It was one of the more unusual photographs seen this political season and passed on by an official of the N.C. Bowhunters Association under the caption "He's One of Us."

That photo showed Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican from Janesville, with a white-tailed buck he'd bagged using archery equipment. The NCBA was letting everyone know that Ryan was a bow hunter, something not one national political candidate, much less an obscure vice-presidential candidate, ever has done.

The last politicians who admitted to hunting as a hobby were George W. Bush and his vice-president, Dick Cheney, but that exposure didn't turn out well for Cheney. During February 2006, he accidentally peppered a hunting partner and political supporter with bird shot during a Texas quail hunt. Cheney and the White House were embarrassed, and news of the accident wasn't revealed until a day later by a local Corpus Christi, Texas, newspaper.

The last American President who actually who had a real outdoors background and boasted of his hunting prowess was Teddy Roosevelt. But that was 103 years ago when the country had a more rural flavor and hunting wild game was considered a normal pursuit.

Many national political figures since Roosevelt's days have dabbled in hunting, apparently in an attempt to gain sportsmen's votes. Many have regretted the ploy. Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry went goose hunting in Ohio during 2004, an event covered extensively by the media after being contacted by Kerry's media advisers. But it was revealed Kerry had bought his hunting license only a day or two earlier, along with a camouflage jacket, in an apparent provide a good photo op. A story Kerry told about "sneaking on his belly like an alligator to hunt deer with a shotgun" also was received derisively by most hunters (Hunters use rifles or archery equipment to hunt deer from tree stands and usually employ shotguns during deer "drives." No one tries to sneak up on whitetails because these animals' hearing is so acute).

But 2012 vice-presidential candidate Ryan apparently is the real deal when it comes to bow hunting, which isn't too surprising since his home state of Wisconsin has some of the best trophy whitetail hunting in the United States. His background as an avid bowhunter has been a point of pride for Wisconsin sportsmen and women over the years.  He also has chaired the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and supported legislation that protected the rights of hunters and anglers many times during 14 years as a Representative in Washington DC.

This year he voted for HR 4089, the Sportsmen's Heritage Act, the most significant piece of pro-sportsmen legislation during Ryan's tenure in Congress.  The bill, which declares federal land open to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting among other things, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April but hasn't had a hearing in the U.S. Senate.

As expected, Ryan is a strong, vocal supporter of the Second Amendment and a member of the National Rifle Association. Many sportmen leaders and organizations have expressed support for Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's running mate.