Sporting Writers who used Parker Shotguns?
 

I'm just in the early stages of this "investigation," but I thought I'd query the Parker sages here to see what might be known about published sporting writers that used Parker shotguns (and made references to them in their writing, of course).

I know of Spiller, Ford, Rutledge and Babcock, but are there others you might know of and can direct me to their work?

Thanks if advance.

Certainly Mr. William Harnden Foster who gave us "New England Grouse Shooting"

Col. Harold P. Sheldon who gave us the Tranquility trilogy of "Tranquility," "Tranquility Regained," and "Tranquility Revisited."

Aldo Leopold...

Of course we must include Mr. Art Wheaton, a more contemporary author but just as noteworthy.

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Elmer Keith had a BHE trap gun. His guns were on display at the Boise Cabela's for years and I think the family ran the collection through Julia's some years ago.

PML

Archibald Rutledge mentioned a Parker as the gun he used.

Thanks, Dean! Do you know of any specific stories where Col. Sheldon mentioned a Parker? I know of Leopold's Fox, but am not aware of his writing of it or a his Parker -- is there a specific reference in his writing that you are aware of?

Thanks for reminding me of Art's writing. I have enjoyed his book.

Thanks, Patrick. Keith is not in my library. Did he write any stories or particular articles that included his Parker?

Nash Buckingham stated he had a 34-inch Parker in his Outdoor Life magazine article "Magnum Opus" but it was displaced by a string of Super-Fox guns. It appears to be the gun Nash was using in the 1921 Field & Stream movies Dr. Wayne Capooth, author of The Golden Age of Waterfowling, had transcribed onto a DVD. Probably the Parker in this picture --

Attachment 93434

from The Best of Nash Buckingham.

Dean, I believe Aldo Leopold shot a Fox. I believe it is on display at his "museum". A 20 ga.
Perhaps he also shot a Parker

Yeah, I had read that he also shot a Parker but I don’t remember where I had read it so take it for what it’s worth.





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Ted Nelson Lundrigan also shot a Parker as referenced in his grouse books. He also shot a Westley Richards.

I'm guessing only in his mind or typewriter.

Remington introduced their 16-gauge 2 3/4 inch Magnum along with their 12- and 20-gauge 2 3/4 inch Magnums in their December 16, 1954 price list.

Attachment 93458

Western, Winchester and Peters had them in their December 1954 price lists too.

I had too many ammo catalogs open last night and misspoke that Remington had their Short Magnums in their January 1954 price list. Remington was December 1954 just like all the others. Sorry.

Zane Gray had a GH 20 pictured in Larry Baer’s book. I would love to own that one someday

Morris has Burt Spiller's 20 gauge VH. It is rumored that the VH was not Spiller's best Parker, and it is rumored that Corey Ford's GH is for sale.





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Any gun of Corey Ford’s would be a prize. A Parker of his would be priceless

Larry Brown writes a column for each bi-monthly issue in the Pointing Dog Journal and is the author of the long ago sold-out book A Pheasant Hunter's Notebook has owned several Parkers and Parker Reproductions. Larry currently owns and shoots a Parker Reproduction DHE 20/16 bi-gauge set.

I also believe that Mike Gaddis used a Parker for most of his early days. He mentions it in several of his short stories.

Great information! Thanks to those of you who have replied. I had not originally thought of surveying more contemporary writers, but now I will. And in saying that, I will add our own Mills M. to the list. My well-thumbed copies of his two books most certainly are the work of a Parker user.

Any more leads? I am especially looking for those that mentioned their Parkers in their writings.

There was a nice article in the DGJ not long ago about Leopold's Fox. He ordered it without a safety as I remember.

Thanks for posting that pic, Dave. I don't recall ever noticing, or reading, that Mr. Nash had a .410 O/U Merkel. Now I realize he and I not only share a love of big duck guns, but of long barreled .410 double bird guns as well.

