I have long respected and studied how Barry and Gene hunt. October whitetails was the first time I saw hunting on tv. I was curious about what occupation they were in when they were younger. I know they guided in Montana and Africa. I mean no disrespect with my question,just curious ! I would like to meet them someday. I think their love for bowhunting and commitment to the sport is stellar
I may be mistaken, but I think they both are Chiropractors.
Yep, Back Strappers and Back Snatchers :D
Thanks guys! They and so many others on this site are the real deal. Both are quick to thank their families first for all the time they spent away from them while pursuing their lifelong passion.
Those guys are my hero's. I have been reading their stories since I was a little kid. The first hunting I ever saw on video was October whitetails. Generations before us had Howard Hill, Fred Bear, and Glen St. Charles. My hunting hero's have been Barry and Gene for as long as I can remember. Thanks so much to both of them for selflessly sharing their knowledge and being fantastic stewards of our sport. They'll probably never know how much they have done for one adventurous kid with dreams of being a great bowhunter, and a whole bunch of others. I'm also for a place like this, where we can interact with such fellows. Great thread!!!
Jake
EXXXXXXXXACTLY !
There are 5 bowhunters whose word I take as is and two of that small group are the Wensel brothers.
Interesting comments....I use to watch the 'Bowhunting October Whitetails' and 'High Noon Bucks' every pre season growing up....and I would have never dreamed those boys would be posting on a web site I started. No web sites back then to even think about starting.
I read and hang on every word they say or write.
My hat is off to them and they are a feather in the cap of Trad Bowhunting...and Bowhunting in general.
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
Terry, although I ve never been caught on tape doing so, every time I make a great shot on a deer, I twitch my eyebrows up and down at my imaginary cameraman. Just like brother Barry.
Can you imagine calling either one of those rednecks "Doctor Wensel"???? :v)
Is the "Doctor" in?
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
Interesting comments....I use to watch the 'Bowhunting October Whitetails' and 'High Noon Bucks' every pre season growing up....and I would have never dreamed those boys would be posting on a web site I started. No web sites back then to even think about starting.
I read and hang on every word they say or write.
My hat is off to them and they are a feather in the cap of Trad Bowhunting...and Bowhunting in general.
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
This is one of the things I love about this site in general! I've been able to talk to people I never would have dreamed about talking to before.
For example, at one point I was new and asked a question about Big Jim's bows. To my amazement, JIM answered my question. When I asked the question, I hadn't even considered that possibility!
Terri,
Thanks to you for the foresight to create such a great thing in such a way that it's greatness is able to be maintained and not tainted!
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
QuoteOriginally posted by Jake Scott:
Those guys are my hero's. I have been reading their stories since I was a little kid. The first hunting I ever saw on video was October whitetails. Generations before us had Howard Hill, Fred Bear, and Glen St. Charles. My hunting hero's have been Barry and Gene for as long as I can remember. Thanks so much to both of them for selflessly sharing their knowledge and being fantastic stewards of our sport. They'll probably never know how much they have done for one adventurous kid with dreams of being a great bowhunter, and a whole bunch of others. I'm also for a place like this, where we can interact with such fellows. Great thread!!!
Jake
Couldn't have said it better myself. Gotta admit the first time I met Barry (without gene) I was a bit "star struck" as I was just a kid when I first saw this videos and watched them repeatedly. So at the time. In my 30s I gott play it cool ya' know. Well he just brings the smiles and laughs right out of you. I've been fortunate enough since then to have shared several weeks in their company and they are the sweetest down to earth guys who are un matched in story telling. They keep inviting me to do things but I've learned, I think they invite Julie and are just "cool with it" if I show up. :rolleyes:
Gary Logsdon wrote a nice "The Final Wensel Pig Gig" story for the Winter 2014 TradArchers' World magazine. Sounds like everybody had a great time and enjoyed the antics of the Wensels.
One of the best benefits of hunting with Gene, especially after a long drive to Iowa or a long flight to Africa, is getting your back put back where it belongs. Mark Mitten (Carcass) is also a chiropractor and is a good guy to have around...
True story here. My late brother met Barry at a WV Bow hunter's Association gathering some years ago. This was before you could buy a "grunt call" on the market. They discussed a lot about calling and bowhunting deer.
My brother wanted to hunt elk but had never been out west. He called Barry and ask for some help.
Barry went to the time and trouble of making cassette recordings recommending drainages, techniques, etc. for hunting in his "then" home state of Montana.
He would record some and then say... got a patient, be back soon... take care of the patient and return.
This sticks out in my memory as one of the highlights of my brother's life. He died in a plane crash in June of 1993 at the age of 45.
No words can express how thankful I am that he met Barry... and that Barry was so helpful to a man he barely knew.
THANKS BARRY!!!!
My introduction to the Wensel's was reading Barry's book Once Upon A Tine...that book is a great read
DDave
Speaking of awesome people. Many people on here have given their time to me, a newbie with zero knowledge! In fact Big Jim actually talked to me for almost an hour on the phone on a Sunday morning, talk about a wealth of knowledge!
