Brian Wunder                

The passion for the outdoors came to me at a very young age. I began shooting archery at the age of 8 and could not wait to be 10 years old to finally get out and hunt. At the age of 10 I shot my first deer which was a 70lb doe that I shot with my grandfathers .35 Remington Marlin. That moment in time I can still recall the  intense feeling of emotions that go with the sport of deer hunting. I knew I would do this the rest of my life.

From the ages of 10 to 18 my fall was always the same. Monday through Friday meant school and football. Come Friday night after football games, I would travel north into the Catskills Mountains of New York State to my grandfathers property. The traditions that were created their fueled my desire to pursue whitetails for the rest of my life. On school nights  during the fall, I would watch The Outdoor Life Video Series every night before bed in anticipation of the coming weekend. Every Friday was a Christmas for me.  Friday’s were special days to me for the reason being at 7pm would be kickoff time then a two hour battle on the grid iron, then a two hour trip to the hunting cabin.

My weekends at the deer camp consisted of morning hunts, followed by hours of college football, then back into the stand for the evening hunt. Life does not get better than college football and hunting. When I graduated high school I moved to Tennessee for college and my hunting schedule came to a halt. Being out of state with no access to land, I put hunting on hold for my first three years of college. The fall of 2011 I began hunting public land here in Tennessee and the rush of emotions of the hunting season were back.

I have such a passion for the pursuit of whitetails. The amount of time, money and sacrifice that go into one season make me understand this lifestyle to pursue these animals year after year. There is nothing like walking to your stand with the stars above you on  a cold November morning in the middle of the rut. Their is a intense feeling every time I hear leaves crunching. There is not many words that can help me describe the feelings or emotions I feel every fall.

With that being said, the experiences of hunting will keep me in the woods for the rest of my life. I want to share my hunting experiences with people and make any hunter appreciate any size deer they kill. Hunting can not turn into a numbers game. What I mean by that is you do not need to kill a 160 inch whitetail every fall to be a successful deer hunter.  A successful hunter is someone who fulfills their enjoyment of the sport year in and year out.

 

 

Josh Young

I was introduced to the world of hunting at a very young age. I remember when my dad and me would go out and sit in the stand and he would teach me everything. And ever since that time my love for the outdoors has grown even more. Every year since then I look forward to the cooler temperatures, the leaves starting to change, and the smell of tobacco smoking in the barns. Where I grew up in Greenbrier,TN that’s the signs that deer season is here. There is a lot of work that goes in to hunting. Most people think you just go out and sit in the woods and wait on the big one to walk by. Well if you have done your homework and dozens of hours scouting then yes that’s all you have to do. And even then that big buck will put you to the test. Its not easy being a hunter, hard work, dedication, and experience will go a long way. But its all worth it in the end when you are posing with that big buck or taking pictures with a big limit of ducks. There’s no better feeling than getting the rewards of putting in time and hard work.
Apart from hunting my drive to play sports has always been a big part of my life. But when I was in high school I put all sports on the back burner to pick up golf. And ever since then I was a golfer. I got very good rather quickly and had great success in high school. I went on to play golf in college at Cumberland University, and received many honors and national recognition. But all that time I never lost sight of my passion for hunting. Now that I have graduated from college I am putting all of my efforts back into hunting.
I have recently found my new passion in duck hunting. I never knew hunting could be so fun. And anybody who likes hanging out with their best friends, having a blast, and shooting some ducks, duck hunting is for you And in my 7 years of duck hunting I have been in a lot of places and a lot of states chasing ducks. Nothing is better than standing in the flooded timber in Arkansas and watching those greenheads fall out in the trees. Or being in the pit in Missouri and calling in those huge groups of pintails. And I can’t explain it any better than, its just in my blood.
But the best thing anybody can do is introduce someone to the outdoors. There are thousands of people that have never experienced a sunrise from a deer stand or duck blind. You really get to see and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. And you wouldn’t believe how happy you may make someone if you just take them and show them around the sport. You may change their life forever. And most importantly you will be keeping the sport of hunting alive.