September 1942

He -S’uhuni Avchw »

ltd. 14

September, 1942

■No. 5

Expert Advice

By Donald M. Cole Hunting archers will, in moments of weakness and confidence, confess that they have loosed many arrows with vigor and great hope, but that painfully few have found the mark.

In consequence these hunters have maintained their strength throughout the trip on a diet of bacon and ham rather than on grouse and venison.

Such lamentable experiences have been their lot year after year and yet these good yoemen continue to strug­ gle vainly and blame their failures on every factor except the right one. To analyze this we shall begin with an average archer who practices faith­ fully at the targets each Sunday af­ ternoon, and morning as well, shoots an average good score and then con­ fidently takes his target technique into the woods where it produces the penurious autumn results of one or two deer per thousand archers.

Now when I speak of target tech­ nique, I refer to the hallowed system of “point of aim” as conventionally applied to strictly target shooting and which has yielded wonderful scores from the time of Horace Ford down, but at the targets only. I con­ clude therefore that the point of aim is a failure in the woods, and point to game scores to sustain me.

It has often been said that we need a fresh viewpoint attacking an old and stubborn problem and that ig­ norance and inexperience are often great aids in this since those who know nothing of the subject are not hampered by past ideas and false con­ clusions. Therefore, since I never shot but one feeble American Round and know nothing of target shooting I am imminently fitted and qualified by ignorance to criticise target tech­ nique and offer expert advice on ex-

actly how to quickly become a suc­ cessful hunting archer. One who hits fur and feathers often enough so that he may be considered as a safe bet to return to the wigwam with meat in hand and not in theory.

My own early experiences afield were highly discouraging, for like others before me I wrestled mightily with the point of aim system and like Jacob who wrestled with the angel I was thrown, although unlike him my hip was not broken. Still my efforts to bring game to pot by sighting where it was not, were continuous, heroic, and futile, until at last the Gods of the Forest in their disgust, and at the end of their patience, no doubt, smote me with a powerful bolt of wisdom. It revealed that the point of aim system was no good, was worthless and ineffectual and that I had been consistently over-rating the killing range of my weapons. This message from the gods came to me as follows: One fine autumn day in British Columbia I loosed exactly 19 arrows at a cock willow grouse at ranges from 8 to 20 yards, and with the last arrow making a fine clatter in the shrubbery this bold and death­ defying bird took wing to soar away and never again be seen. A man knows no greater feeling of frustra­ tion than comes from such an exper­ ience. Also he is a tough rooster if his compressed emotions do not ac­ tually ignite within his bowels and blow him asunder. I am very sure that I escaped this fate by a narrow margin. For two pins I would have cast my weapons on the ground and stomped on them. Instead I made a mighty vow that so far as I was con­ cerned the point of aim system would lie prostrate right at that very spot

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and that, by George, I would never again touch it so long as I hunted with the bow. Cold logic swept over me like a breeze from the ocean. It arranged before my eyes the facts in understandable order.

Sometimes the grouse had been on the ground, then it hopped to a log a foot high, then to a low hanging limb, then re­ turned to the forest floor. How in the name of common sense could any­ one tell just where the correct point of aim was located? It was, in fact, a problem of deep calculus since it was in 19 different places and I was not out to do mathematical sums but to secure meat for the evening meal.

Having gotten damn well rid of the hopeless target point of aim system as applied to woods shooting, I felt better and other great truths pre­ sented themselves.

Crystal clear, I saw that the bow and arrow in hunting is not a 60 or 70 yard weapon. It will kill at much greater distances of course, but the hits at those ranges are counted on the toes of one foot while the misses reach astronomical proportions.

I realized also that a great deal of game is approached or encountered at ranges not to exceed 30 yards and that if the hunter took a fair share of such game he would rarely need to resort to bacon and ham in his fight against camp starvation. There­ upon, I set the limit of my shooting at 30 yards and searched history and science for the record of any princi­ ple which, applied to an engine which hurled a projectile, would faithfully direct that projectile to its mark. It was a transparent fact that all con­ sistently accurate weapons had as their complement a sighting arrange­ ment, and that upon the moment that they were operated without such sighting arrangement that accuracy was lost and the mark suffered only occasional and most infrequent hits.

This proved that I must apply a prop­ er sighting system to the weapons in hand if I were to hit the mark with regularity. It proved to be the great­ est piece of clear thinking that I had ever conceived.

At that point I remembered reading of “instinctive shooters.” Wizards of the rifle and pistol who had per­ formed incredible feats of accuracy by instinctive aiming. These fellows

September, 1942

claimed the sighting was done by the subconscious mind which operated like a well oiled machine, unfailingly and with the utmost precision. The con­ scious or everyday mind simply turn­ ed this sighting chore over to the subconscious which unexplainably but miraculously laid the projectile on the mark each and every time. Why not aoply this theory to my bow and ar­ row hunting? It was a wonderful thought and the full import and possi­ bilities of the thing actually stagger­ ed me. How little we realize our po­ tentialities and hidden abilities. Then and there began the cultivation of this forgotten but marvelous method.

At once I loosed a few blunts by the new system at a resinous old stump and was immediately encouraged to note that one of them rammed into the thing although the shaft was splintered by the blow.

For six months thereafter I steadily prac­ ticed, allowing my subconsciousness to care for everything except nocking the arrow and bending the bow. This was a period of happy and hopeful expectation. I awoke each morning to face the exciting possibilities that perhaps during the night while 1 slept, my vibrations, or whatever it is the subconscious mind employs, had become so attuned and synchronized that by that alchemy I had at last become a superb archer. The ter­ mination of this chapter of my life and the final results were truly as­ tonishing. One morning at 12 paces I missed a water barrel, and, chang­ ing targets, the second subconsciously directed shaft flew wide two bales of straw and crashed through the win­ dow of a neighbor’s car, which, to be exact, cost me $4.78. The subcon­ scious theory was then and there placed in moth balls. I could not af­ ford it.

