Legendary Whitetails is a clothing company that designs and sells everyday apparel, gifts, and gear for deer hunters and their families. Legendary Whitetails was established in 1999 as a direct-to-consumer catalog and internet retailer, and is headquartered in Apopka, Florida.
History
Legendary Whitetails was founded in 1999 by Larry Huffman. Huffman was an avid outdoorsman, hunter and conservationist. He served as president of the Wisconsin chapter of Safari Club International and as a regional vice president. He served as a representative to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. Larry, along with fellow authors and deer enthusiasts Dick Idol, David Morris, and Gordon Whittington compiled stories about the 40 world-class bucks that made up Larry's original collection. The original book is titled Legendary Whitetails. Legendary Whitetails II was published in 2001 and Legendary Whitetails III was published in 2007. In 1999, Larry started the Iowa Deer Classic. Currently, the Iowa Deer Classic takes place every year in Des Moines, Iowa. The popularity of the Legendary Whitetails collection amongst the hunting community motivated Larry to create a unique line of merchandise designed specifically as everyday apparel for white-tailed deer hunters and their families. Founder, Larry Huffman died in 2007. In 2019, the company filed for Chapter 128 Receivership in Washington County Circuit Court on March 4. The company was sold and operations moved to Florida in May 2019.
The “Legendary Whitetails” collection
The Legendary Whitetail collection contained over 84 trophy white-tailed deer mounts ranked in the Boone and Crockett Club and/or Pope and Young record books. The collection included several of the most notable trophies in the world, including the James Jordan Buck and the Hole in the Horn Buck. It was founder of Legendary Whitetails, Larry Huffman's, dream to someday display the collection in a public museum. When Bass Pro Shops proposed to buy the entire collection and place the mounts on permanent display for the public to enjoy at Bass Pro headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, Larry liked the idea of having the collection on public display. Larry sold the Legendary Whitetail collection to Bass Pro Shops on September 16, 2002. The deer mounts are now part of Bass Pro Shops “King of Bucks” collection and are on display at the American National Fish and Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Missouri. The “King of Bucks” collection also goes on tour occasionally. During tours, the collection is transported and displayed in seven separate semi-trailer exhibits.
Products
The Legendary Whitetails brand was established with the release of the 1999 catalog, deeming product as the “Original Deer Gear”. The catalog, along with the ecommerce website are the primary channels of business. The product line includes a men's line, women's line, kids’ apparel, Big and Tall sizing, footwear, home, hunting, and auto product categories. The Hunt Bum apparel line was added in 2013 and is designed specifically for active outdoorsmen. Female interest levels for the sport of hunting and hunting related apparel, including camouflage, have been on the rise since the early 2000s. The women's line is the fastest growing segment of Legendary Whitetails. Legendary Whitetails’ primary market consists of deer hunters and their families, thus, many items incorporate camouflage design elements within the product. Legendary Whitetails utilizes five individual camouflage brands with over 20 unique camouflage patterns and styles to design products.
Achievements
Outstanding Employer Award – 2013 – Wisconsin Rehabilitation Association's Job Placement and Development Board. Jeffery Butland Family-Owned Wisconsin Business of the Year Award – 2011 – U.S. Small Business Administration's Wisconsin District.
