Vintage Hunting Gallery - Volume 2

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1964 Volkswagen Beetle 

The classic VW Beetle is better known as a hippie-hauler than a meat wagon, but that didn’t stop Jack A. Higgs from bringing home his typical whitetail from Pope County, Illinois back in 1963. While the buck may be far from any top ten list in the records at 181-3/8 points, that photo is number one in our book—especially on a ride that still has that new car smell. 

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1941 Buick Special

Jay R. Anderson (not pictured) shot this mule deer in Utah’s Summit County near Crandall Canyon back in 1949. That beautifully typical mule deer scored 190-1/8 points. As for the Buick, we found a 1941 Buick Special in good condition online for $12,000. A new one back in 1941 would have set you back about $1,052. 

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1947-1949 Chevrolet 5-window ½-ton Pick up

This phenomenal rack belonged to an Alaska-Yukon moose taken by First Nations member Dave Moses in 1950. It scores 239-6/8 points and sits in the sixteen spot for the Yukon Territory, according to Big Game Records LIVE. Holding the rack is Them Kjar, then-director of the game and publicity department for the Yukon Territory. As for the Chevy, this model featured windows that wrapped around the rear quarter-panels to help eliminate blind spots.

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1922 Studebaker 

In these 1926 photos, courtesy of Dennis Gooley (the man who identified all these vintage rides), his relatives pose with their spoils from a hunting trip to the Lost Lake area, now known as Lakeside, Montana. Howard Newgard (far right at 21 years old) and Lenard Newgard (far left at 19) borrowed their grandfather’s 1922 Studebaker, which cost $1,900 new. 

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1941 Oldsmobile 98

This 5x5 typical mule deer with 25-inch main beams was killed by Ben Ellwanger, Sr, in his home state of Washington in 1947. In other news, after more than 50 years, production of the Oldsmobile Ninety Eight was put to rest in 1996. Thankfully, we still have mule deer running around. 

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1930/31 Model A Victoria

In November 1944, Franklin Roosevelt was elected president of the United States for an unprecedented fourth term, and Verlin “Dusty” Rhoades killed this outstanding Lincoln County, Oregon Roosevelt’s elk. For 50 years this rack, which scores 316-5/8, sat undiscovered until it was entered into the 22nd Awards Period in the mid-1990s. 

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1962 Mercury Meteor

Like a jack-in-the-box with antlers, this Monroe County, Missouri, typical whitetail was killed by Clark E. Bray on November 21, 1967. With a final score of 172-3/8, this bruiser doesn’t rank all that high in the records, but we’re willing to bet that few hunters would have a problem taking it home—and making room in the trunk for it. 

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1955 Willys CJ-5 Jeep

From the battlefield to the backcountry, the Jeep CJ-5 burst onto the civilian scene in 1954. Since then, sportsmen have rock-crawled their way into the hills in search of big racks like the mule deer pictured here. This photo of Rusty Hatfield (right) was taken around 1969.

For more vintage images, check Ryan Hatfield's books on his website Idaho's Greatest Big Game.

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1928 Buick Coupe

In 1938, Oliver W. Dunsmoor (pictured with Nora Dunsmoor) was hunting near Coon Creek in Clatsop County, Oregon. It was there that he killed this Roosevelt’s elk, which scored 363-1/8 points with only 2-5/8 deductions. Then, 58 years later, their grandson John Wall entered his grandfather’s elk into the Boone and Crockett Records Program. We’re not sure what happened to the Buick. 

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1956 Chevy Bel Air 

Little did we know that the ‘56 Chevy is more than a classic; it’s also a pronghorn magnet. And, thanks to a spacious trunk, it was able to fit Bud Jump’s (right) massive pronghorn (center). Hunting near Juniper Mountain, Arizona with a friend, Jump’s buck measures an even 81 points.

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1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Town Sedan

With beams taping more than 30 inches, this wild-looking whitetail was killed by Roy F. Spies in 1948 in Cecil County, Maryland. While it was commonplace in the “old days” to strap your winter meat to or near the hood, we don’t recommend it—unless you want half of it cooked by the time you get home. 

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1970 Jeep Wagoneer

Would you rather have a bull like that or the Wagoneer? Regreadless, Roger Linnell had to shove this Fremont, County, Wyoming, monster into that rig back in 1955, and it scores 395-4/8. It’s currently the eleventh largest typical Wyoming bull in the records and ranks 107th overall, according to Big Game Records LIVE. 

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1929 or 1930 REO Flying Cloud

Not to be confused with REO Speedwagon—the band or the light delivery truck— the REO Flying Cloud redefined how automobiles got their names. For instance, just think how luxurious and comfortable it would be riding on a cloud. Now we have Mustangs, Raptors, and of course, Beetles. Jonas H. Webber (pictured) couldn’t give a rip about car names. He’s too busy admiring the 32 ½-inch spread on this Canadian mule deer he killed in 1929 just north of La Glace, Alberta. 

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1950 Willys Station Wagon

As if a Willys Jeep wasn’t cool enough, how about a Willys Wagon? Throw on a winch and some tire chains, and you're ready for elk hunting in Elbow River, Alberta, which is where Harold Mailman killed this behemoth. Even though it’s rather narrow, it still scored 382-4/8 and sits at the twenty-six spot for Alberta typical elk, according to Big Game Records LIVE. 

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1923 Special Studebaker Special Six Touring Car

With a .30-30, a dog, a giant plug of chew, and a Studebaker, there was no way that Wallace Bosworth wasn’t going to kill a giant mule deer. He killed this buck in 1929 in the Black Fox Mountains of Siskiyou County, California. In 2009, his grandson Stephen J. Bosworth submitted the deer for scoring. Today, that buck ranks as California’s second-largest typical mule deer of all-time, according to Big Game Records LIVE. 

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