Hope springs eternal, you know, and still clinging to my limitation of 30 yards as the probable consistently effective range of the bow I reviewed all known methods of sighting the arrow and was attracted by the one which proposed “yardage marks” on the upper limb. This appeared most feasible. To explain — the archer sights down his arrow for perfect lat­ eral alignment and this is thoroughly sound. There remains, however, the (Continued on page 7)

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

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Blunts from the Old Stump By the President In next issue of YSA you will find a statistical analysis of the equipment used by the 1941 Art Young Big Game Award Winners, with the ef­ fectiveness of their equipment on big game, consisting of javelina, bear, deer and moose. The questionnaires filled out by the successful bow hunt­ ers were requested for two reasons: First, to obtain statistics for the use of bow and arrow hunters; second, for public information to convince the skeptical that our weapons are hu­ mane and effective in the hunting of big game. Unfortunately, our infor­ mation does not cover the length of the shot and whether walking, stand­ ing or running, nor does it cover the distance the game traveled after be­ ing hit. These questions will be an­ swered in our next questionnaires.

These reports can be briefly summar­ ized as follows: BOWS. Yew and osage are the bow woods used by these successful and experienced hunters, with ten using using „ osage ~ and five ' ’ „ yew. . . The availability of the bow wood seemed to determine its use—the yew being used principally in the West and Southwest and osage in the Central and Northern states. We cannot say that either wood is superior to the other for hunting purposes. Most of them backed their yew and osage bows with either wood, sinew, silk, etc. About 5% ft. is the average length of the bow used, although a few used longer or shorter bows. The shorter the bow, the wider and thin­ ner the limbs to insure against break­ age. In spite of the current popular­ ity of curved tips on bows, only two of the fifteen bows used had curved tips. Of the thirteen straight bows used, nine had the limbs set back in the handle. The lightest weight bow used was 51 pounds and the heaviest, 100 pounds. No standard weight can be recommended as a man’s physique largely determines the weight of bow he should use. The main thing is to use a bow that can be drawn to full draw, controlled and shot accur­ ately. The tendency of most archers is to overbow, which results in the

lack of control and inaccurate shoot­ ing. There are few who can handle a 100 pound bow like Tom Imler and even 70 pounds is too much for most of us. Wyttenbach shot completely through a 250 pound buck with a 51 pound bow and Nagler killed his moose with one arrow from a 55 pound bow. We would say that no­ thing less than 50 pounds should be used on big game and a 60 pound bow is ample for all types of big game hunted on the American con­ tinents.

ARROWS. Wood arrows were used by all the big game hunters with Port Orford cedar being Lhe preferred wood, and Douglas fir second. We do not have the diameters of al’ the ar­ rows used —11-32 or 3-8 is about right. The arrow length is also de­ termined by a man’s physique, length of arms and width of chest, but they all apparently draw a full arrow, whatever the length they use. The lightest weight arrow was 447 gr. and the heaviest was 1100 gr. used by Imler in his 100 pound bow. The ar­ rows averaged between 500 and 550 gr. in weight. Fred Bear, who has done much experimenting with hunt­ ing arrows, says that the top weight of a hunting arrow in grains that can be efficiently used, may be de­ termined by adding a zero to your bow weight in pounds. For instance, if your bow weighs GO pounds, 600 gr. is top weight for the hunting arrow that can be efficiently used in that bow. Comparing the arrow weights in the chart with the bow weights, the hunters were well under this rule.

As determined by Pope, a flatter tra­ jectory can be obtained by a lighter arrow, but at a sacrifice of striking power. Most of the hunters struck a happy medium by using less than the top arrow weight and still had a good trajectory.

BROADHEADS. T he lightest hunting head used was 90 grs. and the heaviest 352 grs. by Imler with his heavy artillery.

The favorite head weighed from 130 to 150 grs.

The heads were from one inch to IM inches wide by 2 to 2% inches long—

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the average head being 1% by 2Vi. Needless to say, these hunters kept their broadheads sharp. No dull ar­ rows were shot at big game.

AIMING. In ten cases, the archer shot instinctively and in five cases with a sighting device. For those archers who shoot the standard tar­ get rounds during the summer and have little time to practice with hunt­ ing equipment before the hunting sea­ son, some sighting device as recom­ mended by Nagler in the NFAA Handbook is 0. K. But for field archers who are interested only in field shooting, the instinctive method of shooting is recommended. This method is also fully described in the NFAA Handbook. The instinctive method of shooting was used by arch­ ers many thousands of years before? any sighting devices were invented.

Our instinctive judgment on bow ele­ vation at unknown distances was un­ doubtedly inherited from our primi­ tive ancestors. It is surprising, with what little practice, we rediscover our ability to instinctively get the proper elevation for varying distances. Our observation has been that archers as a rule have developed their instinctive judgment of elevation to a more ac­ curate degree than they have their shooting form. At the next shoot, just observe how many arrows are at the right elevation but off line, right or left. Instinctive elevation is one thing, but shooting a line calls for a good shooting form with a bow that can be controlled.

PENETRATION. The statistics on the penetration secured by the broadhead is a pleasant revelation, not only to field archers, but to the public as a whole. It is a complete answer to those skeptics who question the effectiveness of the arrow on big game. In every case of a body hit, the arrow penetrated completely through the animal or penetrated to the opposite ribs. On Nagler’s moose the arrow penetrated through one lung and into the second lung. The arrow does not kill by shock as in the case of a rifle bullet, but rather by hemorrhage caused by the severing of hundreds of blood vessels and de­ struction of vital organs. This means sharp arrows with a keen, meat-cut­ ting edge. This completely through penetration was secured with Wyt-

September, 1942

tenbach’s 51 pound bow as well as with Tom Imler’s 100 pound bow.

CONCLUSIONS. The big game hunters are not only good hunters but also good bow shots. They use good equipment, the best that can be made or bought. They use bows that they can draw, hold and shoot accur­ ately. The bow shot in warm weather is going to stiffen and weigh more in colder weather and you may get your shot when your bow and muscles axe not limbered up. Because you can draw a 75 pound bow with a struggle does not mean that that is the bow to hunt with. Better use a 60 pound bow that you can draw to full draw, hold and shoot with com­ fort and accuracy. Don’t shoot light bows all summer and then expect to do good shooting with your heavy hunting bow during the hunting sea­ son. Get plenty of practice with your hunting bow and blunts that weigh the same as your hunting arrows, be­ fore the game season, so that you are thoroughly acquainted with your bow and know how it shoots. The only way to develop accuracy is by plenty of shooting. That is where the field round comes in. The field round was developed to give you practice on all effective ranges and under all con­ ditions. Use the field course if you have one, if not, why not build one?

