Legendary Deer Hunters & Remington Rifles

What a fascinating look back at modern deer hunting’s early days in the photograph shared recently by our friends at Hunter Nation.

We don’t know the origin of this image or deer camp, but it’s a safe bet that it’s from Wisconsin, Michigan or possibly Minnesota. Our best guess is the happy gang filled this buck pole in the mid to late 1940s, possibly early 1950s. We’re saying late 1940s.

The eight smiling hunters used some classic guns to take down their bucks.

Firearms expert Corey Graff, editor for Gun Digest, offered these insights:

“Bookending the photo (and fourth from the left) are three Remington Model 81 Woodmaster semi-auto rifles, which Remington chambered in .35 Remington, the sole survivor of Big Green’s medium-power rimless cartridges. Others clutch a smattering of Winchester lever actions and a double-barrel shotgun of unknown make.”

It can only be assumed that the hunter with the shotgun (second from right) was using buckshot.

Eight happy hunters with eight bucks. We believe this photo was taken in the North Woods sometime in the late 1940s. (photo courtesy of Hunter Nation)

Some interesting notes about those Remington semi-autos:

In 1936, Remington dropped the Model 8 and introduced the Model 81 Woodsmaster with improvements by C.C. Loomis. The Model 81 was originally offered in .300 Savage, and the .25 Rem. chambering was dropped after a limited number of 81 were chambered in that round. It was additionally offered in Standard (81A), Special (81B), Peerless (81D), Expert (81E) and Premier (81F) grades. The Federal Bureau of Investigation acquired some Model 81 rifles chambered for .30 Remington and .35 Remington in response to the 1933 Kansas City Massacre. Production of the Model 81 ceased in 1950.