Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Good article on Townsend Whelen

https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/t...es-of-townsend-whelen/?mc_cid=e80d24e8a4

Might be the best I ever read by Wayne van Zwoll. Of course, a subject like Whelen probably helps a bit…..

Enjoyed reading that. You're right about how well written it is. Wayne outdid himself with that one.

And, a great tribute to the Col. Thanks for posting the link.

DF

Great article.

Thanks for posting, great article

Enjoyed that. Thank you.

Thanks, Pappy. I needed that. Whelen's was a life well lived, and van Zwoll outlined it nicely. Would that ethics and aesthetics within the general population today mimicked Whelen's, huh?!

A great read at two in the morning, thanks!

Great reading. I really enjoyed that. WVZ is a helluva writer and glad he took the time to do it.

From an historical, cultural and educational point of view, it may be "enlightening" to realize that "up here in Canada" the .35 Whelen is still a relatively unknown entity among hunters, and in places unknown even in relatively successful "gun" shops. A couple of years ago when I returned a cheap Vortex scope to the shop where purchased for a replacement, the shop manager asked what rifle was it going on. When I told him on a .35 Whelen for a bear hunt, he asked: "What's a .35 Whelen?" And that was not in a back country store.

I'm not sure when and where I learned of it myself, but as soon as I did I wanted one. And today, it's still one of my all-time favorites. But the article by Wayne von Zwoll on Col. Whelen certainly added flavor to that appreciation.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Don't have time to finish this but it is excellent so far. Thanks.

Very good read. 👍

Good read. Thank you for posting, Pappy.

Good stuff, I did this too.
After reading about Townie's Northern BC exploits, I made a 1 month long solo sheep hunt in the early 80's
Much of the Alaska highway was unpaved, Ft Nelson was pretty rough then .
Stone Sheep were plentiful once a hunter was a days distance from Alaska Highway.
I returned later on with other hunter and worked for an Outfitter one season.
Yeah, a horseman needs to know knots and rigging.
A one man diamond hitch, a box hitch, a bowline, are the minimum to get by. We use Sawbuck packsaddles, even today
Some horseshoeing ability is a must, the fronts on the pack horses can be a #4. Draft cross types.
I still wear wool, it is essential...topped with a felt hat.
Don't forget the 30/06.

Always enjoyed Wayne's articles. He outdid himself here.

Wayne writes extremely well. Guessing he has an engineering degree.

Actually, I am pretty sure he has a Ph.d in natural resources from Utah State University. He is one of my favorite writers. I only wish I saw his work more often. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by him.

From an article interviewing Wayne:

“My doctorate in Forestry (or Wildlife Policy) focused on post-War changes in hunting motive and method, and their effects on wildlife management — a study that dovetails into my keen interest in history, and my writing focus on big game hunting, rifles and ballistics.”

Wow.

Not surprised.

DF

An excellent read.

I don't know if Townie hunted in Africa. I have not, and it doesn't call me.
Seeing the north, Alaska, the Yukon and my home- British Columbia is more interesting to me
This is the last of the wildness a hunter can experience on this continent.
Sheep Hunter, I mean.
Of course I am no gunwriter, gun, bullet or powder maker etc to need to air out all the new offerings. Shooting is a lock on a n African trip.
Folks, treat yourself to at least see our North Country....just bring along a little bug repellant.
Maybe, a mosquito net and your best Digital SLR camera. The landscape can be awe inspiring.

yes that was a great read that has been posted , i own the large book written about Townsend Whelen and yes he was a great man in his day. thanks posting ,Pete53

Enjoyed the post to the max pappy thank you.mb

Tongue in cheek, from an engineer.

He does. Unfortunately, the Natural Resources library at Utah State is missing many of the pages of his dissertation. Or at least it did 20yrs ago when I read through it there. He did some of his research regarding management and rifle selection on Deseret Land and Livestock ranch. I was fortunate to do my field research there as well. Pretty neat place.

Interesting that pages are missing and says something about the subject. The joke among my fellow graduate students back in the day was that you could go to the library, put a 20 dollar bill in your dissertation, and go back 20 years later and it would still be there. 😃

I'd imagine that for most graduate studies that is very true!! I doubt anyone's cracked mine open, ever.

I was fortunate to meet Wayne at the deseret land and cattle co. I was there on a management bull elk hunt, Wayne was doing an article on favorite elk rifles, I remember reading the article, in one of the major pubs, some months later.
Wayne is a very nice gentlemen, what I would describe him as a man who never met a stranger and a wealth of information. I could have spent hours with him just soaking up gun savy. He was extremely well liked by everybody at deseret. He is strong proponent of fair chase principles , a true sportsman.

A lot of that data on rifle cartridges for elk, that he gathered at DL&L is in his dissertation. IIRC, he included a whole bunch of it in a write up on Bugle. He's posted here a few times, but I doubt he even reads here any more.

I've read Wayne's "Mastering Mule Deer" book he wrote for the North American Hunting Club I purchased for $2 used at a 2nd hand store. A thorough, well written text. His article on Whelen was artfully written. Without mentioning Petrov directly, he covered the issue of 400 Whelen headspace issues and incorrectly made sizing dies in a sentence or two. He is certainly well informed. A very enjoyable read, indeed.
Mark & Belle