The NFAA Handbook has full in­ structions.

Field archers everywhere will re­ gret to learn of the passing of John Willard of Hollywood, Calif. John Willard was a nationally known actor, author and playright, having written many mystery stories and movie plays—“The Cat and the Canary” being one of his best known plays.

Southern California field archers will particularly miss him as he was al­ ways a regular participant in their tournaments, usually shooting with John Yount and Earl Grubbs, with some novice archer to make up the foursome.

The Ft. Wayne Archers Club, Noel H. Spore, president, is the largest club in Indiana. They have secured the permission of the City Commis­ sion to install a permanent field course in their city park. Half of their members are instinctive field archers and they are making a drive (Continued on page 10)

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

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NFAA Bulletin OFFICERS President—A. J. Michelson 610 F. P. Flint Bldg.. Flint. Mich.

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Vice-President—Paris B. Stockdale, Univ, of Tenn., Knoxville, Tenn.

Secretary-Treasurer—John L. Yount, Box 383, Redlands. California.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Western—H. C. MacQuarrie.

3-100 Fruitvale Ave., Oa! ikland, ‘ Calif.

Mid-Western—Fred Bear, 2611 W. Philadelphia. Detroit, Mich.

Eastern—T. C. Davidson, 53 Mountain Ave., Springfield, N. J. Southern—J. C. Trittin, 150 S. Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.

By John L. Yount The hunting season is just around the corner. In fact it is already here in parts of California, the few parts where the Fourth Army Command says we can hunt.

Other states are faring better and here is some last minute informa­ tion on the sub­ ject.

The New Mex­ ico archers re­ port that they will again have the exclusive hunting lights in the Sandia Game Refuge. The dates are from November 5 to 15 in­ clusive.

From all reports this reserve offers some of the country’s finest deer hunting. When hunting in this re­ serve the archer can feel certain that he will have plenty of elbow room.

He won’t be bothered by some other hunter frightening his buck just as he gets ready to shoot. In fact the New Mexico archers are worried for fear there will be too much ‘ elbow room, too much room means not enough archers and they know they haven’t enough local archers as yet to really warrant such a reserve and so are afraid that unless some out-ofstate archers give them a hand on the deer, they may lose their reserve.

For information write Joe Robb,

322 Harvard Ave., Albuquerque, N. Mex. ♦ * ♦ *

Jean C. Trittin sends the following clipping from Utah: DEER PROCLAMATION (Bow and Arrow Hunting) August 17, 1942 WHEREAS, it is deemed advisable to open an area for the hunting of deer with Bow and Arrow, in the en­ couragement of a popular sport.

NOW THEREFORE, we, the Utah State Fish and Game Commission, de­ clare that the entire Emigration Conyon drainage, lying within the Big Cottonwood Game Preserve, shall be opened to the hunting of deer with Bow and Arrow.

PROVIDED FURTHER, that the season shall be the same as the reg­ ular 1942 deer hunting season, Octo­ ber 17-27 inclusive. That the bag limit for the season shall be one deer of either sex, that special permits will be issued for the taking of deer

by Bow and Arrow in the above de­ scribed area, that these permits shall sell for $1.50 each, and that Bow and Arrow hunters shall be subject to all other regulations pertaining to deer hunting.

NEWELL R. FREI, Ch., UTAH STATE FISH & GAME COMMISSION. Attest: ROSS LEONARD, Director.

This reserve is only twelve miles from Salt Lake City and is the finest (Continued on page 11)

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September, 1942

NEW CHAMPIONS

WO-PE-NA ARCHERS

The Flint City Championship meet is history; the date, August 23. Of the three previous champions, only one—the Junior Boys—appeared to defend his title.

George Calvert, last year’s crown bearer, is now en­ gaged in defense housing work in Portland, Ore., and we learn, is in there pitching with the western arch­ ers. Mrs. Bessie Stephenson has not been shooting the latter part of the season. It was anybody’s game and, in both divisions, at least four “pos­ sibles” kept the odds low.

One contestant, James Millard, ap­ peared early on the day of the meet Queried as to his long absence Iron the shooting field, he explained he had been kept away by a lame arm; how­ ever, he had a new bow—ten pounds heavier than his regular weapon— that he wanted to try out “just to see if he could pull it” all day. He could. Coming from behind in the last quarter, he carried home a beau­ tiful trophy, presented by Walter Knoblock.

Not far behind him, in this race for points, was James Dundas, a member of last winter’s beginner’s class—a novice whose war work had kept him away from almost all the tournaments. He’ll bear watching.

The Ladies’ trophy—a companion to the above mentioned—was present­ ed by our secretary-treasurer—and was won by Lulu Stalker—a repeat performance—as she also headed the list in 1940.

Elizabeth Buck, another new com­ petitor who will bear watching, was runner-up in the ladies’ division.

Wally Knoblock not only defended his Junior title, he retained it, win­ ning an attractive medal to prove it.

About sixty archers turned out for this contest, and though a quick shower at noontime drove the pic­ nickers into their cars, the rest of the day turned out fine and another suc­ cessful chapter in the history of the Flint Bowmen was completed.

Guests at the meet included Eugene Warnick of Portland, Ore., Gene Wright, Muncie, Ind., and Eldon Nye of Weston, W. Va. These men are in service, attending the technical training school of the army air force at the Buick Motor Co.

Archers who were present are still singing the praises of the First An­ nual Field Shoot held by Wo-Pe-Na Archers, Clifton, N. J., at Weasel Brook Park, also in Clifton. In spite of the current gasoline rationing, there was a splendid turnout and at­ tendants were rewarded with fine weather.

The course was laid out on firm, close-clipped, brilliant green turf, with flowering plants and bushes, as well as the proverbial babbling brook lending scenic beauty to the rolling terrain—a “natural” for field shoot­ ing. A deceptive first glance led most archers to believe the course an easy one, but the final low scores re­ moved all such hallucinations, the odd-angle shots and two long over­ water hazard shots proving the mettle of even the best shooters.

