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Joined: Dec 2018
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Dec 2018
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Perhaps of no interest to anyone other than me, but I think Dad and I may have been the only father-son duo to write monthly columns for a national outdoor magazine. Could be wrong.
He was Shooting Editor of Sports Afield for 27 years. I was Arms and Ammo editor for a half dozen of those years. We worked out of the same office and I did much of the photography for his columns. It was a fun time.
Likes lefty rifles. Guntalk in web searches.
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I enjoyed the writings of you and your father!
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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When we were growing up, JOC's work was more hunting oriented than technically oriented, while, IIRC, Warren Paige's work was significantly more technically oriented than hunting oriented. JOC was the primary shooting sports writer at Outdoor Life and WP was the primary shooting sports writer at Field & Stream. I liked JOC, while my Father, being more technically oriented, preferred WP. Neither of us were fans of John Jobson at Sports Afield, but I can't remember exactly why, maybe just because 2 magazine subscriptions was felt to be enough. John Jobson was NOT the shooting/hunting columnist at Sports Afield. Instead he was the camping columnist, back when each of the so-called Big Three outdoor magazines-- Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield--all had camping columns, along with fishing, boating, etc. This was before the so-called "vertical" magazines started appearing which specialized in certain subjects. Handloader and Rifle were a couple of examples, but for a while there was also a magazine totally devoted to crappie fishing, believe it or not. I liked John Jobson's firearms and hunting stuff a lot--and never could understand why he wasn't the "shooting" columnist at SA. The guy who was in those years, Pete Brown, had a lot of technical knowledge--much of it acquired during his military career--but his writing was flat and boring. I suspect Jobson might not have wanted to be the shooting columnist, because a lot of what SA ran back then, via Brown, was results of major competitive shotgun events. (Plus, I don't recall anything by Jobson about shotgunning or bird-hunting.) Which was part of the reason SA was a rather distant 3rd place in circulation behind F&S and OL. I spent way too much on a copy of "The Best of John Jobson." It was worth every penny.
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Joined: Sep 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
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When we were growing up, JOC's work was more hunting oriented than technically oriented, while, IIRC, Warren Paige's work was significantly more technically oriented than hunting oriented. JOC was the primary shooting sports writer at Outdoor Life and WP was the primary shooting sports writer at Field & Stream. I liked JOC, while my Father, being more technically oriented, preferred WP. Neither of us were fans of John Jobson at Sports Afield, but I can't remember exactly why, maybe just because 2 magazine subscriptions was felt to be enough. John Jobson was NOT the shooting/hunting columnist at Sports Afield. Instead he was the camping columnist, back when each of the so-called Big Three outdoor magazines-- Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield--all had camping columns, along with fishing, boating, etc. This was before the so-called "vertical" magazines started appearing which specialized in certain subjects. Handloader and Rifle were a couple of examples, but for a while there was also a magazine totally devoted to crappie fishing, believe it or not. I liked John Jobson's firearms and hunting stuff a lot--and never could understand why he wasn't the "shooting" columnist at SA. The guy who was in those years, Pete Brown, had a lot of technical knowledge--much of it acquired during his military career--but his writing was flat and boring. I suspect Jobson might not have wanted to be the shooting columnist, because a lot of what SA ran back then, via Brown, was results of major competitive shotgun events. (Plus, I don't recall anything by Jobson about shotgunning or bird-hunting.) Which was part of the reason SA was a rather distant 3rd place in circulation behind F&S and OL. I spent way too much on a copy of "The Best of John Jobson." It was worth every penny. I agree. One of the best books in my library.
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person”
-Fred Bear
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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I would love to read a collection of Gary Sitton's articles.
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person”
-Fred Bear
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Joined: May 2021
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Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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I would love to read a collection of Gary Sitton's articles. At one point in time I had decades worth of Petersen's Hunting magazines which included all of Sitton's columns under his name and his "pen name" Jacob Bowers. Sadly, I threw them all out to make room for other things. Sure wish I didn't.
