Although he didn't bowhunt, legendary deer tracker Larry Benoit passed away yesterday. Barry and I grew up in Vermont and knew Larry for over 50 years. He was the real deal. All good tracks sooner or later come to an end. I killed a deer yesterday afternoon. That one will be remembered for Larry.
thxs for the news gene I appreciate it yeah he was a legend in the deer woods ..GODBLESS him and whoever he leaves behind but he will be in your memories and others FOREVER!!
Wow, I'm saddened to hear that. He was one of, if not, my first "Hunting Hero". I used to try to read everything I could on him and his sons, and now grand sons. I'll be saying a prayer for him.
I have a signed copy of his first book(sent for and received in the mail) and have followed him and his family's exploits since that was published(1975ish).
Also one of my first hunting hero's. Thanks for the update, I'll be thinking of him and the family all day.
Sad to hear this. The Benoits are the real deal for sure. Thanks for sharing Gene.
Sad news. I enjoyed his writings and information I learned from him and his family. True outdoorsmen.
Sad news. He was definitely the real deal.
A lot of younger folks may have never heard of the Benoits, but us 'more mature' guys read about the family that were deer hunting legends in Field and Stream, Sports Afield, and Outdoor Life back when those magazines were the Word in hunting. I am sorry to hear of Larry's passing. Gene, thanks for letting us know, and condolences to the Benoit family.
A great hunter who certainly "Passed it on" through his books and his deer tracking machines of sons and grandsons. We should all be so honored.
Another legend gone. I'm fortunate enough to have several of his books that he was gracious enough to sign. I think my favorite is " How To Bag The Biggest Buck Of Your Life".The first time I read it I couldn't put it down. Prayers for Larry and his family. TonyZ.
Sorry to hear about Larry passing on. As kids in Vermont we knew the Benoit way from a early age and accordingly the Benoits were held in high esteem. We used to drive by his house in the fall and slow down to get a good look at the meat pole.
My condolences to the family. :pray:
Sad to hear... Condolences to family and friends...
A hunting icon up there with the likes of Jack O'Connor and Elmer Keith of Outdoor Life contributions...
As a kid, hadn't the money to buy books, but always read and enjoyed Benoits articles in those magazines of Field and Stream, Sports Afield, and Outdoor Life during the 70s, and those photos of hog bucks hanging from meat poles beside red plaid coat hunters holding their Remington 7600 pump action 30-06 carbines are still ingrained in my memory.
Was the rifle I bought in 1978 to head west to pursue a hunting guide career...8^)
May the godz of the hunt be with him...
That is sad news. I really have learned a lot from reading his books. He was one of my favorite Deer hunting athorities . As others have said he was the Real deal. Condolences to his family.
Vaya con Dios.
Prayers go out to the family. I have had Larrys books for many years now and have read them several times. Maybe time to pull it out again.
Thank you Gene for the information.
Great Spirit... Our Brother comes to you as swift & straight as an arrow shot into the sun. Welcome him, to his place at the Eternal Campfire.
Larry was a decendant of the Mohawk People, and very proud of his heritage. As a boy, I had 2 Idols. The first, was Fred Bear. He taught me to love the bow & arrow and bowhunting. The 2nd, was Larry Benoit. He taught me to love DEER HUNTING!!!
When I was younger, I spent much time hunting NY's Adirondacks, and the "Big Woods" of Maine. With not much more than a rifle,shells,knife,rope, a compass & firemaking kit. I would don my wool clothes & boots, put my nose to the wind, and head off into the mountains looking for a Big Buck track. I even managed to catch up & tag a few too!!!
I never got to meet Larry in person. I would have liked to thank him. Larry gave me just enough information, and most of the insperation, to learn all that I have over my years. I wiil send smoke to the Great One, asking him for Peace for Larry's boys & family.
Enjoy your Journey My Brother!!! I'll see you at the Campfire.....
Sorry to hear. Talk about an American deer hunting family. Them boys put em on the ground. I have followed them for years
I remember reading stories about Larry in one or more of the big three sporting mags at least 30 years ago --- I think it was that long ago anyway!
RIP
Sad News indeed to a true legend. I have been tracking bucks in the Adirondacks for 40 years, and I attribute alot of my prowess to Larry and his sons. I have had the pleasure of standing in Larry's living room, and swapping stories with him. He was a gentleman, and I will never forget my meeting with him. As I left his place in Duxbury, he handed me 2, 30.06 cartridges out of his personal belt, and said" Kill one buck with this one, and hang onto the other"..and that I did. I killed a 7.5 year old mountain buck, and still have the other cartridge in a safe spot. Memories for sure. May the winds of November always blow softly on your soul, Larry.
My prayers to his family and friends.
Joe Ashton,D.C.
