Member of the Month Club!
July 2010
Zack Lawson / wihunter24
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June 2010
Willy / Willy
May 2010
Bo / Mex. Bowhunter
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April 2010
Steve Olson / impactarcher
My name is Steve Olson and I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I'm 39 years
old, married to my wonderful wife Nicole and have a beautiful 7 year old
daughter named Lexie. After high school I went off to college and
spent nearly 8 years of my life to earn my Doctor of Chiropractic
degree. Shortly after graduation I opened my own practice. The burnout
of running the practice soon set in and I decided that I needed to
pursue something different. I followed my passion of building things
and started my own construction company and 11 years later I'm still
doing what I love to do.Zack Lawson / wihunter24
My name is Zack Lawson and I’m from a small town along the Mississippi
River in west central Wisconsin that’s surrounded by rolling hills of
farmland and woods and steep limestone bluffs. I was born into a
family full of farmers, hunters, trappers and commercial fisherman and
as a result, the outdoors came naturally and have been a part of me for
as long as I can remember. It was always more of a matter of “when” I
was going to follow in the footsteps of my family members when it came
to the outdoors and not “if”. When I was younger, I’d beg my dad to
take me hunting with him during bow season. He finally gave in when I
was 6 years old and took me out on a warm September night. We ended up
seeing a doe and a nice 8pt, and although there were no shots offered,
I’ve been hooked ever since that night. Although, I couldn’t legally
hunt yet, my passion for hunting grew each and every year and was only
fueled by sightings of big deer while tagging along with my dad and
grandpa or while working on the family farm.
During my first year of hunting at age 12, I was able to take a nice doe and the following year took my first buck, a small 8pt. Once I got to high school it was expected that I’d play football like every other guy in my small school, but I had other plans and football cut into my hunting time so I chose hunting. It would be several more years before I shot another buck, but the lessons I learned during this time period have greatly shaped the hunter and person that I am today. My years of patience were finally rewarded during my senior year of high school when I was able to down the biggest deer of my life so far- an 11pt that scored in the mid 150’s. I’d seen this particular buck several times in previous weeks and finally on opening night of gun season, all the pieces of the puzzle came together. Everything changed that November night in 2001, and I’ve been on a roll when it comes to hunting ever since. Around this time I also got into turkey and shed antler hunting and they’ve become increasingly popular passions of mine.
When it came time to go to college, I applied to only 1 school- the closest one to home. I figured this would allow me to get home and hunt as much as possible and thankfully I was able to work my classes around my hunting schedule. 4 ½ years later with a degree in Conservation, I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. These days I’m living in my hometown and work for a company that specializes in erosion control and commercial landscaping in the Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN metro area. At the end of the work day I can’t wait to get out of the busy metropolitan area and back to small town, rural Wisconsin where it’s just an overall slower pace of life. The beauty of the area, when coupled with excellent hunting, fishing and good people keeps me here and although it takes me over an hour to get to work or any major store, I will never live anywhere else. When I’m not hunting or doing something outdoor related, you can find me spending time with my family and some of the best friends a person could ask for, playing basketball or slow pitch softball, participating in small town shenanigans and occasionally moonlighting as an overall wise-guy.
I’ve learned a lot from each and every person on here and although I’ve never met anyone from this site in person, friendships have been developed and I hope to one day meet all of you. In closing, I’d like to thank everyone associated with USAHP for making it a great place and my second home.
During my first year of hunting at age 12, I was able to take a nice doe and the following year took my first buck, a small 8pt. Once I got to high school it was expected that I’d play football like every other guy in my small school, but I had other plans and football cut into my hunting time so I chose hunting. It would be several more years before I shot another buck, but the lessons I learned during this time period have greatly shaped the hunter and person that I am today. My years of patience were finally rewarded during my senior year of high school when I was able to down the biggest deer of my life so far- an 11pt that scored in the mid 150’s. I’d seen this particular buck several times in previous weeks and finally on opening night of gun season, all the pieces of the puzzle came together. Everything changed that November night in 2001, and I’ve been on a roll when it comes to hunting ever since. Around this time I also got into turkey and shed antler hunting and they’ve become increasingly popular passions of mine.
When it came time to go to college, I applied to only 1 school- the closest one to home. I figured this would allow me to get home and hunt as much as possible and thankfully I was able to work my classes around my hunting schedule. 4 ½ years later with a degree in Conservation, I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. These days I’m living in my hometown and work for a company that specializes in erosion control and commercial landscaping in the Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN metro area. At the end of the work day I can’t wait to get out of the busy metropolitan area and back to small town, rural Wisconsin where it’s just an overall slower pace of life. The beauty of the area, when coupled with excellent hunting, fishing and good people keeps me here and although it takes me over an hour to get to work or any major store, I will never live anywhere else. When I’m not hunting or doing something outdoor related, you can find me spending time with my family and some of the best friends a person could ask for, playing basketball or slow pitch softball, participating in small town shenanigans and occasionally moonlighting as an overall wise-guy.
