dennystiner.com
Denny Stiner is a bowhunter with more than 45 years of hunting whitetails in his home state of Illinois. He has hunted all across the US and Canada,and in the past few years has extended his bow hunting to South Africa, Namibia, Congo, and Argentina.
While bowhunting Denny has taken many world class animals including Whitetail, Elk, Bear Caribou, Boar, Antelope, Alligator. African planes game including a huge 60" Kudu, a 40" bull Gemsbok and a "monster" Steenbok, along with many others. In Argentina he took a gold medal black Fallow deer, and wild Boar, and a huge 23 pt. Red Stag.
It all started on Christmas morning back about 1960 when Denny opened a present . That present was a York fiber glass long bow, with arrows. From that day on he was out shooting, and I mean shooting at everything! In the early 70s he purchased a Bear recurve and took his first deer with a 30 yard shot. Then it wasn't long till he up graded to a compound, and hunting and 3D were his passion, shooting every chance he got. Of course family and work always came first.
For a while Denny was into Drag racing and in 1972-75 had a reputation of having the fastest bike around, his 72 Kawasaki was really fast but when he bought his 74 and "worked it over" it was even faster! It was never beat on the strip or street! With two little girls Denny had to find a safer hobby, and 3D shooting filled the bill.
Denny was and still is very competitive and after shooting his first 3D tournament he was hooked and practiced every night honing his skills. He started shooting indoor leagues and outdoor tournaments every chance he could. Once when ask by a fellow archer "why do you take this so seriously" Denny replied I do this so that when I get a shot at a big buck I will have the confidence I need to make the shot no matter what.
Denny worked in a factory for almost 8 years then made a change to what he was meant to do, and started operating heavy equipment and when he sat in a track hoe or excavator for the first time he knew that was what he was made for. Denny can still do anything with a hoe that needs to be done and says " after 35 years I think I have done just about everything you can do with a hoe". He retired from operating engineers local 965 in 2009, and the real hunting began.
Along the way Denny shot lots of big bucks and got noticed after a couple magazine articles, and picked up several sponsors that he has worked with, some for more than 20 years. Over the years these sponcers and Denny have become close friends. The archery industry is relatively small and everybody knows everybody. "I like working with people I know" Denny says, and thats why he has stayed loyal to the manufacturers that have been with him all these years.
Through archery I have met some of my best friends, Denny said. One of those friends was the father of the compound bow, Tom Jennings, from the first time they met the two hit it off and became instant friends. " I had been shooting Jennings bows for a while and killed some pretty impressive bucks and was invited to bring some mounts to an Archery trade show to display in the Bear Jennings booth. Thats where I first met Tom and his wife Hazel" Stiner said. Denny was one of the last friends to visit Tom before he passed away in February 2013.
After filming his hunt in Namibia in 2011 and producing a DVD with Kirby Hames "P S Printing" Stiner was ask to return to Namibia and film for another DVD and now is a booking agent for Agagia and Congo hunting, and is also representing a hunting group in Argentina for big game and wing shooting. Stiner says " Its fun traveling to and working the hunting trade shows and meeting and talking to hunters from all walks of life, and best of all I get to do it with my wife."
Greg Sesselman & Denny
Denny and Tom Jennings
Tom at ATA Show
Denny and Byron Ferguson