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Campfire Tracker
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I went the other direction and bought all the Back Pages from someone who wanted to get rid of his stash of PH magazines. Then I traded for the missing pages with another Sitton fan. The pages make for an interesting study in the arc of the great writer. 
"Rhetoric is no substitute for reality." -Thomas Sowell
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,926
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2010
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Clay Harvey could really write. I realize he had other issues but he was a master of the written word A "master of the written word?" We're going to have to completely disagree on that. Well I'm not saying he's in Big Sticks league but he was pretty well spoken
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 67
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 67 |
Thinking about Ken's comment on "one time" writers ... When I was editor of Alaska Magazine I told the staff that we really wanted submissions from those living in 'The Bush,' because those were authentic. It required more work on the editing side, but if we could get a manuscript written in crayon on cut up paper grocery bags, that was perfect!  One time I published the article PLUS the cover letter which came with it. This was about 1985. Pretty much pre-internet. The story was from a man who worked on a tugboat in Valdez. The cover letter told as much about living on the tugs which moved the tankers as the story did. He explained: "We couldn't find a dictionary on any of the boats, so we all got together and voted on the hard words." You just gotta love that.
Likes lefty rifles. Guntalk in web searches.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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I do remember once asking Dave Scovill , when he was still editing Wolfe Publishing, about Gary and his comment was something to the effect that he personally had finally got rid of him !
Although one of Dave’s favorite evening pastimes seemed to be bragging about all the writers he had fired !
Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master Guide, Alaska Hunter Ed Instructor FAA Master pilot www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.comAnyone who claims the 30-06 is not effective has either not used one, or else is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship.
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I would love to read a collection of Gary Sitton's articles. At one point in time I had decades worth of Petersen's Hunting magazines which included all of Sitton's columns under his name and his "pen name" Jacob Bowers. Sadly, I threw them all out to make room for other things. Sure wish I didn't. Me too. I had lots of magazines that had columns I miss. I gave them all to my local gun club when I retired and moved from Kalifornia to the USA.
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Joined: Apr 2005
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,910 |
I do remember once asking Dave Scovill , when he was still editing Wolfe Publishing, about Gary and his comment was something to the effect that he personally had finally got rid of him !
Although one of Dave’s favorite evening pastimes seemed to be bragging about all the writers he had fired ! Doesn't sound like Scovill was a very nice guy
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 38,867 |
I do remember once asking Dave Scovill , when he was still editing Wolfe Publishing, about Gary and his comment was something to the effect that he personally had finally got rid of him !
Although one of Dave’s favorite evening pastimes seemed to be bragging about all the writers he had fired ! Doesn't sound like Scovill was a very nice guy Dave's writing always gave the impression that he was pretty impressed with Dave.
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I do remember once asking Dave Scovill , when he was still editing Wolfe Publishing, about Gary and his comment was something to the effect that he personally had finally got rid of him !
Although one of Dave’s favorite evening pastimes seemed to be bragging about all the writers he had fired ! Phil, thanks for telling it like it is !!!
"not too grumpy"
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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[quote=260Remguy] When we were growing up, JOC's work was more hunting oriented than technically oriented, while, IIRC, Warren Paige's work was significantly more technically oriented than hunting oriented. JOC was the primary shooting sports writer at Outdoor Life and WP was the primary shooting sports writer at Field & Stream. I liked JOC, while my Father, being more technically oriented, preferred WP. Neither of us were fans of John Jobson at Sports Afield, but I can't remember exactly why, maybe just because 2 magazine subscriptions was felt to be enough. John Jobson was NOT the shooting/hunting columnist at Sports Afield. Instead he was the camping columnist, back when each of the so-called Big Three outdoor magazines-- Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield--all had camping columns, along with fishing, boating, etc. I spent way too much on a copy of "The Best of John Jobson." It was worth every penny. I was a big fan of Jobson's monthly camping articles back in the late 1960's-early 70's when I was a kid, especially an article about the Whelen lean-to tent. I couldn't afford one, but did improvise one by rigging up a tarp and building a fire in front of it to warm it during my fall/ winter camping "adventures". That was real camping to me back then.