Only knew the man thru his writings, but they were powerful.
The host of tributes I read here are poetic and fitting a man of his leadership and prowess.
Thanks, Gene, for letting us know!
Godspeed, Larry! You've left an indelible mark on many...
I have not looked at them for years, but I Have saved all the old original articles ( I Think SPORTS AFIELD ) that were published on Larry and Lanny . GREAT articles and I learned a lot about tracking that I stilluse today . WOW I have to dig them out !!
SOrry to hear of his passing a true Sportsman and Legend ! RIP Prayers to his family and for his soul .
Absolutely a legend. God's speed to him and his family. His book and the later ones chronicling the Benoits by Bryce Townsley while all about rifle hunting had tons of information to make you a better BOW hunter too.
Very Sad News. A Deer Tracking Legend. I Idolized Larry while growing up Deer Hunting the Adirondacks. I read his book - "How to Bag the Biggest Buck of your life" until the cover and pages fell out! I had always planned to visit him and purchase one of his knives but never seemed to have made it over there. Another lesson learned in not putting things off for tomorrow.
I hope that you will forever be following a Large Deer Track.
Prayers to his family.
He was absolutely a true legend and will be missed. His style of hunting and his woodsmanship hearken back to another time.
Rest in peace Larry. The sport of deer hunting lost a true MASTER. I have the original Sports Afield issue with Larry sighting down his rifle at the camera along with Big bucks the Benoit way and several dvd's of them tracking bucks. I wish I could of had that Sports Afield signed by him!
Thanks for posting this! What a legacy. Loved reading his book... walking along with him on the hunts he described. I loved the hunting story "the biggest buck of my life" the one he killed and then lost in a snow storm. What a hunt. Made me wonder when I would cross paths or kill my biggest buck... how many hunts, how many seasons are left for any of us? I try to appreciate today, right now... you just never know what changes are waiting around the corner in life... those are my thoughts from the hunting cabin porch...
Sad news. I love reading about that family and especially the pictures they provide. Thats my kind of hunting.
Very sad news.
Met Lane at the Deer And Turkey expo and have followed the writings for many years. A true legend that passed his knowledge to his sons.
Hate to hear that, he was a true woodsman and great deer hunter. He will be missed and remembered by many. Thoughts and prayers to his family and loved ones.
Tom
Truly a one of a kind,the hunting community lost one heck of a woodsmen.he will missed by many.I still remember his front cover picture and story on a Sports Afield mag way back.
So sad to see so many of the hunting legends I grew up reading about passing away in the last couple decades. Causes one to reflect on how far we have come (or perhaps fallen) since those " gold ole days". It's a different world we live in now and I fear some of the romance of hunting (bow hunting) has been lost or compromised along the way......
a true legend and a personal hero of mine for many years. sad news for sure.
Gene,
Thank You for passing along the info,a sad day for sure.I will really cherish the 2 visits I had at Larry's house where 1st visit his wife made mac & cheese for myself & my hunting partner and we chatted at kitchen table for quite some time.I did ask him if he ever bowhunted and he said YES he arrowed a buck I believe 7 pointer & I will have to check notes which I took)and he never was able to recover deer and that was his last bowhunt !!
Thanks Larry for all the priceless knowledge you passed along on hunting OLD SCHOOL trackin em up.
Very sad to hear.
Prayers for his family and loved ones.
Sad news. I too grew up reading about Mr Benoit in Outdoor Life. He was an inspiration. A man tracking deer through the north woods. What memories...
Great hunter for sure.
Thanks Gene, He was the real deal is right. No laziness to his hunting! A true and great Deer hunter that Iv' tried to emulate threw the years.One true hardcore Deer hunter. I wish I could have known him. Sorry for the loss.
I remmeber thumbing through my dads books of his.
Prayers to his Family.
I've followed the Benoit's since Larrys first book. He was the real deal and passed on his hunting methods and skills to his sons.
What surprises me is Larry being a gun hunter has such a big following among Trad Gang bow hunters. It just goes to show that we as hunters respect true do it the hard way hunters like the Benoits whether they use a gun or a bow.
Rest in peace Larry and thank you for all the knowledge you've given us over the years
What surprises me is Larry being a gun hunter has such a big following among Trad Gang bow hunters. It just goes to show that we as hunters respect true do it the hard way hunters like the Benoits whether they use a gun or a bow
X 2 on what Ron said. Very neat to see in a world where folks constantly bicker about compounds vs rifles vs whatever. Point is those folks were hard core geniune hunters!
Remember reading the articles in Outdoor Life and Sports Afield about the Benoit's. Quite the deer hunting family.
Abba Father please be with the family and friends during this very sad time.
