Found these looking through my very first photo album. The pix are pix of old pix and I didn't dare take them out of the old album for fear of it falling apart. So sorry for the poor quality....
This was my first year shooting trad equipment, and still to this day, one of the highlights of the hunting part of my life.I couldn't believe I'd met Gene Wensel.....and throw in Leonard Lee Rue lll !
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040870.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040867.jpg)
Bought my first set of rattling antlers from Gene and as you can see he added some "mojo"....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040863.jpg)
Wensel humor....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040871.jpg)
On with the show.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040872.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040866.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040874.jpg)
A picture that Gene gave me that day....if I remember correctly...this is the "Don't talk to chipmunks" buck.One of my many treasures....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/TG%20stuff/P1040865.jpg)
One of my favorite people in the world. To be honest Gene is a big part of the person I've become today....
Cool, Curt. Thanks for sharing those.
Wow those are great! Old pictures really bring back the memories. :cool:
Neat pictures Curt, precious memories from the past. Are the very best :thumbsup:
I went to the one in '87 Curt with fellow Instructor Dick Guess. Met Gene, Brunner, Matt Riley etc...great time. I mostly took pics of the mounts, real impressive heads. A very enjoyable evening.
Curt,
Great "history" in this thread.. Love the pics. It is always fun to look back at where we have been and who helped us get "here" today.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
John III
I went to two of them when they were touring with Dick Idol, back in about '83 or '84. Awesome shows. I bought my first Screaming Eagle tree stand from them there.
That is awesome!Thanks.
Curt that's awesome. Funny you posted this, I've been reading old copies of PBS News when Gene was was first elected to the council. Those photos are priceless for sure. :archer:
Guru: He ain't heavy... he's my brother. bw
Barry, You two have had so much influence on me. Meeting Gene and reading his books and watching your video's over the years.... :notworthy: :notworthy:
Then when I hunted with Peter and he told me some personal stories about you two..... :campfire:
I guess more than anything, I remember his famous "pick-a-spot" slide. Classic humor from a classic gentleman, despite his attempts to potray a "redneck" facade. Thanks for the memories!
Tom Kidwell
Yeah, Curt remember those Classic! Went to two myself, Terre Haute, ISU Center and Bloomington, Il. in the 80s, the midwest swing! I sat beside Barry at our State Banquet, he was handing out raffle prizes, I won a damascus skinner, when they called my name, he said "I thought you were Dead"., I will never forget! Oh, he had a broken leg, I wish I had a Dollar for every time I hear that! Good shootin, Steve
Went to one in Syracuse, met the boys bought screaming eagle stands and took a pic with me next to all the mounts. Great memory.
I saw them in 1989 in Rochester, NH. I brought a shed I found and showed it to Gene. He guessed the buck's score at 125 or so. I got the buck in the next season and he scored 152 7/8. Was a NH bow record for ten years and is still probably the biggest taken with a recurve. I think that Gene's ability to "guesstimate" has gotten better since then???????
Thanks for posting those pics Guru. I really enjoyed that.
I went to a couple of them in N.J. Extremely informative and always entertaining. I still hunt out of the screaming eagle stand I bought at one of them.I think that stand may hold the record for days up on public land in N.J. without being stolen. I was sitting in the UBNJ booth Gene and everyone with him joined the UBNJ before the show. I think he probably has supported more state bowhunting organizations than anyone on the planet.
Dang Barry, Did you ever look like that! I went to one in Connecticut back in the '80s too. Picked up my first Screaming Eagle stand and I think a Grizzly Artificial Inseminating Team T-shirt :bigsmyl: Doc
Hey, just like the old 70's bands are back out touring, I wonder if the Twins are planning a Classic Whitetails Reunion tour???????
A buddy,Tim Casey,and I went to one in Lexington,Ky. Tim got Gene to sign his Schafer Silvertip on the lower limb.I sprayed alittle satin poly over it later. Tim still has that bow,can't talk him out of it!
I was at the seminar that came to Kansas City.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Holy crap, I remember dropping at least $10 a pop at shows in Anderson and New Albany IN, plus Lexington KY. I use to order books and shed antlers from Gene and collected all of Barry's Whitetail Visions videos . . . talk about helping put a chicken in their pots! These days I get to be tortured on a regular basis as the Brothers of the Bow webmaster, HA, will it never end!?!
Old habits are hard to break.... :rolleyes:
13 years later:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/stickbow98/Gene.jpg)
Someone asked Gene if they could "pick his brain" for info. He took 'em literally and started DIGGING!!! :eek:
(Actually, Gene's 1st reaction whenever he sees a camera!) ;)
>>--Ron--<>
I wish I could have been to one of those. Gene and Barry have both been a huge inspiration to me. What I like best about them is that the fire is still burning strong after all of the years of hunting under their belts as well as all of their successes. Hunting with them in Texas was one of the best things I've ever done. A couple of cool dudes.
My dad and I went to one in Jackson, MI. Gene told us about Cottonwood Whitetails which he was just setting up. We signed up for a late Sept. hunt with Gene that year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/Dsturgisjr/01-08-2009021734PM.jpg)
Never heard of "em. They still alive?
:biglaugh:
Hey that one guy was Dom Delewiese(sic) wasn't it?
Yes Marty they are still alive, they even have groupies, get this, I heard one guy even has a replica mount of one of Gene's bucks. A "replica" who would do something like that ?
Ain't no way Hogdancer!!!...hey trivia here......where was the last Classic Whitetail Tour seminar held?
Hogdancer, That would be Whitey Mitten. He has a replica of "Woody" in his home. He says that Gene is one of his hero's and he just had to have it. Hard to believe someone would look up to a guy that much!!! But "Woody" is in that documentary that they all put together- Primal Instincts.
Rumor from Joebuck is that you wanted to do a Replica mount of a hog that Barry killed in Texas- any truth to that? If you do, he might even give you the bow he used!! Nice article in PBS magazine about em, by the way.
A Replica??? You've got to be kidding me?
Now THAT'S hero worship!!
The guy must still live in his parents basement and have gun kills mounted right alongside his few bowkills.
Biggie, leave Whitey alone- he's one of the good guys. I have to tell you that was pretty funny though!
I betcha Wooody fits in nicely with BullWinkle. I will always remember seeing that brusier in the ECO Catalog.
I hear Whitey has a new hog hunting video coming out soon highlighting some famous Florida guide :biglaugh:
Now back to the tour...I saw Gene when he did his show at my college--GMI in Flint, Mi. It would be cool to put some video clips from those shows in the "Legends" section.
I was only 16 or 17 years old at the tail end of their tour and I saw an ad for the show in a hunting magazine. I had read Gene's books and watched Bowhunting October Whitetails so I was pretty excited to see that they were comming to do a show at the Lansing Civic Center.
I rounded up a few buddies and drove to Lansing and when I got to the Civic Center, it was closed! :eek:
Either the show had been canceled or the magazine printed the wrong date. I was pretty bummed out and am still seeing a shrink because of this! ;)