I’ve learned a lot from each and every person on here and although I’ve never met anyone from this site in person, friendships have been developed and I hope to one day meet all of you. In closing, I’d like to thank everyone associated with USAHP for making it a great place and my second home.
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June 2010
Willy / Willy
I have been hunting and fishing my whole life. My Dad started taking me
to the deer stand with him when I was old enough to walk on my own. I
remember him having to let me sit on his knee just so I could see out
the windows on his blinds in the south Texas brush country. I ended up
finishing high school in Florida where hunting was as far from my mind
as it could get. After finishing 6 years in the Navy, I returned to
Florida as a married man with 2 children. I became involved heavily in
the bass fishing tournament scene, gradually changing over to almost strictly
offshore fishing. It was something I did almost every weekend of the
year.
I met a guy through work who invited me up to his deer hunting club in southern Georgia one week, and the rest is history. The first day in the woods woke up all the memories of my younger child hood with my father and I became addicted to the woods even more so than I had been with the blue water of offshore fishing. I moved west from Florida about 15 years ago to care for my grandparents in Oklahoma. I discovered a whole new world of hunting out here. I was in close proximity to lands that held true giants, something I had never had the opportunity to hunt before. I began to travel each fall to some place I had heard held big bucks like Canada, Iowa, and Kansas. Along the way I learned something from everyone I met.My passion is Bow hunting big Whitetails, but I love it just about anyway I can get it using Bow, Rifle, and Muzzle loader.
I met a guy through work who invited me up to his deer hunting club in southern Georgia one week, and the rest is history. The first day in the woods woke up all the memories of my younger child hood with my father and I became addicted to the woods even more so than I had been with the blue water of offshore fishing. I moved west from Florida about 15 years ago to care for my grandparents in Oklahoma. I discovered a whole new world of hunting out here. I was in close proximity to lands that held true giants, something I had never had the opportunity to hunt before. I began to travel each fall to some place I had heard held big bucks like Canada, Iowa, and Kansas. Along the way I learned something from everyone I met.My passion is Bow hunting big Whitetails, but I love it just about anyway I can get it using Bow, Rifle, and Muzzle loader.
I
still make it home a few times a year for a saline fix. Once it's in your
blood you cant ever just walk away from it. But for the most part, I am
content with the outdoors right here in my own back yard.
___________________________________________________________________________________May 2010
Bo / Mex. Bowhunter
My whole life I have lived in the country. I was brought up in a hard
working family and spent a lot of my free time on a 300 acre ranch in my
back yard. If I was not fishing, I was looking for something to hunt.
Growing up in a one buck county I was very limited to deer hunting. I
started bow hunting when I was 13 so I could add two deer to my limit a
season. Most seasons I would hold out on harvesting a buck till the end
of season just so I could hunt as much as possible. I harvested my first
deer with a gun at 10 years of age and my first deer with a bow when I was
16. After that first deer with a bow I was hooked for life on bow
hunting. There was something about getting that close to deer back then
and it only took a doe to have a great weekend of hunting. The only
time my dad ever took off from work was to go hunting so it was a
special time each and every time we got out together. I kept bow hunting
when very few people I knew back then even owned a bow. In 1989 hunting
changed for me in so many ways. My dad got on a Mexico deer lease to
help a friend out to fill a lease. We made our first trip down to the
lease and I forgot everything I ever knew about hunting. For the first
time ever I was hunting deer like I had only seen on TV. That year will
be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. I got to see mature deer
for the first time and I learned that bucks did not all live at night
during season. As fun as it was, my dad was not able to get back on the
lease the next season. I had only gone to help and watch but, I then
started dreaming of being able to hunt big deer again in the wildest
place I have ever seen in my life. I continued to bow hunt around home
as much as I could afford it and started going to West Texas to hunt
whitetails and mule deer. As much as I loved that country, I always
dreamed of going back to Mexico. And my wish came true; Dad was able to
get on the same lease in Mexico the following year, and I was able to
go again for the ride. I saw the biggest deer of my life that season and
said from that point on that I would work hard and come back one day as
a hunter. I met my wife in 1994 and for the first time I was able to go
to Mexico as a hunter and chase the deer I had dreamed of. She started
going down with me that year and did not know at first why we would go
so far out of our way to hunt whitetails when we could just go hunt one
on her grandpa’s place at home. LOL! A few years down the road I
started working offshore and for the first time in my life I knew what
