Video: The Memory of King Buck and the Rich History of Winchester at NILO Farms

Winchester is celebrating the 150^th birthday of the founding of the Winchester brand. A century and a half ago, Oliver F. Winchester first began his journey to create the historic brand that bears his name. Winchester quickly became a manufacturing powerhouse putting their own iconic “W” stamp on the industrial revolution. It’s a brand whose products, quite literally, have helped change the course of world history.

Winchester presents NILO Farms, a short film in a series of three, which highlights the rich history behind NILO Farms. Roger Jones, manager of NILO and Winchester Shooting Facilities, introduces you to the property, a 640-acre hunting and shooting facility in Brighton, Illinois. Founded in 1952 by John M. Olin, who got into the field trial game looking for the best professional dog trainer, which he found in Cotton Pershall. The two men had a long history together and became friends and pioneers in the art of field trial competition.

NILO Farms had been home to the famed retriever known as “King Buck,” a national champion in 1952 and 1953. During his years, King Buck finished 83 national series of a possible 85. To this day, no other retriever has completed more than 62 successive national series. A statue stands tall at NILO Farms as a remembrance to one of the greatest duck dogs that ever lived.

Winchester has shown an unwavering commitment to conservation for 150 years, leading the charge to preserve, protect and restore natural wild life habitats and treasured hunting traditions. Thanks to John Olin, that dream lives on at NILO Farms today.

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.