Bowhunter Magazine was born in early 1971 when my partners and I signed incorporation papers for Blue-J, Inc., Publishers. Here I’m inking the document as Don Clark and Bob Schisler look on.

The first issue of Bowhunter was printed in August 1971. That first press run was 15,000 copies.

Here I’m signing the paperwork marking the 1988 sale of Bowhunter as my partners look on. Standing, from left, are Steve Doucette, Fred Wallace, Bob Schisler, and Don Clark. I continued my editorial direction of the magazine until retiring at the end of 2006.

Bowhunter Publisher Jeff Waring (left) hosted a surprise retirement party for me at the 2006 Pope and Young Club convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That’s my successor, Editor Dwight Schuh, to my left with magazine advertising sales manager Jeff Millar.