An earnest effort was made to give every archer an opportunity to place up front. This was accom­ plished by having two ends of Clout and two ends of the almost extinct Wand shooting. The latter scored 50 points for a hit on the two inch stripe, 10 points for a hit in the two inch stripe on either side of the Wand, and 5 points for a hit on either of the outside stripes. The Wo-Pe-Na Archers felt this would add the ele­ ment of chance to the meet and would enhance the prospects of the lower shooting archers and tend to put every one on a more equal footing.

Happily, it worked out just that way.

The Field Shoot of 28 targets was held in the morning; the Wand and Clout shoots were held in the after­ noon. Results for the ladies were as follows: Ann Weber, Essex Archers, former National Target Champion, first with a grand total of 365.

Dot Jackson, Essex Archers, second with a grand total of 242.

Irene Koreivo, North Hudson Arch­ ers, third with a grand total of 107.

Results of the Field Shoot for the men in the morning: Ray Laizure, Wo-Pe-Na Archers, 48-182; Bill Jackson, Essex Archers, 40-148; Edw. Tacq, Paterson Long Bowmen, 32-124; Marty Steenstra, 29-115; Herb Levi, Paterson Long Bowmen, 30-112.

Final results (combination of Field,

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September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

Clout and Wand) were as follows: Herb Levi, 334; Bill Jackson and Ray Laizure, 272; (Tie was decided by greatest number of hits in the Field Shoot); Marty Steenstra, 199; and fifth place went to that grand field archer, T. C. Davidson.

The above split-up between the morning Field Shoot and the final results is given with the view of showing how the standing of the par­ ticipants changed after the afternoon Clout and Wand Shoots.

First place for the Juniors was won

by George Latza of the Wo-Pe-Na Archers with a score of 104. Second place was taken by N. Makucewicz with a score of 70.

Carl Riotto of the Cherokee Arch­ ers shot four “bulls” at 35 yards on 18 inch face, entitling him to a 20point pin.

The Wo-Pe-Na Archers feel that this is the type of tournament that should be run more often to give the lower shooting, but interested arch­ ers, a chance to get a medal now and then and therefore stimulate enthus­ iasm instead of their just contribut­ ing their entry fee to buy medals for some one else.

The Passaic County Park Commis­ sion is to be complimented on their assistance and cooperation given to the Wo-Pe-Na Archers to make this meet possible.

All indications point to the State Field Shoot being held on the Wo-PeNa course on October 18.

EXPERT ADVICE (Continued from page 2) need of determining the correct ele­ vation, and the “yardage mark” is so placed on the upper limb that after the arrow is laterally aligned this mark is then brought to an exact lev­ el with the center of the target, and other factors being perfect, the arrow flies as the sighting indicates, right to the center of the target. It is ob­ vious that one of these marks will of­ fer a perfect perpendicular gauge for one range only. Also that any good bow shoots reasonably flat up to 30 yards and that a multitude of marks for every range would be confusing.

With these factors in mind one may mark his bow with but 3 marks which will be perfect for 10, 20, and 30 yards respectively and all odd ranges

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such as 13 or 24 yards may be ac­ commodated by employing the mark most nearly approaching that range and holding slightly high or low as the case may be. It is evident that by this system the only unknown fac­ tor in field shooting is that of dis­ tance. It must be closely judged and happily the average archer finds this a simple matter within the limits herein recommended.

The necessity of precise perpen­ dicular holding which is next to im­ possible without a guide, is shown by this example. Assume the arrow to be 2% feet in length, the target 20 yards, or 60 feet distant, and the hold perfect. Now raise the bow arm just one quarter of an inch and the arrow will fly six inches above the center of the mark. Why, may I ask, does any sane man expect to avoid this very slight error in hold with its fruitless results, unless he has some definite method which tells his eye just what is happening and indicates and informs him he is on, or is not on the mark? I might add the profound observation that grouse topple off a limb only when suffering a direct hit and will fly healthily away if the arrow sails six inches overhead. There are no 1-3-5 and 7 counters in hunt­ ing.

Having now turned professional by advising all who may read this page on just how to become a superb field archer, let those who disagree with me bellow forth. Their cries of an­ guish and outrage shall fall on deaf ears for no man has missed more game than have I, and by that I know dead game when I see it. The system here set forth stands without a peer as a hunting pattern. I shall con­ tinue to advance and to defend it, to hold it forth as the best and to berate all others.

A disturbing thought has just crossed my mind, however. Is it not possible that after weary years of gruelling effort to become a fair bow and arrow hunter, that I have suc­ ceeded modestly, not because of my system but in spite of it? Oh, well, as my friend Jesus Garcia would say, “Quien sabe, Senor.” (who knows)

Over one hundred archery clubs have entered the Mail Match of the NF A.

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Be

Archer

Official Publication of the National Field Archery Association

Published the twentieth of each month at 505 North 11th Street, Corvallis, Oregon.

J. E. Davis........ Editor and Publisher Subscription Price ...... $1.00 per year Foreign Subscription .... $1.25 per yr.

Single Copies ........................... 10 cents Advertising Rates on Application Entered as second - class matter June 25, 1942, at the post office at Corvallis, Oregon, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

The editor of Ye Sylvan Archer wishes to add his tribute to the mem­ ory of John Willard. Our only op­ portunity to meet him was at the Na­ tional tournament in Portland last summer where we were impressed by his innate friendliness; but we have enjoyed many letters from him and have been very appreciative of the fact that one whose writings were so much sought by editors of impor­ tant magazines should make contribu­ tions to Ye Sylvan Archer.

JOHN WILLARD One of the most versatile, most re­ spected, and most beloved of all arch­ ers in the country has passed on.

No more will we see his face light in friendly greeting as he spies us from afar. No more will we pass the time in affectionate badinage with the master whom we provoked in or­ der to draw down upon us that matchless humor of his.

It was humor without a sting, near­ ly always at his own expense. John never put on airs—in all truth he didn’t need to. The author of the “Cat and the Canary,” as well as numerous other plays, the actor, tfie writer, the singer—his place in con­ temporary literary and artistic cir­ cles was secure.

His record was there for anyone to see, and his foot­ prints in the sand of time were those of a mastodon.

Possibly the most revealing anec­ dote can now be told. We were dis­ cussing a recent release of a Gilbert

September, 1942

and Sullivan moving picture. John, as we know, had sung in these operas and loved them. Perhaps to say that he revered them would be a better ex­ pression.

