I’ve been hunting whitetails for over 40 years, but I didn’t really become infatuated with big bucks until the late 1970′s. To say that I was bitten hard by the “infatuation bug” would be a great understatement. I spent nearly all my available free time during the late 70′s and early 80′s attempting to increase my wealth of understanding of mature buck behavior. Though I didn’t know it at the time, my intense quest to learn more proved to be a very wise investment of my time and energy.
Throughout the first 10 years of my trophy hunting career I spent the majority of my time chasing giant whitetails in the big woods of Northern Wisconsin. But then in 1986 I decided to do my first ever out-of-state hunt. After some extensive research, I settled on Alberta as my destination. The grueling six day hunt yielded one of my best whitetails up to that time, a beautiful 150-class 6×5 typical.
Not only did taking that buck whet my appetite for more out-of-state excursions, it also triggered my enthusiasm for sharing my wealth of knowledge with other serious deer hunters. In late 1986 I wrote and sold my first magazine article. That article, which appeared in the September 1987 issue of North American Whitetail Magazine, dealt with using antler rubs and rub-lines for patterning and hunting mature bucks.
My career in the outdoor industry has undergone several dramatic transformations since that initial article was published. From my first appearance on television with Realtree Outdoors back in the mid-1990′s, to my contributions to Hunter’s Specialties PrimeTime Bucks videos, to a co-hosting gig with North American Whitetail Television, to eventually owning and producing my own television show.
I’m often asked what I do in my free time. Though a lot of people may not believe this, I don’t get a lot of “free time”. Literally the day after the hunting seasons end and the cameras stop rolling, we go into production for the next 26 week run of “In Pursuit TV”. We’re also kept busy with trade and consumer shows throughout the winter months. In fact, the sports/deer show season usually doesn’t end until some time in early April.
When I do get some time to relax I spend it chasing giant smallmouth bass and eater-size walleyes on one of the many lakes near our home in northern Wisconsin. My favorite fishing partners are my wife Geralyn and our black lab, Duncan. In my opinion, spending time on the water is the ultimate stress reliever.
