 years ago. 
 
B&C SCORE: 110-5/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Pinal County, Arizona
KILL DATE: 1989
HUNTER: Chuck Adams  


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9. Ohio 1969 
At just 35 yards, Rudy Grecar was hunting Ohio in October when he arrowed this spectacular non-typical whitetail. 
 
B&C SCORE: 200-4/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Geauga County, Ohio
KILL DATE: 1969
HUNTER: Rudy C. Grecar


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10. Ohio 1975 
Shooting a 65-pound bow, Gary Landry killed this absolute stud of a typical whitetail in Wayne County. 
 
B&C SCORE: 182-7/8 B&C points
LOCATION: Wayne County, Ohio 
KILL DATE: 1975
HUNTER: Gary E. Landry
 


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