“A Hunting We Will Go” is the name of booklets put together by Barbara Horton Jones and Evelyn Wolfe Hornburg telling of the history and adventures of the local Victory hunting parties from year to year.
On opening day, they would gather their camping equipment and guns and head to the southern tier around Cohocton. Many met at the Redwood Restaurant in Naples for breakfast before hunting. Barbara Jones usually went early and set up camp, including a tent, and started cooking food for the hunters for later in the day. Many times they had a big birthday cake as the first day of hunting season was usually the time of birthdays for Evelyn Hornburg and Gordon Prudom. Leta Finck Jones would drive a car to pick up hunters at the end of the day.
I had a chat with James Elmer a few weeks ago, and he remembers hunting with the group in the '60s and '70s before the group broke up around 1978-79 due to the deaths of so many of the older men. James still hunts and has some trophy caribou and deer heads mounted that he bagged on a hunting trip to Quebec in September 2002. Some of the “charter members” of the group who hunted in the late '40s and early '50s were Morris Jones, Charles Horton, Clyde Burghdorf, Richard Coleman, Howard Hiserodt, Harold Horton, Wayne Coleman, Gerald Horton, Norris Jones, Claude Coleman and Eddie Raiti. Other men and women who hunted over the years with the group were Mitt Coppernoll, Gordon Prudom, Willis Prudom, Harvey VanWie, George Hurd, Norris and Evelyn Hornburg, Jerry Francisco, George Cooper, Dr. Richard Scranton, Frank Raiti, Gary Raiti, Bob Stevens Sr., Bob Stevens Jr., Bob Kreiger, Randy Coleman, Ronald Coleman, Roger Coleman, Paul Keysor, Harry Murphy, Mike Murphy and Sylvester House. When hunting season was over, the group had family and fellowship time with a meal of venison in Eddie Raiti's basement, in the grange hall and sometimes even in the woods.
Other Victory hunters, the Richardson's, Willard and his sons Merle and George hunted near Beaver River in the Stillwater section of the Adirondacks.
One year, they got deer and even a 400-pound black bear (348 pounds after dressing). Willard, a crack shot, downed the bear with a long-barrel 30-40 Krag rifle. The Richardsons were also well known for their trapping ability, taking 50 mink a year. Dale Quimby also got an 8-point buck in the Adirondacks near Stillwater once with other members of his party - James Bacon, Herbert Bacon, Harold Creller and Kenneth Quimby.
Men who hunted near Bradford and Wellsboro, Pa. were Cleaver Dodge, Larry Dodge, Ellis Hall, Donald Mack, Claude Bingham and Leon Bingham, where they joined others from Cato and Ira at the Hardscrabble Hunting Club.
These hunters used the meat for food, cured hides, and mounted trophy head and antlers.
I hope all the area hunters have a safe and happy season.
Beverly Sayles grew up in the town of Victory and writes about its history
I had a chat with James Elmer a few weeks ago, and he remembers hunting with the group in the '60s and '70s before the group broke up around 1978-79 due to the deaths of so many of the older men. James still hunts and has some trophy caribou and deer heads mounted that he bagged on a hunting trip to Quebec in September 2002. Some of the “charter members” of the group who hunted in the late '40s and early '50s were Morris Jones, Charles Horton, Clyde Burghdorf, Richard Coleman, Howard Hiserodt, Harold Horton, Wayne Coleman, Gerald Horton, Norris Jones, Claude Coleman and Eddie Raiti. Other men and women who hunted over the years with the group were Mitt Coppernoll, Gordon Prudom, Willis Prudom, Harvey VanWie, George Hurd, Norris and Evelyn Hornburg, Jerry Francisco, George Cooper, Dr. Richard Scranton, Frank Raiti, Gary Raiti, Bob Stevens Sr., Bob Stevens Jr., Bob Kreiger, Randy Coleman, Ronald Coleman, Roger Coleman, Paul Keysor, Harry Murphy, Mike Murphy and Sylvester House. When hunting season was over, the group had family and fellowship time with a meal of venison in Eddie Raiti's basement, in the grange hall and sometimes even in the woods.
Other Victory hunters, the Richardson's, Willard and his sons Merle and George hunted near Beaver River in the Stillwater section of the Adirondacks.
One year, they got deer and even a 400-pound black bear (348 pounds after dressing). Willard, a crack shot, downed the bear with a long-barrel 30-40 Krag rifle. The Richardsons were also well known for their trapping ability, taking 50 mink a year. Dale Quimby also got an 8-point buck in the Adirondacks near Stillwater once with other members of his party - James Bacon, Herbert Bacon, Harold Creller and Kenneth Quimby.
Men who hunted near Bradford and Wellsboro, Pa. were Cleaver Dodge, Larry Dodge, Ellis Hall, Donald Mack, Claude Bingham and Leon Bingham, where they joined others from Cato and Ira at the Hardscrabble Hunting Club.
These hunters used the meat for food, cured hides, and mounted trophy head and antlers.
I hope all the area hunters have a safe and happy season.
Beverly Sayles grew up in the town of Victory and writes about its history