God bless,Mudd
As stated above the hunting world has lost one of it's true legends. Larry was a personal friend of ours since right after high school. It's true he was a purist gun hunter and we were purist bowhunters, but our mutual love and respect for the mature whitetail was the bond that brought us together. I've told this story before but it's one of my favorite Larry Benoit tales that exemplifies what his friendship was like. In May of 1973 I had just moved from Vermont to Whitefish, Montana. One afternoon the phone rang. It was Larry and his wife. They were down at the Conoco station in Whitefish. Now get this.. he said he and Iris had driven out to the Las Vegas, NV area to see his brother. He thought as long as he was this close they'd swing up for a visit (check a map to see how far Whitefish, MT is from Las Vegas) Ha. About 10PM he said they probably should be getting a motel. My wife, out of the goodness of her heart suggested they stay with us (meaning overnight). They stayed for TWO WEEKS! And we loved it. We'd look for shed antlers, scout, go fishing in the days and go spring bear hunting in the evenings. The next year they came back out for three weeks. One of my proudest memories was when they got ready to leave Iris would pull me aside and tell me how much Larry appreciated our friendship because I was one of the only "young guys" that really understood whitetails. Then she'd acknowledge the fact he asked her to tell me because he was afraid if he did he'd get "emotional." That's the kind of guy he was. Another special memory was one day after having a conversation regarding his Indian heritage and him wearing what he called "neck-laces", he mentioned I couldn't wear one because I "didn't have the balls." So, in order to prove my manhood, I was forced to wear a neck-lace for a year. I still laugh about it. The man was one of a kind and as genuine as they come. When anyone becomes as successful at taking big whitetails as the Benoit family some unwarranted rumors surface. Trust me, the guy was for real. I witnessed him doing his thing as he stood next to me. I'd challenge him on his ability to pull off a shot. He'd look me in the eye then spat a big blast of Redman chew at my feet and touch off an otherwise unbelieveable shot. For those who have never seen their hunting videos I'd highly recommend them. The fact these are free roaming wild whitetails being filmed in actual tracking/hunting conditions will likely make you also a believer. I've been in video productions for about as long as anyone. I know how hard it is. To track, jump-shoot and consistently kill big mature, wild bucks on film is impressive. But the bottom line is it couldn't be accomplished if Larry and the boys didn't produce. I had full intentions to make a run over to Larry's this summer while I was back in Maine. But some serious family health issues with my brother-in-law unfortunately changed those plans. And for that I'm really sorry. For those who did not have the privilege of meeting/knowing Larry Benoit please rest assured he was one of a kind and one of the best whitetail hunters who ever lived. We owe a debt of thanks for all the knowledge and woodsmanship he and his family have passed down to the future generations. I was extremely proud to call him a friend. BW
To this day I will not hang a buck by the head because I remember reading how Larry said it was disrespectful.
Now he can hunt all day in deep snow and never get tired.
I guess I should have known that the Wensels and the Benoits were connected...thanks for the inside info you guys...sorry for the loss of your friend.
:campfire:
I just saw this....how sad. I always admired Mr. Benoit, wish I could have spent time with him. I think the connection he has with traditional bowhunters is that he pursued whitetails using true woodsmanship skills, in a "gimmickless" fashion.
Rest in peace Mr. Benoit.
Out of curiosity I just googled up the distance between Las Vegas, NV and Whitefish, MT. It's 1067 miles. That's almost the identical distance between Milwaukee, WI and Boston, MA (1074 miles). So thinking like Larry, the next time you're in Milwaukee you might want to swing by Boston since you're so close. That little tidbit will give you an idea what it was like hanging around Larry. He was one of a kind. BW
A friend of mine told me of his love of Larry and his exploits, though they never met. Many years ago, my friend had to have a weapon like his and got a new Remington 760 pump in 3006 and promply had the barrel cut to 19".
He practiced that famous Benoit shot from the shoulder-slung position many times, but could never approach 1.5 seconds.
"To this day I will not hang a buck by the head because I remember reading how Larry said it was disrespectful."
Had never heard that before...
Those pix in old magazine photos of bucks hanging, I thought they were hung by the head.
Wish now I still had those old magazines which I carried around for years from move to move until a divorce and got pizzed and burn them.....
I checked Outdoor Life's web page yesterday but didn't find any of the old photos.
Also thought I remember them in red plaid, but recent pix show them in green plaid with blaze orange trim... They must have changed when/if blaze orange was made mandatory?
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Benoit family. I am going to wear my green and black plaid wool for the rest of the season in memory of Larry. I grew up hunting in Vermont and western Mass and always admired Larry. Well said Barry.
Thanks Barry and Gene for sharing those interesting stories about Larry Benoit. Its sad to loose another old time master. Larry rest in peace brother.