I have been reading and following the Wensels since the Bowhunter Mag. in the 70's.Getting congrats from Barry and hearing his stories for almost a week at Bear Quest was a trip I will never forget.
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Got to meet Gene many years ago at a Classic whitetails seminar, funny it was held at a somewhat swanky(for me) place and my brother and I were dressed in jeans and flannel shirts just gawking at the mounts and feeling a little under dressed when who walks in (in jeans and same shirt as me) walks right up to us and says you two got to be brothers, had a blast and too this day whenever I order from B.O.T.B., Gene comments on visiting his relatives in little neighboring town that's name is same as ours spelled backwards, have all their books and bout half a dozen bowhunter lids but only one lucky one, and darned if Gene didn't say in a note that it was gonna be my lucky hat.
Yep, chiropractor for 22 years. Two years in VT and 20 years in MT. Being my own boss worked out well. I could have made a lot more money in some city, but living/working in Whitefish, MT was great timing back then. I took Thursday as my weekly "day off". I was pretty independent. In September I'd just not schedule any appointments for Friday or Saturday. You can get a lot done in a four-day weekend when you live right in vacationland. Actually I enjoyed practicing and the people for all those years. But by '93 I got sick of fighting with insurance companies and sold out. Guided whitetail bowhunters on the Milk River in eastern MT until the EHD wiped them out. Moved to Iowa in '99. I started my whitetail bootcamp sessions sharing my hunting techniques (still have openings for this year). I guess I also should mention I made some bowhunting videos and did some writing over the years. I've been blessed with this lifestyle and am especially thankful to those I've helped along the way. Thank you all. BW
Thanks Uncle Barry, looking forword to the boot camp this year!!
"Hunting October Whitetails" started a long, enjoyable journey for me. Thank you Barry for opening the door. I've never met you but I am happy to claim you as a brother and mentor. God Bless you, Gene and others like you that have dedicated their lives to the advancement of traditional archery. :archer2:
You still troll for big bucks with sheds tied to you rear end uncle Barry ? Lol..loved that seen !
I met Barry several years ago in Jackson MS at the Extravaganza we have in August. I hadnt heard he was going to be there and I was just strolling around checking everything out that Friday evening. Rounded a corner and looked up and standing right in front of me was Barry. My face must have lit up like a Christmas tree cause he just started grinning. lol I said Barry Wensel !!! Holy Cow !!! It was hilarious. I bothered the heck out of him for at least 20 minutes and could have stayed for hours but I knew he had work to do. Was a memorable time for me.
I met Barry while standing at a urinal in Grand Junction at a PBS banquet in the 80s. We didn't shake hands.
Dined with them at the PBS banquet in San Antonio TX and they were a hoot!!!!
:thumbsup:
Wudstix: I see you are a professional weapons safety manager. I've been carrying heat the last couple years just in case. Can you get me some new free guns? bw
I met Gene in 1983 in 86 went to his office in MT and bs for a while i think Barry was working in VT
at that time. Also in 1986 went to Pauls S for a day. Where in the heck does the time go.There are so many great people in Trad archery its awesome the friends you make over the years
have a question for you barry.. In Bowhunting october whitetails where abouts in VT was it filmed?? i live 5 mins from VT, and i swear the mountains you show in the movie look familiar..
was it in southern VT??
Gaff
Gaff: None of Bowhunting October Whitetails was filmed in VT that I remember. Most of it was filmed in eastern and western Montana. And there were a couple segments filmed in PA (cornfield scenes)and NC. It's been so long since I actually sat down and watched it I'd have to think about it, but I can't remember any VT scenes. I had 4100 feet of old regular 8MM bowhunting footage I took back in the '60s put on DVD last summer that had quite a bit of old Vermont footage on it. But nothing in production yet. bw
BW - GW - Paul Brunner are the reasons I got into recurves. October WTs is the reason I got a silver tip! Wasn't a mystic of "simple" or nostalgia, I just thought curves would be a better hunting weapon after watching those videos. Still think I am right too.
Been a blast ever since. Got to meet Barry and Gene on one of those hog hunts in Florida think I wasn't long out of high school??? Had to be mid early 90s as my Dad was still living?
J
QuoteOriginally posted by centaur:
I met Barry while standing at a urinal in Grand Junction at a PBS banquet in the 80s. We didn't shake hands.
That right there is a
classic line; somebody needs to permanently record stuff like that!
Comments like that one ruin computer keyboards :biglaugh:
Ha, October Whitetails I&II and Highnoon Bucks are a preseason staple every year. I usually will put it on while sharping broadheads. I DVR'd the episode of Mossyoak's Hunting the Country with Gene and Barry, but its on my Tivo which is no longer hooked up.
I purchased Hunting Rutting Whitetails by Gene Wensel and he autographed the book for me back on August 24, 1982. I still refer to that book and reread it every fall when Bowhunting hunting season is coming. It will always be in my library.