“John,” I asked him, “would you have liked to have had a part in that play?” Knowing him, and his de­ testation of sham, I didn’t expect the usual Hollywood answer, to the effect that he hadn’t been offered a suitable part, or that some so and so had asked him to play second lead.

“George,” he said simply, and this time he was serious for almost the first time I had known him, “I was in London at the time, and nobody asked me. But if they had asked me I would have taken any part they of­ fered without pay.”

John was innately modest, but his was no defensive modesty. He laugh­ ed at himself, he laughed at the world. Most of all he laughed at a Hollywood that was foolish enough to pay him money he was sure he didn’t earn. The only overpaid Holly woodite I ever met.

What we know about his record in France as commander of the 35th U. S. Air Squadron in the first world war, is mostly what he told us him­ self.

We laughed at his stories.

About the time he had overstayed his leave in Paris and his expedient cheating of justice in avoiding the consequences. We laughed at his de­ tailed account of air encounters, en­ counters in which he invariably got the worst of the deal. We didn’t laugh at the broken nose he got in one of his landings—he reserved that privilege for himself.

So we humored John and laughed with him. Accident, it seems, had catapulted him into command of the squadron. In any case it made a good story by one of the greatest ra­ conteurs of the age, and since it pleas­ ed John to think that he had fooled us, we let it go at that. But we were mighty proud of him, we were.

Can you see these first world war aviators in their cheese-cloth and hay­ wire contraptions, held together by faith? Parachutes—well, they just didn’t have them. Before the mount­ ed machine gun they exchanged complime-ts with revolvers and rifles.

It took a man to be an aviator in the old days just as it does today. It

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September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

was very humorous, the way John told it. I have no doubt that similar earsplitting tales will be told when our present crop of knights of the air returns, God speed the day.

As an archer John was in a class by himself in that I often saw him pull a 72 pounder at target tourna­ ments. With his powerful frame he could do it, and scores were of no interest to him. He shot for fun, just as he hunted for fun.

It was John’s greatest recreation to go out on a hunting trip with some boon companions. I never knew him to hit anything; at least not kill it, though he was away above average in skill. And a hunting trip to John meant a hunting trip—he didn’t go out just for a good time, unless com­ ing in tired, hungry and dirty meant having a good time—which it prob­ ably did.

Mr. Willard leaves behind his tal­ ented wife, of whom he was intensely proud. A famous actress in her own right, John always insisted that Mrs. Willard had more literary ability and judgment than all the editors he ever knew put together.

Mrs. Willard has been in ill health for several years and very few arch­ ers have had the privilege of meeting her. But of one thing she may be sure, glittering Hollywood does not miss John Willard nearly as much or as sincerely as the archers of the country do. All we can do is to ex­ tend our deepest sympathy, and can there be a more feeble gesture under the circumstancs? But at least it is heartfelt.

We. too, admired John Willard for his brilliancy, we respected him for his accomplishments and his sports­ manship. But most of all we loved him for himself.—George Brommers.

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etter Rox

A Warning to Archers “Greenacre,” Farmington, Maine, August 26, 1942.

Dear Mr. Davis: I write you a letter quoting part of

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a letter received from Lieut. Col. S. T. Hayley, writing from Wytham Abby, Oxford, England, on August 8, with his message to archers about the dangers of over-drawing an arrow.

I thought perhaps you might wish to publish this brief warning.

Col. Heyley is a newcomer amongst archers, I believe, and took it up only a year ago. All of us, of course, know of that danger; but one does not appreciate how serious it can sometimes prove. He says: “I don’t know if you heard that I accomplished the unique performance of shooting an arrow through my own hand. To the best of my belief it was caused by over-drawing, the ar­ row being caught betwen the bow and the string. It bent and broke, and the rear half was then driven through my hand and broken off inside. It had to be cut out and the full use of my hand will never come back; but fortunately it is very nearly right.

Do warn all your archers! . . . .

“There is, of course, very little do­ ing now in archery, as equipment is hard to get and means of locomotion difficult. Here and there one sees a line of targets and usually a line of women shooting. Even the older men seem to have dropped out........... ” Sincerely yours, Harold A. Titcomb.

“Uncle Hat”

NEW MEXICO INVITES YOU

By Leon H. Mudgett The New Mexico Field Archery As­ sociation again invites archers to join them to hunt deer in the Sandia Mountain game refuge from Novem­ ber 6 to 15 inclusive. Either a buck or a doe may be taken.

Last year there were only eightyfive archers who hunted this area.

None of these archers had ever hunt­ ed with bow and arrow, but all of them had many shots at deer and two deer were taken. Another was found after it had spoiled.

Any archer who knows how to stalk game can take his deer in this area. This has been a game refuge for 30 years; the deer are plentiful and not wild because they see people every day. There is a good forest road through this 90 sections of won­ derful hunting country. It is the

10

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

picnic and recreational ground for the people of Albuquerque, a city of fifty thousand.

There are mountain sheep, bear and wild turkey in this area but they are protected and we hope no archer will fall from the ranks of true sports­ men.

The minimum weight bow shall be fifty pounds at twenty-eight inch draw. Broadheads must be barbless with a minimum width of one inch and not less than one and one-half inches long. Your first name or ini­ tial and your last name must be on each arrow.

A special permit is required to hunt in this area but there is no charge.

The non-resident license is $25.25.

Apply to State Game Warden, Santa Fe, N. Mex., before October 26 for your permit.

We are on the spot. If there is not more interest shown by archers this year than there was last year the Game Department will not open an area for us again. We need your help, and you cannot find a more game-infested area than the Sandia Mountain refuge.

BLUNTS FROM STUMP (Continued from page 4) to build up field archery in their State.

Harold J. Stahle of New Cumber­ land, Penn., says, “I have been hunt­ ing big game for ten years. Each year I lead a party of bow and arrow hunters on a trip to our Eastern Archery Preserve.

I have taken about thirty different hunters on these trips. Will you also send a supply of application blanks?

I would be glad to try to pep things up for the Association here in east­ ern Pennsylvania.”

