For those living in Downeast Maine in the early 1900s wing shooting was for the pot not for sport. Inhabitants of towns like Larrabee took from the land and sea what food those moody mistresses were inclined to surrender.

Our Field Cuff KHP Marsh Pants are near exact duplicates of a pair worn for years by Robert Pettegrow, Robert handed them down to his grandson, Brent Pettegrow, current Ducks Unlimited State Chairman from Maine. It’s the most practical, versatile, traditional hunting pant we’ve ever offered. And it’s the toughest. It’s hard to imagine a more rigorous field test than that performed by Robert Pettegrow on these pants.

Wedging into duck blinds along the rocky shoreline, pushing through the chest-high tangle of wind-beaten coastal shrubs, or slogging through tidal marshes in pursuit of moose, Pettegrow put the pants to the test to put food in the larder. The genius of these pants start at the cuff, an area overlooked in the design of most upland and duck-hunting pants. The rack-on-rib knit wool cuff snugs the pants to your field boot top to keep out the cold, water, and debris. And it holds the pant close to your ankle when you step into your boots.

Depending on what the day brought, a trip to Hen Grays Cove or to Yoho Cove on the Kennebec Bay side of Machiasport, Robert Pettegrow might vary his footwear – field boot, hipper, or wader – but his choice of pants varied little.

Shipbuilding was central to Downeast Maine in the early 1900’s. Robert Pettegrow’s work clothes were cut from sailcloth, well suited for the rugged, damp conditions. We located the manufacturer of the sailcloth fabric that went into these pants. It’s heavily washed to tighten its grid-like weave and to soften the pant. Robert Pettegrow didn’t have the advantage of a heavy wash to soften his sailcloth pants. The elements did that for him.

On gray winter days he’d run his dory onto large ice cakes far up the Machias River and float with the floes down the river and onto the flock of goldeneye and black duck in the bay.

Our pants, like his, are double layered with moisture-repellent cotton poplin at the seat and thigh to hold off any moisture that might make its way through the tight canvas weave.

"My Grandfather maintained two duck blinds on what I always knew as Churchyard Cove on Machias Bay – one on Birch Point, the other on L-Point – from which he hunted for eiders and golden eyes. I hunted these coves for several years and had the pleasure of taking my grandfather on his last hunt on Birch point in 1979."

Placing his shotgun inside the door, Robert Pettegrow said, "That’s it. I’m done" satisfied in the knowledge that he’d passed on the tradition to his grandson.

He’d also passed along a legacy of practical, rugged, functional clothing that Orvis is proud to continue.

How are flashes worn?

Pull the socks all the way up over the bottom of your breeks. Wrap the flash once around to hold the sock in place, then tie a square knot and leave the two ends dangling below your sock. When it’s all done, the top of the sock is worn so that it overlaps the bottom of the breeks.

General guidelines for dressing for an European shoot

As Terry Wieland points out in his excellent article,"Dressed for the Sport," (Shooting Sportsman, January/February 2001) as intimidating as British-shooting accoutrements might look, there are few hard-and-fast rules. An appealing mix of tradition and practicality governs everything else regarding dress."The aristocratic British gunner in tweeds and tie is a favorite target for cartoonists on both sides of the Atlantic. In America the fact that a British shooter habitually wears a jacket and tie is held up as evidence of eccentricity, if not decadence. But the fact is, the UK shooter’s choice of clothing in eminently practical and highly refined for the conditions under which he shoots. What’s more, the nuances of proper shooting attire are almost as arcane as the fitting of a custom game gun. This is based no on snobbery, but on practicality. "Contrary to popular belief, there is no real proper or improper dress, within reason. For the vast majority of driven shoots, a "gun" is expected to look presentable, but it is more important that he be dressed to cope with the weather. In that case, the guiding principle is that if it is not raining right now, it either was recently or soon will be. A secondary principle is: Whatever the weather, shooters will be out in it… European and British shooters do not like to be cold and wet any more than anyone else, so their clothing is designed to cope with almost any conditions while allowing the wearer to shoot comfortably and freely at all times. Marrying these various principles is not easy, but through the course of 150 years of sartorial evolution, tailors and outfitters have arrived at an approach that is both elegant and amazingly functional."

View the Shooting Flashes at Orvis

Ventile: The Greatest Outdoor Fabric’s Wartime Beginnings

Winston Churchill didn’t hunt New England partridge, but he nevertheless inspired the world’s greatest hunting gear: Orvis Ventile.

WEATHERPROOF

Protects you from wind, rain, sleet, and snow.

WINDPROOF

Keeps out wind to protect you from wind chill.

BREATHABLE

High moisture vapor transmission helps keep you dry when active.

NATURAL 100% COTTON

The benefit of cotton with environmental peace of mind.

COMFORTABLE

Lightweight and breathable for comfort afield or in town.

DURABLE

Very long lasting. Expect years of use from garments in Ventile®.

QUIET

No "rustle" is ideal for hunting or bird watching where noise would be a problem.

RELIABLE

Proven performance across the globe since WWII.

Ventile clothing resulted from Churchill’s demand for a material to protect his pilots when they ejected from their Hurricane or Spitfire planes into the frigid North Atlantic. Survival time to get into a life raft was two minutes. Not enough to save most pilots. After many trials, scientists at the Shirley Institute in Manchester U.K. developed Ventile. The original Ventile immersion suits proved impenetrable to arctic winds and icy water, extending survival time tenfold and saving 80% of ejected pilots. The suits remain in use by British Royal Air Force today. No other fabric offers the uncompromising performance of Ventile. It has been to Everest, K2, and Antarctica. It’s used in the greatest upland hunting clothing fabric we have ever offered.

Named after ventus, Latin for wind, all-cotton Ventile is windproof, waterproof, and endures extreme variations in weather and temperature conditions. It’s rugged enough to turn back the nastiest thorns and tight upland cover, yet lightweight and breathable for the utmost comfort in the field.

Charging through dense thickets is remarkably easy – no more rips or tears, no more thorns catching jackets or pants.

Ventile Hunting Clothes are an investment in yourself and your passion for wing shooting. Guaranteed to make it more than one generation. In fact, they could very well last as long as your fine double-gun.

Weatherproof. Waterproof. Breathable. Quiet.

Fiber: Ventile uses long staple fibers found in only the top 2% of the cotton produced worldwide, to guarantee cotton’s natural benefits of breathability and durability.

Yarn: Great care is taken in spinning and doubling the yarn at a time when the raw cotton fiber is in its most vulnerable state. Such care means the weave will perform as expected.

Weave: Woven using 30% more yarn than in other cotton fabrics. At the first hint of moisture, the special weave expands to lock out dampness, while it maintains breathability. The dense weave makes Ventile waterproof, windproof, thornproof, and extremely durable.

View the Entire Collection of Ventile Products at Orvis