I don't remember where I purchased it. Might have been ETAR when it first started or at another rendezvous. Nice people the Wensel's!
I met Barry at the WV Bowhunters banquet and enjoyed his seminars as well as the time we spent talking 1 on 1. A fine gentleman and a credit to our sport.
Strongly recommend Barry's boot camp. The New WI state record buck harvest has roots in one of Barry's camps in 07.
I have not had the good fortune to meet neither Barry or Gene but I have immensely enjoyed their writing and film work throughout the years.
As a lifelong hardcore northern Canadian woodsman I have the tendency to be somewhat skeptical of (for lack of a better word) "celebrity" hunters... but, the Wensel brothers, besides obviously being intelligent and very knowledgeable come across as being sincere, honest, and down to earth... and absolutely hilarious - on purpose I assume... or at least I hope. LOL!
I believe the Wensel's have had a huge impact on a lot more bowhunters than they even realize, I for one. Hunted in Texas last spring with them and what a treat that was. Gene even gave me a blind he had set up and I was able to shoot a big hog at just 10 yards. They also inspired me to work harder for deer season and I was able to take my largest WT after more than 40 years of bowhunting. Will be seeing them again in a month as I go back to Tx to do the PBS hunt for hogs, can't wait.
Fred Bear started the fire in me years ago. The Wensel's have fanned the flames for years now! Good folks!
Mr. Wensel; The kind of Weapons Safety I manage is the stuff that is real hard to conceal or even carry. By the way at that dinner in SA I tought you said you guys ran a massage parlor?????? Didn't know you were real Dr's.
:bigsmyl:
How about that? You can learn something on Trad Gang. I always thought they were flashlight salesmen.
That's what I love about this site...people give credit where credit is due. I can remember very many moons ago a man named Roger Rothhaar took me under his wing, and blessed me through the years with whitetail habits and woodsmanship. One year, I worked his booth with him, Jane and Ryan at the Michigan Bowhunters rendezvous on an weekend event.
I remember setting at the campfire with Roger as a jeep wagoner pulls up with a little short bearded man gets out wearing a cap sideways...you guessed it, Mr. Barry Wensel. I remember thinking I must be the luckiest guy in the world setting with two of my legends telling stories. Of course they had such fascinating stories, and I'm thinking what the heck kind of story can I tell with these two guys? Oh yea I killed this opossum once that had me backed up to a tree. lol give me a break.
Two things really stick out to me about that weekend about Barry... as right off the bat we made a solid friendship. As he introduced him self to me as Barry Wensel, I reached my hand out and said hi I'm George Lynch...as he never missed a step and said in Barry Wensel fashion, never heard of you!!!
The next was at the end of the weekend he was telling me how he enjoyed meeting me and spending time together, and that I had reminded him of a friend of his, named Paul Schafer. Of course I didn't learn till later what a compliment that was.
Just as this picture was taken, Barry says I'll shake your hand and pretend like I'm your friend. They are a ton of fun to be around. Been on 5 pig gigs I think.
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A huge regret of mine, was Barry asking me to stay in touch, and because of several negative things that life had thrown at me...I never stayed in touch.
Well after all these years, I'm finally getting to do one of my life long dreams, and that is moving to Iowa, having my own camp.
Barry, Gene and Roger get ready guys, I'm the best deer dragger east of the Mississippi.
I heard they told their wives they were Chiropractors, just so they had an excuse to leave the house to go deer hunting!!!
I'll never forget when I was flying back from who knows where into Detroit...now for those who travel all the time will know what I'm talking about, but all through the airports you get used to seeing business men and women all dressed up in suits or whatever. As I'm walking through Detroit's airport my eyes automatically spot a small bald guy sitting down in jeans and flannel with his shoes off and huge cud of Levi in his mouth.(and yes there was a brown ring).
I remember walking over and saying Gene Wensel how you doing? Very gratuitous, and polite talked to me for over an hour, in fact I had to go to lost and found to get my luggage. Gene was in a layover headed to PA to do a show.
Now that I look back, you know the funny thing was...a woman had the same exact suitcase as mine and grabbed mine off the belt by mistake, and of course they never checked my ticket when I described what mine looked liked. I didn't notice till I got home as my wife went through my suitcase asking me, where in the he$$ did the high heels and the thong underwear come from... lol
Dang those Wensels!!!
I bet those thong underwear took some getting used to.
No actually it was the high heels.... lol
George: Where are you moving to in Iowa? Can I hunt your property? Ha. Welcome to your new home! BW
Barry: Its Melrose Iowa, right on Rathbun Lake. Its right between Albia and Centerville, my son n law is John Deere's number one mechanic in Leon. He has a bunch of hunting ground...when I was out there at Christmas my daughter wanted to take me over to your place, but it never worked w time.
Buddy, you can hunt w me anytime...plenty of room in the new place.