Historic hunting: Helen Sites Miller excelled at male-dominated pastime

Helen Sites Miller, an active hunter in the Potter County area throughout the 1950s, posing with her catch.

Many sportsmen have descend upon the more than 2 million acres of state-managed land open to recreational hunting and trapping. Welcome to deer hunting season in Pennsylvania. But don’t let the term “sportsmen” throw you off. Many women, as well as men, excel at hunting. For example, in this photo from the collections of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, we see Helen Sites Miller, an active hunter in the Potter County area throughout the 1950s, posing with her catch. This photograph was taken around 1957-1958 in Thompson Hollow, a community situated between Coudersport and Galeton in Potter County. The rifle depicted in the photograph is a Remington Winchester lever-action Model 94, .30-30, which Helen used for hunting through the early 1960s.

In order for Helen to legally hunt doe in Pennsylvania, she had to have a hunting license, obtained then and now through the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). Created in 1895 PGC enforces hunting and trapping laws and regulations. In addition, PGC conducts hunter-trapper educational programs, determines the various hunting seasons, sets bag limits and conducts wildlife research. Licenses vary according to season and type of animal, and if a licensed hunter is as skilled as Miller, the catch must be reported to PGC.

You may be wondering why the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum preserves hunting-related artifacts. The museum collects, preserves and interprets the history of Pennsylvania’s forests, which includes recreational activities such as hunting. This photograph of Helen Sites Miller is currently on display at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, along with her rifle and hunting license.

We thank Rachel Yerger, a museum Curator with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission’s Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, for writing this article.