Bert John Popowski was born in Grafton, North Dakota on February 15, 1904. He lived in Grafton throughout his elementary and high school years. He attended South Dakota State College in Brookings, South Dakota and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in printing in 1926. He married Harriet Seymour of Aberdeen, SD in 1930. They had two sons, John Seymour and Jerome Bert. / Throughout his career, Bert lived in various areas of the United States and held several different jobs, ranging from a high school principal to associate editor for Look Magazine. From 1951 to his death in 1982, he worked as a freelance writer, author, and contributing editor for several publications. / During a career that spanned half a century, Bert wrote over 2,300 articles. His first feature story appeared in Outdoor Life in 1931. He served as contributing editor for The American Rifleman writing a column titled "Dope Bag." He also wrote columns for several other magazines, including "Hunting" for The Outdoorsman, "Guns and Ammunition" for Hunting & Fishing, and "The Shot Tower" for Guns and Hunting. He wrote several major books and gained national prominence with his classic Hunting Pronghorn Antelope. Some of his works were translated into Spanish and Japanese. He was also an award-winning photographer, and his photographs illustrated many of his articles and books. / In his earlier years, he was best known as an expert varmint hunter. Several of his books did much to popularize this form of hunting. In 1932, he built a log cabin near the Narrows on French Creek in Custer State Park. There he weathered the Great Depression and did most of his writing. In 1949 he won the National Crow Shooting Championship, using calls of his own design to take first place over 51 other contestants. Bert was always interested in natural history and wildlife management as well as hunting. / In 1979, he donated a collection of his books, original manuscripts, and photographs to his Alma mater, South Dakota State University. At the convention of the Outdoor Writers Association of America in Rapid City, the State of South Dakota presented him with a special award as the Dean of South Dakota Outdoor Writers. In the 1980's, Bert contracted cancer and eventually suffered a stroke, which hospitalized him. He died on February 14, 1982.
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This collection is composed of articles, manuscripts, and materials related to Popowski's career as author and hunter. Included are photographs, illustrations, and many articles. Bulk of collection is copies of articles authored by Popowski on the subject of hunting and wildlife.
The general materials are composed of correspondence from 1942-1956.
The illustrations consist of several loose-leaf illustrations of crows drawn by Gordon Elliott for Popowski's book titled Crow Shooting and include 29 ink drawings. Also included are two folders of photograph proofs (37 pages) for Popowski's book titled Hunting Pronghorn Antelope, 1 mat board drawing of a fireplace in what is suspected to be Popowski's cabin and drawn by C. Greenidge and one phonograph record titled Crow Calling.
The Japanese magazine Modern Hunting is composed of article submitted by Popowski.
The manuscripts are accompanied by correspondence sent to publishers and an information card, which notes to which publications Popowski sent his manuscripts, whether or not they were published and the amount he was paid for these manuscripts.
The phonograph records is composed of a recording of Popowski demonstrating crow calls. The photographs consist of several black and white photographs, mostly of wildlife and hunting, and a few negatives. Some items of note are 22 matted and signed black and white photographs that Popowski entered into a photography contest at the Iowa State Fair. He won first prize for these photographs.
The research material is the largest series is Popowski's collection of articles he had published in various hunting and wildlife publications. These articles cover a wide range of subjects from big game, crow and varmint hunting to safety and conservation issues. Included also is an autographed copy of The Outdoorsman (June 1947) in which Popowski wrote an article titled "Off-Season" Duck Hunting.
The Bert Popowski Papers are arranged into eight series:
* Series 1. General material
* Series 2. Research material
* Series 3. Manuscripts
* Series 4. Published articles
* Series 5: Japanese Magazine: Modern Hunting
* Series 6. Photographs
* Series 7. Illustrations
* Series 8. Phonograph record
Folders are arranged alphabetically within each series.