We have a new member from Jun­ eau, Alaska, John H. Newman, Box 410. He writes, “In Alaska we are prohibited from hunting big game (including deer, and from them on up) with bow and arrow. I had some hope that the NF A A and the NA A, if they had influence in Washington, could have this regulation amended so that we could hunt deer with the bow and arrow. As it is, my hunting has been confined to ground-hogs, squirrels, crows, ravens and rabbits, with the slim hope of a shot at a

I

September, 1942

wolf.”

Stan Fisher, New York representa­ tive for Ben Pearson, Inc., says, “It (the NFAA Handbook) is not only the biggest two-bits worth I ever ex­ pect to see—but it will unquestionably do more to promote our sport than anything that has been done up to now.” He has requested member­ ship application blanks to leave with his dealers to help boost field archery in the East.

Napoleon J. LaBarge of Mt. Zisco, N. Y., says, “I found the Handbook very helpful.”

D. E. Garrison of 1229 Eighth St., Greenley, Colo., writes, “My long suit is fish. I have taken several big carp out of the local river and one meas­ ured over two feet in length. Of course that is very small compared with other regions, but it is the best this state affords. And I wrote the fish and game department in Denver, and they advise that taking any fish by such means is illegal. Another reason why I should like to join your outfit. A darn carp is only good for fertilizer anyhow. In this state we can hunt with the bow, providing we do so at the same time the gun hunt­ ers do, and in the same places. Makes it nice for us, doesn’t it?”

We are building up quite a member­ ship in Colorado and we should soon be able to do something to help get better hunting conditions in that State.

Earl Grubbs of Los Angeles writes, “Last Sunday, August 30, the deer were plentiful. I watched Hoff shoot four arrows right over the back of a doe, and the darn deer never quit eating. He was shooting at No. 14 target at the pump house and the deer was not over 20 yards from him.

Certainly an arrow does not frighten them. We saw five does that day.

After a closed season that country should be a hunters’ paradise.”

The NFAA needs the support of all the field archers and they need the NFAA. Every member is hereby appointed a committee of one to bring in at least one new member. Every­ one of us has some friend in our club or who we shoot or hunt with, who would like to know more about the NFAA. They will be happy to join the NFAA if you will only invite them.

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September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

11

kill a deer—she can play at hunting anyway.

As if all this wasn’t enough to at­ tract archers from far and near, the Sherwood Archery Co. is offering a King-Moore 73 Quiver to any and all archers who get their deer and can prove it with a picture and affidavit.

For full information and possible change in out-of-state license fee write Jean C. Trittin, 22 W. 2nd S. St. (No, I didn’t make any mistake in the name of this street), Salt Lake City, Utah.

To all Eastern Archers: The New Jersey field tournament will definite­ ly be held on the Wo-Pe-Na course near Clifton, N. J. For full partic­ ulars see article on that club’s activi­ ties in this magazine.

Anyone Know a Bigger Recently Gilman Keasey and the editor went into the hills about twelve miles northwest of Corvallis where we measured and photographed a gigantic yew tree, the largest yew of which we have heard any report.

About one foot from the ground the tree measured nine feet five and three-quarters inches in circumfer­ ence, over three feet in diameter. At about the point indicated by the axe in the hands of Keasey, the circum­ ference was eleven feet, three-fourths inch. The huge limbs that tower up among the surrounding firs are larg­ er than most of the largest yews us­ ually found. The trunk is remark­ ably smooth for one so big. We would like to have measurements and pho­ tos of other large yews, or other spe­ cies of trees used in archery.

NFAA BULLETIN (Continued from page 5) piece of country in the state for arch­ ery hunting.

You will notice in the Proclamation that there is no reference to bow weight. This makes it possible to take your wife on a real hunting trip.

What if she doesn’t have the nerve to

We have a letter from Ken Jones of Bakersfield that should put some small clubs that can’t quite afford to build a course, to shame. He reports that the Bakersfield crowd went over to Lemoore to try their new course.

It proved to be a very neat and tricky affair and one that meets every re­ quirement of the NFAA, and further that it was built by two men, Capt.

Edwin A. McKay and Capt. Thomas G. Netcher.

John Willard, author, playwright, and actor, best known to the world for his play “The Cat and the Can­ ary,” died recently at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Probably the finest thing that I can say of John is that we archers never knew John Willard, the author, the playwright, and actor. We only knew John Willard, a square shooter who never high hatted another arch­ er and was welcome in any foursome.

The next big tournament is going to be mighty flat without Jack, es­ pecially to those of us who have known him and shot with him for years.

Clayton B. Shenk of Lancaster, Pa., has resigned as member of the Board of Directors of the National Archery Association because of the fact that he has been inducted into the U. S. Navy.

12

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

September, 1942

AugustNFA ATournament Report

By Karl E. Palmatier

-

EXPERT BOWMAN CLASS—

28 Target Score

28 Target Score

56 Target Score

Han- Han­ di­ dicap cap Score

Carl Seastrom, W. Hollywood, Calif.

Kenneth Moore, Los Angeles, Calif.

C. W. Seastrom, W. Hollywood, Calif.

Emery Watts, Los Angeles, Calif.

Paul Ludwig, Los Angeles, Calif.

Leo Sipe, Los Angeles, Calif.

Dwight Sherrill, Malibu Mtn. Club Roy Hoff, Los Angeles, Calif.

Tiny Munson, Malibu Mtn. Club Bennett Gandy, Los Angeles, Calif.

John Yount, Redlands, Calif.

Perzy High, Los Angeles, Calif.

Al Biordi, Los Angeles, Calif.

Alfonso Gonzales, Bakersfield, Calif.

Leo Hoffmeyer, Flint, Mich.

Earl Grubbs, Los Angeles, Calif.

Arthur Hoffman, Bakersfield, Calif.

Kenneth Jones, Bakersfield, Calif.

Marvin Holloway, Detroit, Mich.

74-279 86-346 56-216 84-348 49-185 66-242 54-194 57- 219 59-239 51-207 202 76-290 41-149 68-266 45- 165 49-177 46- 170 48-170 59-229

63-241 89-361 73-295 76-295 48- 176 67-257 52-184 75-295 55-205 50- 174 205 67-259 51- 192 67-251 44-166 38-140 49- 188 52- 192 60-226

137-520 175-707 129-511 160-643 97-361 133-499 106-378 132-514 114-444 101-381 407 143-549 92-341 135-517 89-331 87-317 95-358 100-362 119-455

390 180 350 210 460 300 420 280 350 410 370 220 400 210 380 380 320 240

910 887 861 853 821 799 793 794 794 791 777 769 741 727 711 697 678 602

BOWMAN CLASS— James Dundas, Flint, Mich.