time off was. Tracy started getting more and more into hunting and I
found a hunting partner for life. I continued to bow hunt at home and
got about every friend I had into bow hunting till I did not know anyone
that didn’t own or hunt with a bow. After 7 years of going out we decided
to get married and start a family. We both continued to work as much as
we could and hunt when we could afford it. We have hunted all over
Texas, Oklahoma, and Mexico for the last 15 years. Besides whitetails I
have hunted turkeys, ducks, geese, dove, quill, hogs, exotics and about
every varmint that can be called in. I always love to call turkeys. I
practiced with turkeys calls more than my mom and dad would have liked
me to. The area I lived had very few birds and no season. I would go out
and just call turkeys in just to do it. Later on I started going on day
hunts out West and found a new love for hunting in the spring. There is
just something about hearing a turkey gobble on a spring morning that
reminds me how great the outdoors really is. Out of all the hunts I
have been on, I have never forgotten one of them. Managing whitetails
has never been for the horns, but to do my part to give back to
something that has help paved my life. As most of y'all know I have been
blessed with a little boy that also loves the out doors and I have been
given a chance to relive my whole outdoors experience again. Even if he
decides one day that he doesn’t want to hunt I know he will have respect
for those who do. I am so grateful to have known and learned from so
many great people and only hope I can do my part to keep people out in
the GREAT OUTDOORS!
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April 2010
Steve Olson / impactarcher
It wasn't until 1998 that I really got into deer hunting after I borrowed a friends bow and "almost" killed my first deer. From that point on I've been a bowhunting addict and have been very fortunate to harvest 10 P&Y bucks. When I'm not deer hunting my other hobbies are trapping and turkey hunting and of course building things. I also am a part time Taxidermist and many of you know. This fall will be my debut with my new taxidermy business called The Rack Shack.
I would best describe myself as a perfectionist with zero patience! Those two qualities don't really belong together but somehow I manage. The highlight of my hunting career so far was killing Crab Claw 2 years ago with my dad right by my side to witness the whole experience. I may kill bigger deer in the years to come but none will ever give me the thrill and enjoyment as that once in a lifetime hunt with dad.
In closing I'd like to say thanks to all the great people here USAHP, some who I've met and call good friends and looking forward to meeting many more in the future.
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March 2010
Mike Adkins / adkinsfamily2005
My name is Mike Adkins. I am 43 years young, a veteran of the United
States Army, a college graduate and a father to 5 kids and a grandpa to 3
grandsons. I have won the NFAA state 3d shoot, tied for 1st in the ASA
state tournament and shot very well at the national level. I work part
time in The Archery Shop and have been there for almost 7 years. I have
worked in the welding industry now for 10 years and enjoy getting out
with the customers. My loving wife is my best friend and lets me do all
my traveling, hunting and fishing.
February 2010____________________________________________________________________________________
Adam / Il Arrow Flinger
I began hunting and fishing at a very young age in central Indiana with
my father. I remember as if it were yesterday waiting on my dad to get
home from hunting so he could tell me his stories. When I was 8 years
old he knew that I was going to loose it if I had to go another year
without deer hunting so that is when it all began. He of course as an
avid hunter; taught me the ethics, safety, and knowledge of the
whitetail deer.
A few years went by and I finally harvested my first deer which was a small 8 point. I felt like I was on top of the world. The addiction really set in when I began working at an archery shop in high school. That was a year of a lot of firsts for me; duck and goose hunting, my first turkey, and my first P&Y 8pt with my bow. The next few years I was fortunate enough to harvest a couple more pope and young bucks with my bow with of course my most memorable hunt of a big non typical buck on film.
I am now living in central IL and have been hunting and filming for Territorial Intrusion Decoys for the past 2 seasons. There is just something about being able to re-live the hunt not only in my mind but also from the footage captured. My absolute fondest memories are the times spent with my father and close friends in the timber. To say that I am obsessed or an addict is in all honesty a complete understatement to all who know me. Like all of us I cherish every single moment that I am pursuing my passion for this wonder sport and cant wait to see what is in store for the upcoming seasons!
____________________________________________________________________________________A few years went by and I finally harvested my first deer which was a small 8 point. I felt like I was on top of the world. The addiction really set in when I began working at an archery shop in high school. That was a year of a lot of firsts for me; duck and goose hunting, my first turkey, and my first P&Y 8pt with my bow. The next few years I was fortunate enough to harvest a couple more pope and young bucks with my bow with of course my most memorable hunt of a big non typical buck on film.
