Ding Darling Cartoon
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:41 pm
I'm growing a little weary of winter and I don't have any hunting pictures to share with the team so I figured I would show you a Duck Hunting cartoon that I have. It's not related to Fox guns, but let's face it, a lot of us are duck hunters so maybe you will appreciate it. About 15 years ago my parents purchased it at an antique shop and they liked it because it was drawn by J.N. "Ding" Darling. Ding Darling was a somewhat famous cartoonist and very active in wildlife conservation. Over the last 30 years I have visited the Ding Darling Wildlife Sanctuary on Sanibel Island many times. I'm guessing that this cartoon was mass produced and possibly sold to gun clubs or at sporting goods stores. The name of the hunter was left blank so that each one could be personalized. There is a date written in pencil on this one, Dec 18 - 21, 1924. Here's why I like this cartoon. The mallard flying overhead is warning the other ducks to "Look out, Mr. Widdicomb is coming". Sometime in the 30's or 40's, my grandfather paid a visit to Mr. Widdicomb's widow and came home with his prized J.P. Sauer 12 gauge. It now resides in my dad's cabinet. I think it was manufactured around 1907 and it's in pretty nice shape. There is no doubt in my mind that the Mr. Widdicomb in the cartoon and the man that owned the Sauer are one in in the same. It just makes a nice story to tell on a cold winter day.
