# Anyone remember Herter's?



## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

For those not familiar with the company, they were the premier hunting/fishing/outdoor enthusiast supplier before Cabelas, Bass Pro Shop, etc.As a kid in HS, I used to pour over my annual copy of their catalogue, like younger kids who devoured the Sears Toy catalogue. I found several on e-bay and put in a bid and got a 73/74 edition for fairly cheap...even though it's a later copy of the ones I used to read. Still very similar. As a kid, I used to order fishing tackle and assemble / paint my own lures. I was looking through my copy last night and what a pleasure to recall such fond memories as a kid, of trapping, fishing, etc. I sure wish I could purchase some of the items today with those same prices from way back then...Recurve bows for just @ $40!!! You could buy a dozen Conibear traps for @ $15.00. Beautiful cherry stock blanks for rifles for $8.75. Reloaders for only $32.00.Another thing that Herter's CAtalogue did that you don't see today, when you looked at say the decoy selections, they gave an entire 3 page explanation about how to more effectively set out your decoys...very instructional.This catlogue is over 700 pages and I know this winter, I'll be sitting in my easy chair next to the fire rekindling memories!


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## lostspring (Jun 29, 2007)

Loved that catalog. 40 yrs ago I bought a matched spinning rod and casting rod used the heck out of them. Still have the ambassador 5000 reel I bought with them. The rods got broken in my last move.


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

Fond memories.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I also have fond memorys of Hearters and their catalogs. I still have a few of the lures I bought as blanks to paint and attach hooks. I also bought rod blanks to build my own rods and a few I sold. I still have two of them, a casting rod and a light spinning rod.
A cousin a 12 ga. reloading press/machine that his son still uses today from about 1968.
I used to drool over the shot guns and rifles. If I remember right they sold a swedish rifle built by the same company today that sells a very good chain saw, Huskarvana. 

 Al


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

My dad started getting the catalog in the 60s and I had them memorized after reading them a few months. We made some fishing tackle and ordered various parts from them. I loved the way they bragged about their stuff so much. Later I found out their Herter's J9 and U9 rifles were just Husqvarnas, some of their special bullet designs were Brenneke bullets, etc. But they bragged like they had invented them in the Herter's research facilities and made them at the Herter's factory. With Herter's steel of course. 

I always wanted to read some of George Leonard Herter's books. Interesting titles.

We started getting Cabelas catalogs around the same time and it was interesting that after a while, every year the Cabelas catalog would get thicker and the Herters catalog would get thinner until there was no more Herters.


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## Plow Boy (Jan 1, 2004)

I'm 61 and still have the leg hold traps I bought from Herders before I was in my teens. Herders at Hudson Bay. How I wish they were still selling.

Bill


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Yes. In the 60's-70's I bought several things from them. Nice laminated recurve hunting bow,, predator calls,, traps,, even an handcarved coffee table imported from India(IIRC). We still have the table, probably the traps and calls. I think they even sold some garden seed that I tried a few times. Always 100% satisfied with them. Not sure what happened to the company.


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## TnTnTn (Dec 23, 2004)

Oh yeah-those were the days. I have a couple of catalogs from the late 60s or early 70s. I still have a 'Model Perfect' riflescope on my first deer rifle and it still functions fine. Also have some reloading dies and press that are serviceable as ever. Their prices were great-even for the day. I enjoyed their description of their model perfect products and tales of use by the Herter brothers. They marketed a lot of different, innovative, and gadget type products but I was never disappointed in their quality or utility. I guess the family-owned business just sort of passed away with the owners. The 'Herters' name and trademark has been revamped but it is not the same as the old Herters line-which was the mailorder Bass Pro of the day. TTT


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Have any of you ever read any of George Herters books? Interesting character. VERY opinionated. He published a small guide for outdoor guides, and a cookbook.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

tinknal said:


> Have any of you ever read any of George Herters books? Interesting character. VERY opinionated. He published a small guide for outdoor guides, and a cookbook.


I never read them but I remembered some of the titles. He sounds interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Leonard_Herter


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Ed Norman said:


> I never read them but I remembered some of the titles. He sounds interesting.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Leonard_Herter


I remember his recipe for a peanut butter sandwich. He claimed that most people did it wrong and his recipe was the only proper way to prepare one.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

A Cookbook? He wrote several, I got at least 4 of them. Also got his Guides Manual, Reloading book and How to live with a *****. Good stuff, hilarious stuff. My kind of humor.


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## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

tinknal said:


> I remember his recipe for a peanut butter sandwich. He claimed that most people did it wrong and his recipe was the only proper way to prepare one.


 Was it like my little grandsons.He told granny,:grumble:"no,I want the peanut butter on the bottom piece of bread."She finished putting jelly on the top piece,put them together ,turned them over and said,like this?He said yep,thats right.Thanks Granny.ound:


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## Wis Bang 2 (Jan 12, 2010)

I kept a portion of my Pappy's fishing gear. I sold alot of it off. There is a bunch of big red eye spoons we used to use in Canada in the 60's. He used to up-size the hooks and solder the split rings shut...made is own steel leaders w/ stuff from the catalog.

He bought almost everything from Herter's. I have the rod building stuff & I'm thinking of getting stuff from Mud Hole and trying to build some.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

Yep, I remember and still have one of the catalogs. I ordered from the catalogs an in the early seventies I made a trip to Waseca and bought a lot of stuff, loading press, dies, and supplies and a lot of other goodies, I still have and use most of it.

Herters offered 3 grades (good, better, best) of almost everything they sold and the best grade was as good as any name brand.

I think judgments from patent infringement lawsuits finally brought about the demise of the company. Herter's offered almost exact copies of many things traps, guns, all manner of sporting goods. If a new product hit the market Herter's was not far behind with a near duplicate.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

I worked at Herter's when I was in college. I was hired on by the store manager to be the resident handloading expert. At that time Herter's was owned by Dick Larsen. All the stuff from the retail stores in MN ended up in the Eau Claire, WI store in the early 80's when the MN stores (there were three I think) closed.

I did get to meet old George Leonard Herter in 1981 or '82 though, when he came by the Eau Claire store for a visit.


Tim


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