Is it mentioned in any of his writings? Where was that picture published?

SRH

Believe it or not, Michael McIntosh had Parkers, he references one in the Shotguns & Shooting Three book!

I believe it was "Cousin Sid" in Corey Ford's "Seat of Justice" who owned a .410 Parker in skeet configuration, field chokes (full and full). I hope his wife didn't get it in the divorce settlement.

Doug Stewart who had his book for sale on this site, The Traditional Side by Side: King of the Upland Bird Gun, is also one to add to your list. He writes about many original and reproduction Parkers in his book.

In his book “the biography of a sportsman”, Austin Haight talks about his Parker 20 ga., the apple of his eye.

Great! I have this and forgot about it.

Garth, thanks. This one is also in my library and about to be pulled out to read.

Stan, I believe the long barrel .410 Merkel was pictured in George Bird Evans' "Best of Nash Buckingham", don't know the page, but the pictures are on just a few separate pages. Probably not one of Nash's guns, no further information. No closeups of the engraving. Probably a dove gun owned by one of Nash's friends.

Bill, I just ran this by the "Fact-checkers" over on FaceBook and they said your statement could be misleading, so I got my 1962 edition of "Minutes of the Lower Forty" and it turns out those fact-checkers know their stuff (:biglaugh:)... The Parker .410 with full and full chokes with the semibeavertail fore end and single trigger belonged to Hentracks Hennessy. :cool:





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Let's not forget William G. (Bill) Tapply who was given Burton Spiller's 20ga Parker.

I love Bill's telling of the story of Burt's non-ceremonial passing of his Parker to young Bill.

In one of our several communications, when I was editor and shortly before he died, he gave me written permission to use that story, exactly as he wrote it or in any form I chose, and use it or publish it as I saw fit. To date I have not done so.





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Dean, have you ever read any of Bill's Brady Coyne mysteries? Brady is a fly fishing lawyer/detective. I met Bill (virtually) through his wife Vicki Stiefel, a really good mystery writer in her own right, although she has morphed into writing fantasy/other world type stuff which just isn't my cup of tea. We still keep in touch peripherally though. Bill and I exchanged a few emails and he gave me some great writing tips: A great guy and a great teacher. Losing him so early was a shame.

Yes, Vicki and I communicated quite a bit after Bill’s passing when she was sorting out Bill’s posessions and some of the things that had been Tap’s. She worked at the Cobb’s Auction House but she didn’t want to go that route. In the end she consigned all the books with a different auction house and things didn’t work out quite as well as she had hoped. They bundled all the books into about a half-dozen lots and they didn’t bring anywhere near what they would have brought if auctioned individually or in twos or threes. We haven’t communicated in years but I still get her periodic business emails.





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Here are a few pics of Archibald Rutledge with his Parker. The second pic some people think that he is holding a "P" Grade Parker. Both of these are hanging in the club house at Backwoods Quail Club.

We get to go quail hunting with John Frierson who was a friend and hunting companion of Havilah Babcock and has written a book and several articles for Parker Pages. That happens this Friday

Tell Dr. John "Hi" for me please!





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I sure will

I'm not into mysteries and the only of his other books I've owned is "Bitch Creek" and I didn't like it.




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I met Mr. Frierson at a Southern S X S Fall Classic a few years ago and bought a copy of his book, and had him sign it. Nice fellow. Either in the book or in our conversation he referred to a S X S as a "two-row gun". That might not be as interesting a term to others as it was to me, being a row crop farmer. I had never heard that phrase before. I liked it.

In William Hazelton's "Fred Kimble: Master Duck Shot of the World," Kimble wrights about hunting geese and sandhill cranes in North Dakota with his Parker double gun.

Yeah, I get it; me neither, though I did read a few of Bill's and Vicki's because we had become sort of internet friends. Never read nor even heard of Bitch Creek. But I have all his outdoor books and have enjoyed them.