- Calling All Game, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co., 1952. Call number: SD Collection: SK33.P6ca
- Calling All Varmints, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co., 1952. Call number: SD Collection: SK33.P6c
- Crow Shooting, New York: A.S. Barnes and Company, 1946. Call number: SD Collection: SK325.C7 P6
- Hunting Pronghorn Antelope, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co., 1959. Call number: SD Collection: SK305.A6 P6h
- Hunting Small Game, New York: Macmillian Co., 1948. Call number: SD Collection: SK36.P63
- Manual dil Cazador de Alimanas y Grajos (The varmint and crow hunter's bible. Spanish), Barcelona: Editorial Sintes, 1964, c 1962. Call number: SD Collection: SK33.P58718
- Olt's Hunting Handbook, Omaha? c1948. Call number: SD Collection: SK313.P6
- South Dakota Brags, Custer, S.D.: The Author, 1953. Call number: SD Collection: F651.5.P6
- The Hunter's Book of the Pronghorn Antelope, Tulsa, Okla., Winchester Press, c1982. Call number: SD Collection: SK305.P76 P66 1982
- The Redbook of Big Game Hunting, Skokie, Ill., Publishers Development Corp., 1961. Call number: SD Collection: SK33.P588
- The Varmint and Crow Hunter's Bible, Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday, 1962. Call number: SD Collection: SK33.P587
- Varmint Hunting, Paterson, N. J., Athletic Activities Pub. Co., 1971. Call number: SD Collection: SK336.P66
Open. Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only. Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
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Guns Quarterly, Volume 5, undated
Page 20-22, 72-73
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Outdoor Life, April 1947
Pages 35-37, 112
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Guns, July 1961
Pages 20-21, 41-42
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Guns, October 1961
Pages 28-29, 57-61
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Guns January 1962
Page 28-29, 47-50
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Hunting & Fishing, December 1951
Page 34-36
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Guns and Hunting, March 1963
Page 69-71
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The American RIfleman, April 1960
Page 39--42
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The Outdoorsman, May 1950
Page 60-64
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Guns and Hunting, July 1962
Page 56-59
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Hunting & Fishing, October 1951
Page 37-40
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The American Rifleman, April 1942
Page 11-13
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Hunting and Fishing, April 1954
Page 25, 49-50
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The Outdoorsman, April 1950
Page 60-63
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Field & Stream, September 1950
Page 47-49, 117
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Guns, December 1961
Page 26-27, 54-55, 57
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Hunting & Fishing, June 1951
Page 62-64
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Guns and Hunting, January 1961
Page 38-41
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Unknown publication, June 1938
Page 24-25
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The Scholastic Editor, February 1935
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Outdoors, June 1945
Page 30-31
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Guns and Hunting, May 1960
Pge 38-43
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Fur - Fish - Game, August 1955
Page 14, 26-28
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Guns and Hunting, November 1959
Page 65-69
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American Woodsman, August 1951
Page 4-7, 24, 44-45
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Hunting & Fishing, May 1948
Page 51-53
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Guns and Hunting, July 1962
Page 52-55, 70-71
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Outdoors, July 1948
Page 20, 47-49
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The American Rifleman October 1962
Page 57-59
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Guns and Hunting, July 1960
Page 68-71, 95
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Sports Afield, July 1942
Page 14-15, 46-47
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Harding's Magazine, November 1955
Page 7-9, 45-46
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South Dakota, March 1952
Page 2-3, 6
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Unknown publication, September 1961
Page 26-27, 64-65
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Fur - Fish - Game, March 1958
Page 18-19, 49-50
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American Trapline Journal, undated
Page 6-8
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American Woodsman, March 1953
Page 4-7, 38-39
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Fur - Fish - Game, April 1959
Page 18-19, 44-46
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Outdoors, May 1944
Page B-4-B-5, B-13-B-14
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Outdoor Life, February 1943
Page 20-21, 64
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Sports Afield, August 1943
Page 28-30, 42
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Game Breeder & Sportsman, September 1944
Page 93-95, 97
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Outdoors, July 1945
Page 12-13, 36-39
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Field & Stream Magazine, February 1951
Page 26-27, 113, 121-124
Donated to the Archives by John R. Phillips, Jr.
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Outdoors, June 1946
Page 19-21, 70-74
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Outdoors, October 1947
Page 20-21, 38-40
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Hunting & Fishing, May 1941
Page 12-13
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Field & Stream, August 1942
Page 30-31, 56-58
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Unknown publication, undated
Page 34-35
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Sports Afield, July 1953
Page 52-53
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Outdoors, February 1943
Page 16-17, 50
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Hunting and Fishing, September 1948
Page 43-44
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Hunting & Fishing, August 1947
Page 20-21
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Sports Afield, July 1940
Page 16-17, 54, 68
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Field & Stream, April 1950
Page 64-65, 142-144
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Outdoor Life, April 1947
Page 35-37
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The American RIfleman, October 1945
Page 14-16
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Sports Afield, March 1938
Page 32-34, 86
Outdoors, October 1944
Page B-6 - B-7, B-14
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Sports Afield, March 1938
Page 32-33, 86
South Dakota Conservation Digest, January 1942
Page 8, 11
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Outdoors, April 1947
Page 12--13, 64-67
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Outdoor Life, February 1942
Page 32-33, 81
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The American Rifleman, undated
Page 29-30, 24
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Hunting & Fishing, July 1950
Page 20-22
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Field & Stream, January 1948
Page 30--31, 91
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Sports Afield, December 1944
Page 38-39, 92-93
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Outdoors, July 1943
Page 14-15, 39