James Millard, Flint, Mich.

Lewis Richardson, Flint, Mich.

Vince Buk, Malibu Mtn. Club E. L. Kaliander, Framingham, Mass.

Loren Hilderbrand, Detroit, Mich.

Frank Litchfield, Flint, Mich.

Arthur Stazinski, Dearborn, Mich.

Robert Blackmore, Marysville, Wash.

Harry Eckles, Malibu Mtn. Club.

William Smith, Flint, Mich.

Tracy Stalker, Flint, Mich.

Jim Murphy, Bakersfield, Calif.

Kore T. Duryee, Seattle, Wash.

Fred Brockhoff, Seattle, Wash.

T. G. Netcher, Lemoore, Calif.

E. A. McKay, Lemoore, Calif.

Charles Hauch, Detroit, Mich.

T. A. Richey, Malibu Mountain Club C. Buck, Flint, Mich.

G. F. Hendricks, Malibu Mount. Club Jack Swant, Malibu Mountain Club A. T. McKenzie, Malibu Mount. Club

53- 201 47-167 56-206 47- 167 54- 194 42- 156 46-178 48- 190 32-124 34-120 36- 136 37- 129 48- 182 34-164 29-101 49- 178 46- 166 47- 175 45-181 38- 142 38-141 43- 153 38-146

58-288 57-219 51-191 44- 169 62-220 49-179 48-172 43-153 29- 103 46-174 42-161 42- 150 38-146 41-151 30- 106 45- 169 48- 178 43- 161 38-147 49- 181 44-166 30-116 34-122

111-429 104-386 107-397 91-336 116-414 91-335 94-350 91-343 61-227 80-294 78- 297 79- 279 76-328 74-315 60-207 94-347 94-344 90-336 83-328 87-323 82-307 73-269 72-268

70 110 80 130 50 120 80 80 190 120 100 100 40 50 120

499 496 477 466 464 455 430 423 417 414 397 379 368 365 327

NOVICE CLASS— T. Thorsen, Malibu Mtn. Club Louie Krutak, Malibu Mtn. Club Kilbourne Anderson, Trenton, Mich.

Harry Von Bergen, Malibu Mt. Club Wellington Lewis, Hopkinton, Mass.

H. D. Pugsley, Framington, Mass.

53-200 38-132 36-134 35-129 27-101 31-111

34-122 36-145 34-124 27-103 31-109 25-93

87-322 74-277 70-258 62-232 58-210 56-204

€

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

Basil Blackmore, Marysville, Wash.

C. D. Cole, Seattle, Wash.

Patrick McCormick, Malibu Mt. Club J. R. Colburn, Malibu Mt. Club George Crof, Malibu Mountain Club W. Harmon, Langley, Wash.

Herb Hallberg, Tacoma, Wash.

Ben Bredimus, Seattle, Wash.

Harvey Hicks, Malibu Mt. Club J. Canfield, Seattle, Wash.

Charley Howe, Malibu Mt. Club Termy Connor, Malibu Mt. Club Cullen Waldo, Missoula, Mont.

Erwin Connor, Malibu Mt. Club Bud Butzke, Malibu Mt. Club

13

28 Target Score 25-87 21-81 33-115 30-106 24-86 19-69 18-62 18- 66 16-62 7-25 37- 141 38- 104 30-102 19- 61 13-41

28 Target Score 30-106 32-110 21-75 20- 72 21- 75 25-91 25-99 17r57 22- 82 13-51

56 Target Score 55-193 53- 191

40-140 39-137

36-136 43-155

76-276 82-292

120 90

396 382

43-169 31-113 34-118 31-107 30-114 28-100

54-198 35-133 30- 116 21-77 31- 117 37-139

97-367 66-246 64- 234 52-184 61-231 65- 239

170 1.60 170 210 130

537 406 404 394 361

21-74 10-44

13-47 13-45

34-126 23-89

Han- Han­ di­ dicap cap Score

54- 190 50-178 45-161 44-160 43-159 35-123 38-144 20-76

EXPERT BOWMAN CLASS— Lulu Stalker, Flint, Mich.

Frieda Hoff, Los Angeles, Calif.

BOWMAN CLASS—

Minerva Gandy, Los Angeles, Calif.

Marie Seastrom, W. Hollywood, Calif.

Elizabeth Buck, Flint, Mich.

Betty Richardson, Flint, Mich.

Bertha Hoffmeyer, Flint, Mich.

Bea Anderson, Trenton, Mich.

NOVICE CLASS—

Patricia Ryan, Seattle, Wash.

Frances Radecop, Seattle, Wash.

Minerva Gandy, James Dundas, and E. L. Kallander will be in the Expert Bowman Class for their next shoot.

T. Thorsen, Louie Krutak, and Kilbourne Anderson will be in the Bowman Class for their next shoot.

OREGON FIELD TOURNAMENT The seventh annual tournament of the Pope-Young Field Archers of Oregon, Inc., was held at Alsea on September 6 and 7 with thirty-five archers registered, a surprisingly large turnout under present condi­ tions.

Mr. and Mrs. George Calvert, re­ cently of Michigan, won the NF A A rounds, which were shot Sunday af­ ternoon. George scored 179 and Mrs. Calvert 121. Edgar Hunter was high junior with 70 points. Oregon arch­ ers were glad to welcome Mr. and

Mrs. Calvert to Oregon tournaments.

In the championship events shot on Monday, Bill Collins of Cottage Grove was high, placing first in the wand, second in the battle clout and fourth in the Pope-Young round.

George Calvert was second and Dr. George Cathey was third.

Mrs. Mabel Tatro of Portland took the women’s championship, placing first in the battle clout, first in wand and second in Pope-Young round. Mrs. Mary Calvert was second and Mrs. Ella Thompson third. Mrs. Tatro made the remarkable score of 258 in the battle clout.

