My dad started taking me deer hunting with him when I was still in diapers. Most of my baby pictures are of me in camouflage holding my dad’s rattling antlers or a toy pop-gun. When I could walk, I would go sit on the edge of the woods with binoculars and watch the deer come into our neighbors’ yard. Most of the time I was too little to go without one of my older siblings along. On my third birthday I traded in my pacifier for a Daisy BB gun.  After that my interest in hunting and the outdoors grew, and grew. Nearly 11 years ago, at the age of 5 I shot at my first deer with a .223 I received for my birthday. At the age of 8 I killed my first deer and that was the first of many to come.

At that time, except for the occasional squirrel the only kind of hunting I had done was deer hunt- and I loved it. For many years I had wanted to hunt everything that was in season, but that was hard because my Dad mostly only deer hunted. When I turned 12, I went to the local civic center, took my test, and received my hunter education. That season I exposed myself to turkey hunting, hog hunting, and any other small game animal that was in season. I learned more about the woods and the game I was pursuing that season than I had all my life. I took many animals for the first time hunting alone including my first wild hog. In the winter of 2012, I began trapping and caught my first coyote and coon. Trapping has taught me more about understanding animals than anything else. Since then I have hunted and trapped almost everything that walks, crawls or flies in these mountains. After two years of chasing turkey in the spring, I harvested my first turkey. I enjoy introducing other people to hunting and fishing as much as I do being in the woods alone. Being with friends and family in the outdoors and seeing their excitement is one of the best parts of taking them hunting.

In the summer, I’m either trout fishing, or planting small food plots. I enjoy being in the outdoors year round, whether it be with my friends getting our hands dirty planting food plots, or hard at work trying to help them have a successful hunt. Whether I’m with friends or family I’m in the woods every chance I get.  I always imagined owning my own show, or being on TV showing people what I love doing-spending time in God’s Creation. When the opportunity came along to be apart of The Huntin’ Grounds, I was thoroughly excited and it’s a great privilege to be on the THG team.