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The American Rifleman, January 1939
Page 5-7
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Field & Stream, August 1942
Page 30-31, 56-57
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Fur - Fish - Game, July 1959
Page 12-13, 26-27
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Hunting & Fishing, May 1941
Page 12-13
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Outdoors, October 1947
Page 20-21, 38-40, 45
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Outdoors, October 1947
Page 19-21, 70-73
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Outdoors, July 1945
Page 12-13, 36-39
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The Outdoorsman, March 1950
Page 56-58
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Guns, February 1963
Page 30-31, 42
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South Dakota Conservation Digest, undated
Page 1, 4-5
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The American Rifleman, July 1958
Page 23-24
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Game Breeder & Sportsman, September 1944
Page 93, 96-97
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Sports Afield, June 1939
Page 32-33, 88
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Guns, December 1959
Page 24-25, 56-60
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Harding's Magazine, September 1954
Page 7-9, 27
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Unknown publication, October 1938
Page 8, 28
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Outdoors, March 1943
Page 12-13, 50
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Outdoor Life, December 1941
Page 24-25, 67
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Guns & Ammo, April 1961
Page 52-55, 77
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Funs and Hunting, January 1960
Page 27-31, 83
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The Open Road/Pioneer's Club, February 1948
Page 30-31
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Harding's Magazine, February 1959
Page 14-15, 38-40
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Guns and Hunting, March 1962
Page 38-40, 84-85
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Unknown publication, October 1937
Page 35, 101
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Outdoor Life, November 1941,
Page 20-21, 66
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Sports Afield, September 1947
Page 26-27, 83-85
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Outdoor Life, January 1950
Page 18-19, 60-61
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Harding's Magazine, November 1956
Page 12-13, 22-23
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Sports Afield, January 1943
Page 26-27, 47-48
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Outdoor Life, March 1948
Page 46-47, 115-116
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The American Rifleman, March 1959
Page 39-40
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Harding's Magazine, February 1958
Page 12-13, 39-40
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Farm Journal, February 1948
Page 81-84
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Harding's Magazine, December 1958
Page 18-19, 26-28
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Outdoor Life, March 1942
Page 28-29, 78
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Harding's Magazine, FEbruary 1960
Page 14-15, 40-41
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Outdoors, September 1943
Page B-6 - B-7, B-12 - B-13
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Sports Afield, September 1942
Page 22-23, 40-41
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Sports Afield, September 1943
Page 22-23, 75
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Outdoor Life, undated
Page 21, 66-67
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Outdoor Life, February 1941
Page 44-45, 85-86
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Sports Afield, November 1940
Page 24-26, 72-73
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Outdoors, July 1944
Page B-4 - B-6
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Guns and Hunting Juy 1961
Page 12-15, 74-75
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National Sportsman, July 1941
Page 10-11, 29
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The American Rifleman, July 1945
Page 6--7, 13
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Unknown Publication, March 1939
Page 28-29, 48
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Field & Stream, July 1946
Page 18-19, 95-96
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The Outdoorsman, October 1947
Page 16-17, 28-29
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Field & Stream, November 1948
Page 25-26, 112-114
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Guns, September 1962
Page 26-27, 56-58
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Sports Afield, February 1945
Page 28-29, 91-93
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Sports Afield, June 1944
Page 40-41, 88-89
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Sprots Afield, October 1941
Page 11-13, 46-47
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Olt's Famous Line of Game Bird Callers, March 1946
Page 2-6
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Field & Stream, February 1948
Page 42-43, 117
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Field & Stream, September 1944
Page 22-23, 71-72
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Outdoors, October 1949
Page 8-9, 25-27
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Outdoorsman, June 1947
Page 23, 77-79
Magazine signed by Popowski
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Sports Afield, January 1940
Page 14-15, 38-39
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Harding's Magazine, November 1957
Page 14-15, 24-26
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Field & Stream, July 1948
Page 44-45, 118-122
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Unknown publication, undated
Page 8-9, 88--92
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Sports Afield, November 1942
Page 20-21, 48-49
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Field & Stream, November 1946
Page 28-29, 98-99
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Outdoors, December 1947
Page 12-13, 28-29
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Harding's Magazine, October 1955
Page 12-13, 27-29
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Outdoors, Ddecember 1943
Page B-10 - B-11, B-14 - B-15
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Outdoor Sportsman, November 1949
Page 12-13, 19
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Outdoors, December 1948
Page 11-13, 29-31
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Sports Afiels Hunting Annual,1943-1944
Page 30-31, 73-74
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The American RIfleman, January 1963
Page 34-35
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Field & Stream, December 1950
Page 48-49, 101-102
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Guns, February 1961
Page 14-15, 39-40
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Field & Stream, February 1043
Page 10-11, 53
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Field & Stream, January 1946
Page 38-39, 80-81
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Sports Afield, November 1943
Page 20-21, 73-74
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Field & Stream, February 1945
Page 10-11, 66-69
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The Westerner, August 1944
Page 14, 52-53
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Field & Stream, September 1945
Page 29, 75-77
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Award-winning photographs of Bert Popowski.