Jerry Pierce Choctaw Recurve

[Jeff Strubberg]

Was privileged enough to pay my restects to Jerry.  Wish I could have hunted with theman.  Only time we crossed paths was at the banquets.  Jerry spent all his time trying to fade into the wallpaper.

Got caught flat-footed the first time I met Jerry.  He shook my hand.  Well, he shook my hand, my wrist and about a quarter of my forearm!  I'm not a small guy, but Jerry Pierce had the biggest, strongest hands of any gent I have ever met.

Hawkeye;

I remember putting a few arrows through that bow.  'Bout the best backyard shooting I have ever done.  The Choctaw is a special bow.  Don't see how it could be anything but, coming from such a special guy.

[Hawkeye]

Jeff,
You're right.  Probably the biggest hand I ever shook, too.  Mighty talented though, and prone to acts of kindness.

Tom,

Couldn't agree more with that thought.  I really just meant that although I had a lot of great stories and memories of Jerry, I didn't think I was the only one who did!  He was a really special guy to an awful lot of people.

Never had the experience of "squirrel calling" Jerry, but you remind me of his explantation of a photo I was looking at of him with a limit of bushytails.  It went like a well-oiled comedy routine....

Me- WOW!  You killed a whole LIMIT of squirrels with your BOW??"

JP- "Yep... got these five...(pause)... but it took six shots..."

Me- "FIVE squirrels, with just SIX shots????"

JP- "Yep...(pause)... Had to shoot one of 'em twice!" (Smile!)

[Liquid Amber]

I was in South Carolina hunting hogs with Jerry two weeks prior to his death.  He was shooting a lighter bow than the 72#.  The reason I know is that I couldn't shoot his 72#, but could handle the bow he carried on that trip.  

Jerry had a hat with a hog on the front with the name of the Plantation we were hunting, given him by our host for that hunt, at an earlier date.  At Gorh, he aggravated me numerous times by asking me in front of folks, "Do you have one of these?"  I didn't of course, that was his reason for bringing it up.  He had a lot of fun with that old hat.

After his death, I received a call from his son, who knew the story and asked if I wanted that hat.  Now I can answer that question in the affirmative.

The first morning of that hunt I had a run in with a large sow and a suitor back in the middle of no where.  I killed the sow and had an interesting time with her boy friend, putting one over his shoulder as I jumped out of his way when he finally decided to leave the old gal...now deceased.  

Jerry and our host came back with me and the three of use took turns pulling that old gal a "long" way to where we could load her.  I caught a lot of grief for not finding one closer to the road and more "eatin' size."

On an earlier hunt, Jerry came upon a 7 foot or so gator stretched out on an old road next to a lake taking a nap.  He eased up and poked the gator with the tip of his bow, sending it scrambling for the safety of the water.  He got a large charge out of tickling that old gator.  

Good to see a bunch of the old Gorh bunch surface.

[heydeerman]

Never met the man but met his son a year or two after his dad passed. He still got choked up talking about him. He was shooting his dad's recurve and it might have been a takedown if I remember right. Only talked to his son about half an hour but he sure was a kind fella.

[Featherbuster]

I have seen one the bows, and absolutely fell in love with it.  I was told that there is a fellow in Texas?? that collects these bows and has paid a pretty good penny to add to his collection.  
Our biggest shoot of the year in our club is the Jerry Pierce Memorial, that we have in MS.  Love those bows!!!

[CheapShot]

I have really enjoyed reading these stories. Mr. pierce sounds like the kinda of guy you would want in your hunting camp.
I never had the chance to meet the man, however I do have one of his arrows. A good friend of mine(now deceased) met Jerry at a shoot. They were staying at the same motel in fact, and struck up a conversation. My friend commented on how pretty Jerry's arrows were. So Jerry autographed one and gave it to him.
After my friends passing, his wife gave me a few of his archery related stuff, the arrow was one of the many cool things she gave me.

