A Bo Whoop pilgrimage

[Researcher]

I meant to ask if Bo Whoop 2 is still there? As I recall it is Becker serial number 121. When he could no longer use it, Nash was going to sell it to Bart Cox, grandson of his friend Henry Bartholomew, but his shooting partner Dr. William "Chubby" Andrews expressed interest and he got Bo Whoop 2. At the time of his book Nash Buckingham, Beaver Dam and Other Hunting Tales Dr. Andrews states he transferred Bo Whoop 2 to Mr. Billy Dunavant. It was on display at the DU headquarters when I visited well before Bo Whoop surfaced.

[Scott Gentry]

Here are a few pictures that came out of an office space in Memphis. One is a young Nash when he played football at the University of Tennessee.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

I meant to ask if Bo Whoop 2 is still there? As I recall it is Becker serial number 121. When he could no longer use it, Nash was going to sell it to Bart Cox, grandson of his friend Henry Bartholomew, but his shooting partner Dr. William "Chubby" Andrews expressed interest and he got Bo Whoop 2. At the time of his book Nash Buckingham, Beaver Dam and Other Hunting Tales Dr. Andrews states he transferred Bo Whoop 2 to Mr. Billy Dunavant. It was on display at the DU headquarters when I visited well before Bo Whoop surfaced.

Dave, Bo Whoop II is there.

[mobirdhunter]

I've been a sporting book collector longer than I have been a gun collector. If you haven't read Buckingham, I recommend Tattered Coat for a first read -- my favorite story.

Robert Urich (remember the TV show, Spencer for Hire) was involved in the publishing of Nash's autobiography. Back before his untimely death from cancer, he came to our university for an alumni affair. I was sick that night and could not attend, but I sent Elaine to get him to sign the book. She told me that he was very impressed that in that crowd of academics there was someone who knew about his association with the Buckingham book (much to the chagrin of some of my anti-everything-sporting colleagues). I can't help but grin every time I see his signature. It's probably something that only someone who spent 40 years among PhDs could understand, but maybe you get the picture...

[Dean Romig]

Urich and his family lived here in Andover for a few years. They came to the Boston area for the hospitals for his wife's care. Unfortunately that didn't work out so well.
Saw him a few times at restaurants but never met him - and I had no idea he was involved with the book!?!





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[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Urich and his family lived here in Andover for a few years. They came to the Boston area for the hospitals for his wife's care. Unfortunately that didn't work out so well.
Saw him a few times at restaurants but never met him - and I had no idea he was involved with the book!?!
.

Dean, many of Nash's things on loan to DU were from Robert Urich and his partners. They acquired the materials that finished out Buckingham's autobiography.

[charlie cleveland]

yes I would like to see the pictures of those 4 and 8 bores....if I ever go to Memphis I want to see bo whoop also...this man could write ....charlie

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by Garry Gordon

You are a lucky man.

My heart was beating so hard it felt like I was walking up to the wedding altar again! As I looked down those barrels I was keenly aware that Nash had seen the exact same view as he shot those "tall ones" over the cypresses. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I took it apart, measured the bores, chokes, barrel length, made notes on the checkering style, and everything else i could think of to check. I had previously spoken with Dave Noreen on the phone to get his advice on what all to look for to try to determine authenticity. At the time, there was much naysaying going on about it's authenticity. I came away totally convinced of it's authenticity, and made that statement on the AHFCA forum eventually.

I always thought there were a lot of gun fanciers who were more caught up in the gun's legend than in the gun itself. It was almost like it was heresy to claim that the gun was authentic. It seemed that many wanted the gun to remain lost, because it made for such a good story. When Austin Hogan examined it for Julia's many of the naysayers hushed up. Then, there were those who tried to claim it was "stolen" and should be returned to Nash's heirs. I emailed Julia's about that and they replied with a very lengthy rebuttal to any claims as such, which made perfect legal and ethical sense.

To those who say they would not pay a penny more for a vintage gun based upon provenance, I say fine. But, I would .........if it had been used by Mistah Nash.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

My heart was beating so hard it felt like I was walking up to the wedding altar again! As I looked down those barrels I was keenly aware that Nash had seen the exact same view as he shot those "tall ones" over the cypresses. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I took it apart, measured the bores, chokes, barrel length, made notes on the checkering style, and everything else i could think of to check. I had previously spoken with Dave Noreen on the phone to get his advice on what all to look for to try to determine authenticity. At the time, there was much naysaying going on about it's authenticity. I came away totally convinced of it's authenticity, and made that statement on the AHFCA forum eventually.

I always thought there were a lot of gun fanciers who were more caught up in the gun's legend than in the gun itself. It was almost like it was heresy to claim that the gun was authentic. It seemed that many wanted the gun to remain lost, because it made for such a good story. When Austin Hogan examined it for Julia's many of the naysayers hushed up. Then, there were those who tried to claim it was "stolen" and should be returned to Nash's heirs. I emailed Julia's about that and they replied with a very lengthy rebuttal to any claims as such, which made perfect legal and ethical sense.

To those who say they would not pay a penny more for a vintage gun based upon provenance, I say fine. But, I would .........if it had been used by Mistah Nash.

Stan, I could not agree more. There is a pretty decent account of what Julia's did to legally sell the gun in a Garden and Gun article some years back. For me, there are really two legends to the gun: one that is the story of its loss and subsequent recovery/verification, and the other is the mystic attached to the gun written about (and used) so effectively by Buckingham.

On a similar note: last September I had the chance to examine, measure and clean Fred Gilbert's L. C. Smith that he won the 1895 Du Pont Cup with. Looking down the barrels of that gun (which I knew by touch fit me perfectly) made me think that even I might be able to drop a bird in the ring.

It's special "stuff" for lovers of these relics of the past.

[mobirdhunter]

For Charlie and Milton -- I thought about you guys when I saw these monsters. The Purdey was my favorite.

I did not mention the duck decoys and original duck stamp art that I saw, did I? Spectacular!