Edgar Hunter of Corvallis placed first in Pope-Young round, first in wand and second in battle clout^to win the junior championship.

Duncan Tucker was second and Norman Thompson third.

At the business meeting held Sun­ day evening the following officers

14

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

were elected: President, Ned Myers, Corvallis; vice-presidents, W. G. Ta­ tro, Portland, Ed Lindros, Corvallis, and “Pop” Prouty, Portland; secre­ tary-treasurer, J. E. Davis, Corvallis.

On account of the uncertainty as to conditions next year, it was voted to leave the selection of the location of next year’s tournament to the de­ cision of the executive committee.

SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE NOTICE A cross appearing in this space means that your sub­ scription has expired and we would appreciate your prompt renewal so that your name may be kept on our mailing list.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES for Classified Advertising 5 cents per word per issue. Count initials and numbers as words. Mini­ mum charge is 50 cents.

The Flat Bow—70 pages of Archery information for 75 cents, well illus­ trated. Ye Sylvan Archer, 505 N. 11th St., Corvallis, Oregon.

"ARCHERY TACKLE, HOW TO MAKE AND HOW TO USE IT.”

by Adolph Shane. Bound in cloth and illustrated with more than fifty draw­ ings and photographs. Information for making archery tackle and in­ structions for shooting. Price is $1.75.

Send orders to Ye Sylvan Archer, 505 North 11th street, Corvallis.

Oregon.

Please mention Ye Sylvan Archer when writing advertisers.

THE

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FLAT BOW

ARCHERY EQUIPMENT

OSAGE HUNTING BOWS .... $10.00 NO. 1 BILLETS ........ $3.00 A. H. HORD — FARINA, ILLINOIS

Sinew Backed Yew Bows ........ $16.00 Broadhead Arrows ........ 35c, 50c, 65c TEDDIE LUNSFORD Member NFAA 4214 N. 2nd — Albuquerque, N. M. RELICS AND CURIOS

INDIAN RELICS, Beadwork, Coins, Curios, Minerals, Books, Weapons, Old West Photos.

Catalog, 5c.

Genuine Indian Bow, $2.75. Ancient flint Arrowheads, perfect, 6c each— Vernon Lemley, Osborne, Kansas.

FWWWlhJl

70 pages of Archery informa­ tion for 75 cents, well illustrat­ ed. Ye Sylvan Archer, 505 N. 11th St., Corvallis, Oregon.

Paul H. Gordon Author of “The New Archery” Producing

Tackle — Materials

Latest and Finest for Field or Range Write for Free Catalog Beacon Hill Craftsmen Beacon, N. Y.

BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

"ARCHERY,” by Robert P. Elmer M. D., revised edition, most com­ plete book on archery published. 566 pages of valuable information for colleges, libraries, schools, camps archery clubs and individuals. Price $5.00 postpaid, orders to Ye Sylvan Archer, 505 North 11th street, Corval­ lis, Oregon.

J

HANDBOOK—How to Make and Uie Bows and Arrows-90 Pages wall Illustrated (with catalog) 35c.

CATALOG—100 picture* —color ipreid—Initruction Folder. 10c.

CATALOG alone Sc. Stamps or Coin.

EZTEMMEER HUttX/VlUACE Ny

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

15

Arcadian Life Magazine Stories of the Ozarks

(•

Pioneer History - Folklore Pastoral Living

$1.00 a Year; 25c a Copy Display Adv. $1.50 per inch Classified, 3c a word. Three insertions for the price of two.

O. E. RAYBURN, Editor Dept. 15 616 S. Benton St Cape Girardeau, Mo. P. O. Box 200 Caddo Gap, Arkansas

“THE MARK OF DISTINCTION IN ARCHERY TACKLE Fine Yew Target and Hunting Bows, Plain or Backed with Rawhide.

Lemonwood Bows with Rawhide Backs.

College and School Equipment Target, Hunting and Roving Arrows Price List on Request Wholesale — Retail EARL GRUBBS 5518 W. Adams Los Angeles, : California ~

------ g

Field Archers’ Bargains

“SWITCH” TO THE

“Magic” Shooting Glove If you once try America’s finest glove, you’ll never be satisfied with any other. "MAGIC” elastic insert in back keeps finger stalls snug at all times.

Still Only $1.25 Patronize your dealer. If he cannot supply you with this glove, send check or money order direct to us. For cor­ rect size, send outline of hand or glove size.

LEATHER GOODS COMPANY 7011 No. Figueroa St. LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Hrite today for FREE CATALOG VIKING ARCHERY 1874 Market Street San Francisco, Calif.

— Patronize Archer advertisers.

11/32 and % Shafts in P. O. Cedar. Doz. .40; 100-$3; 500-$14 Short Brass 11/32 and % Points. Doz. .30; 100-$2.50. Long Steel % Points same price.

38 cal. Brass Blunts. Doz. .15: 10041.25.

Yew Wood Staves, 6 ft. long, $2.00 and $3.00.

EVERYTHING IN ARCHERY — Write for Catalogue — MONTE VISTA ARCHERY CO Route 1 — Box 149 — Tacoma, Wash.

BACK NUMBERS YE SYLVAN ARCHER Volumes I to V Inclusive $1.00 Per Volume B. G. THOMPSON R. F. D. 1, Corvallis, Oregon

E. BUD PIERSON Bowyer — Fletcher Tournament Tackle, Sinew, Glue, Raw Materials.

Custom Made Tackle Cincinnati, Ohio 3109 Burnet Ave.

Ye Sylvan Archer—?1.00 per year

16

September, 1942

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

------- 11

&

-'S

Entered as second - class matter June 25, 1942, at the post office at Corvallis, Oregon, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

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Shoot to Kill with Ben Pearson Hunting Tackle New 1912 Catalog Free to You Sit ... down _jwn now now_ and drop a line 'to the Ben Pearson Company asking for your FREE illustrated catalt log See the new additions toi this I great line of archery tackle

For precision, accuracy and ri­ liabh le performance — Ben Peai son hunting equipment is top. in ... 1the nation. In addition, Ben Pearson now manufactures th * famous laminated bamboo bow and hunting arrows designed and developed by Howard Hill, famous archer of international movie fame.

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SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY

Our 1942 Catalog for a Postcard

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Detroit, Michigan