[Kevin Bahr]

Hey Cliff!  Hope to see you in Pittsburgh!  
Speaking of that SC hunt at the plantation, that reminds me of another funny JP story:  Mark Viehweg was with you all if I remember correctly.  He had shot a hog and could not find the thing.  He ran into Jerry and enlisted his help in tracking it.  When they finally go to it, and it was rather on the "young and tender" side, Mark told me he was happy about shooting his first hog until Jerry scratched his head and said: "They sure are cute when they're little."  HA!  Gotta love that wry sense of humor.

Daryl, I still have a dent in my head from when Jerry whacked me with my own shoe!

[Gunney]

I remember the first time I met Jerry. We were standing near a bow rack with different makes of bows.....both looking at them.

I think I moved over to the Choctaw that was going to be auctioned off and I was admiring it and saying how beautiful it was.

Jerry just stood there and never said a word. To make a long story short, I didn't know that the man was the bowyer that created it at that time.

He just said a few nice words to me and went along browsing.

Needless to say, I got knocked out of the bidding for that bow at $1500 and about fell out of the chair when Bill Kissner told me who I was talking to.

The thing I will always admire about Jerry was his humility.

God Bless

Billy

[Shaun]

Very sorry to have never met Jerry. Nothing but good things ever heard about him. I have met and visited with his son Lenny who regularly attends the UBM anual gathering in Jeff City, MO. The apple did not fall far from the tree.

I got to handle and admire an all red cedar Choctaw at that gathering. You could feel the MOJO big time.

[Tom Leemans]

For those who've never met him, I don't believe he could be described better than this.   Requiem for Jerry Pierce

[Hawkeye]

This thread and its opportunity to reminisce has been a wonderful Christmas present.

Kevin- That was a really funny night... AFTERWORDS!  Jerry referred to it many times later on.

Cliff- So great to see you!  The swamp leaves a lot of great stories in its "wake," doesn't it?  Wish I had the chance to meet you there again.

Billy- Jerry's humility is one of many traits that made him a such a notably special guy.  He realized what he was was beginning to mean to the traditional archery community, and I guess was even pleased to know he was making a difference, but never tried to "pull rank" on anyone because of his notoriety (the good kind!).  This leads to story #1:

I had the opportunity to accompany Jerry to the PBS banquet in Seattle in 1998.  It was fun to see the respect he had... the "wake" that seemed to open in front of him... and the number of people who hoped to get a minute of his time and say something profound (most didn't!).  All the while, he was just Jerry, and acted more like this farm boy's coffee drinking buddy than a legend.

The Choctaw that was auctioned that night was yet another masterpiece.  I sat beside him as the bidding started really slowly.  I'm sure he wanted his labor of love to do well for the organization, but didn't show much concern as it stalled at only a couple hundred dollars, briefly.  Finally, people began to get serious, and when the price reached $800, Jerry smiled and nodded- satisfied, I guess, that it had done well enough to provide what he had hoped.

Then, FINALLY, the bidding began in earnest.  Up until now, the stage had just been getting set!

The bid went past $1,000, and Jerry smiled in quiet amazement.  Who would give that for a bow?  It went past $1,500, and he shook his head.  At $1,800, his smile faded, and I wonder if he was concerned someone had gone daft!

As the bid passed $2,000, I noticed that Jerry was getting shorter and shorter as he began to sink down in his chair.  As the price continued to rise, I sat there wondering if he planned to disappear beneath the table!

The winning bid was $2,450, I believe... by far the most any of his donations had brought to date (though not as much as they later would!).  Gentleman Jerry, humble and truly unassuming, was shocked and embarrassed that anyone would pay that much "for a silly bow."  I know he was pleased that people had cared, and that he had made a difference, but it was fun to watch him blush!

That's the man we loved.

[Brandon Stahl]

Great stuff guys!  Thank you all for sharing.

[Brian P.]

As with Heydeerman, I never met Jerry, but met his son Lenny at the 2nd and 3rd (I believe) GORH.