"No good deed shall go unpunished!"
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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I do remember once asking Dave Scovill , when he was still editing Wolfe Publishing, about Gary and his comment was something to the effect that he personally had finally got rid of him !
Although one of Dave’s favorite evening pastimes seemed to be bragging about all the writers he had fired ! Interesting story! Although Gary Sitton might have been a great writer, perhaps he was not easy to work with for an editor. Or perhaps Dave wasn't so easy to work with either. For those of us on the outside of the business, we can only guess.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Posts: 60,119 |
I did a little Googling and found this collection of comments about Gary from various people who knew him:
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Gary+Sitton%3A+1944-2005.-a0141170872
I found the comment on his being a magazine editor interesting, because he was the editor of Petersen's Hunting when I sold my first article to the magazine in 1977.
Like EdM, I have some copies of the relatively short-lived Wolfe publication Hunting Horizons, because it appeared shortly after I started writing for Wolfe in the early 1990s. (My article about canoe-hunting the Missouri Breaks for mule deer appeared in the first issue.) According to the masthead listings, Gary served as the "managing" editor for at least one edition--which in the business is generally the role of whoever actually deals with the day-to-day assigning of specific articles, along with deadlines. The head editor is usually the person in charge of the overall "flavor" of the magazine.
Don't know why the link posted doesn't work just by clicking on it--but it does if you copy and paste it.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck
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Campfire Tracker
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Thanks for supplying those comments John. Although I never met Gary Sitton, the comments don't surprise me based on reading a bunch of his articles. Sounds like he was a bit of a character, which is not uncommon for gifted people.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,119 |
[quote=260Remguy] When we were growing up, JOC's work was more hunting oriented than technically oriented, while, IIRC, Warren Paige's work was significantly more technically oriented than hunting oriented. JOC was the primary shooting sports writer at Outdoor Life and WP was the primary shooting sports writer at Field & Stream. I liked JOC, while my Father, being more technically oriented, preferred WP. Neither of us were fans of John Jobson at Sports Afield, but I can't remember exactly why, maybe just because 2 magazine subscriptions was felt to be enough. John Jobson was NOT the shooting/hunting columnist at Sports Afield. Instead he was the camping columnist, back when each of the so-called Big Three outdoor magazines-- Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield--all had camping columns, along with fishing, boating, etc. I spent way too much on a copy of "The Best of John Jobson." It was worth every penny. I was a big fan of Jobson's monthly camping articles back in the late 1960's-early 70's when I was a kid, especially an article about the Whelen lean-to tent. I couldn't afford one, but did improvise one by rigging up a tarp and building a fire in front of it to warm it during my fall/ winter camping "adventures". That was real camping to me back then. I did basically the same thing--especially after synthetic 2-sided tarps with a "silver" reflecting side appeared. It was pretty comfortable! Plus, the tarps are very light, which is why I always have one even in hunting daypack, just in case I have to spend a night in the local mountains....
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,709
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,709 |
I did a little Googling and found this collection of comments about Gary from various people who knew him:
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Gary+Sitton%3A+1944-2005.-a0141170872
I found the comment on his being a magazine editor interesting, because he was the editor of Petersen's Hunting when I sold my first article to the magazine in 1977.
Like EdM, I have some copies of the relatively short-lived Wolfe publication Hunting Horizons, because it appeared shortly after I started writing for Wolfe in the early 1990s. (My article about canoe-hunting the Missouri Breaks for mule deer appeared in the first issue.) According to the masthead listings, Gary served as the "managing" editor for at least one edition--which in the business is generally the role of whoever actually deals with the day-to-day assigning of specific articles, along with deadlines. The head editor is usually the person in charge of the overall "flavor" of the magazine.
Don't know why the link posted doesn't work just by clicking on it--but it does if you copy and paste it. I recall your piece on lightweight rifles (Gentry 280 IIRC) that kind of sent me down that road.
Conduct is the best proof of character.
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