 I shot Lenny's bow that he said he had made on Jerry's forms the first time I met him. Didnt have a clue who he was at the time (Lenny) but was just admiring his bow. I rarely pass up an offer to shoot a bow and am glad I didnt this time. I was quite impressed with it.
 
 Well, the second time I met up with Lenny, he had Jerry's bow (painted black of course). Could have knocked me over with a feather when he ask if I wanted to shoot it. Once again, I am glad I didnt turn down the opportunity. I only shot one arrow from it, but that was enough. Even though I never met Jerry, I could "feel" his spirit in that one arrow. I have never had a feeling quite like that.

 I really liked Lenny and offered to make him some arrows a few years back in trade for some turkey feathers. He was kind enough to gift one of Jerry's arrows to me as well. I even have one of his "famous", homemade small game heads to go on it, but have never put it on for some reason.

 Daryl,

 After talking with you at Compton this past summer about Jerry, it is nice to see pics of your Choctaw. I enjoyed hearing your stories of the man.

 BP

[Tony Phillips]

I had the pleasure to meet Jerry at the first GORH, and his son Lenny at the other two GORHs. The thing I remember the most about Jerry was the twinkle in his eyes. You could tell he was full of mischief. In the roles of traditional archery he is one of the sorely missed.

[Hawkeye]

Hey, Brian!  Good to "see" you.

Tony, you are SO right about that twinkle.  See if you can imagine it in your mind's eye as you read the tale you brought to mind... Story #2:

Jerry loved to have fun, and though he wasn't likely to tell a joke, per se, he was really funny.  He LOVED kids, and loved to tease them for effect.

Like his squirrel story, this one played as a short but well-practiced comedy routine.  He loved to pull it on little boys, and did it the first time he met my son Ben.  I'm sure I witnessed it 20 times, and wouldn't be surprised if the actual number was more like 50!  If you knew him, it will probably sound familiar...

Dad at a shoot, bringing up young boy to meet a humble legend-  "Say 'Hello' to Mr. Pierce, Son."

Jerry's eyes twinkle, and and as he gently wraps his giant hand around the little guy's, you know the game is on.

Jerry (smiling kindly)- "Hello.  What's your name?"

Needlessly (but understandably) intimidated kid-
"Robert."

Jerry- "ROBERT?  That's a funny name for a little girl!"

Robert (eyes WIDE with indignation)- "I'M NOT A GIRL!"

Jerry smiles, eyes twinkle again, and the skit is over.  He'd spend the next 10 minutes becoming a friend the young man would never forget.  He never seemed to tire of it, and it worked the same way each and every time....  

[Kevin Bahr]

Ahem, I have been informed that I misspoke previously...Jerry's "go to" bow for deer hunting was 74 pounds, not the measly 72 that I stated earlier.  This info was provided by another friend of Jerry's (and mine!) that lurks here sometimes.  He and Jerry hunted together quite a bit, and Jerry once told me if this fella kept hanging around Jerry's house he was gonna claim him on his taxes...
Hey Brian.

[Terry Green]

I shot Doug Campbell's.....killed some gofers with it....two words....sweet & special.

[Shifting Shadow]

I believe I read once that Jerry said 58" was the ideal length for a recurve. Anyone ever hear Jerry say that?

[inrut]

Jerry Pierce >>>----------> Great man, Dearly missed!

I was going to spend the weekend at Jerry's house but got the phone call with the bad news of his passing a few days before I was to go. I am grateful for the time I spent with him! We shared a lot of the same values. This thread has brought back some good memories! More pictures!!!!!

Monte Dunaway

[SERGIO VENNERI]

Thanks fellas! This is an awesome thread. As i was reading it last night , it jogged my memory!! I have a video of Jerry and his friend/partner Pat cebuhar building their bow together! The video was recorded by another friend , ben Bishop,so i found and watched it !
    Interesting to watch. I never had the opportunity to meet Jerry, wish i had, sounds like a very nice ,well liked person!