I am now living in central IL and have been hunting and filming for Territorial Intrusion Decoys for the past 2 seasons. There is just something about being able to re-live the hunt not only in my mind but also from the footage captured. My absolute fondest memories are the times spent with my father and close friends in the timber. To say that I am obsessed or an addict is in all honesty a complete understatement to all who know me. Like all of us I cherish every single moment that I am pursuing my passion for this wonder sport and cant wait to see what is in store for the upcoming seasons!
January 2010
Mike / Young
As a child, my father was big into fishing and he was the first to
introduce me into the outdoor world. I fished numerous bass tournaments
with my dad, which took us too many different parts of the U.S.
Throughout that time we had the opportunity to meet a few well known
fishermen such as Hank Parker, Shaw Grigsby, Bill Dance, Rolan Martin,
Earl Bentz, and a few others… Though I enjoyed fishing I always had a
desire to hunt and couldn’t wait to get more involved in the outdoors.
Due to playing four different sports throughout Junior High and High
School, that desire had to sit on the back burner until I got into
College.
Whitetail Deer and Turkey always were appealing to me, so once I graduated; I enlisted in the hunter safety course and completed the process. In the spring of 2005 I applied for and was granted my first ever turkey tag! I was stoked and set off to the woods for my first time, knowing very little about the proper ways to hunt. Well the season came and passed without getting a turkey. So on to deer season I went. My dad and I both got our deer tags and set out for our first deer camp. We went in once again knowing very little about the game we were hunting and no more knowledge then what we had read and watched on TV. The first morning I climbed up into my stand and spotted my first deer from a stand was awesome. A sudden onset of panic came into effect and as it got closer I noticed it was a small buck. Well I elected to pass him and as it was, I didn’t have another deer come close enough to take. So deer season came and went.
After my first year of hunting had come and gone, I was hooked. So I started reading and watching everything that had to do with whitetail deer and turkey. My second year of hunting came and once again no turkey. Well I wasn’t satisfied with only being able to hunt deer during shotgun season so I bought a used bow. During bow season, I finally connected with my first deer. It was an experience I will never forget and I couldn’t of been more proud of my year in a half old 5pt buck.
I could go on and on with my many different encounters and learning experiences that I have had over the last five years, but I don’t want to make my BIO to long. So I will wrap things up in saying, in my 5 years I have accomplished quite a bit. I got my dad and grandpa back into hunting, along with taking my little brother on his first hunting experience. My Dad has shot his first buck ever, my grandpa got his first deer in over 20+ years, and my little brother got his first deer with a bow and buck with a shotgun. I have met some great friends and have had many learning experiences and memories I will never forget. I truly enjoy every minute and experience, good or bad, in the outdoors. I appreciate everyone who has helped me along the way and I hope I am able to have many more years of hunting and good ole’ times to come.
P.S. Deer Gods, would you please let me get my first Pope n Young during the 2010 Deer season!?
Whitetail Deer and Turkey always were appealing to me, so once I graduated; I enlisted in the hunter safety course and completed the process. In the spring of 2005 I applied for and was granted my first ever turkey tag! I was stoked and set off to the woods for my first time, knowing very little about the proper ways to hunt. Well the season came and passed without getting a turkey. So on to deer season I went. My dad and I both got our deer tags and set out for our first deer camp. We went in once again knowing very little about the game we were hunting and no more knowledge then what we had read and watched on TV. The first morning I climbed up into my stand and spotted my first deer from a stand was awesome. A sudden onset of panic came into effect and as it got closer I noticed it was a small buck. Well I elected to pass him and as it was, I didn’t have another deer come close enough to take. So deer season came and went.
After my first year of hunting had come and gone, I was hooked. So I started reading and watching everything that had to do with whitetail deer and turkey. My second year of hunting came and once again no turkey. Well I wasn’t satisfied with only being able to hunt deer during shotgun season so I bought a used bow. During bow season, I finally connected with my first deer. It was an experience I will never forget and I couldn’t of been more proud of my year in a half old 5pt buck.
I could go on and on with my many different encounters and learning experiences that I have had over the last five years, but I don’t want to make my BIO to long. So I will wrap things up in saying, in my 5 years I have accomplished quite a bit. I got my dad and grandpa back into hunting, along with taking my little brother on his first hunting experience. My Dad has shot his first buck ever, my grandpa got his first deer in over 20+ years, and my little brother got his first deer with a bow and buck with a shotgun. I have met some great friends and have had many learning experiences and memories I will never forget. I truly enjoy every minute and experience, good or bad, in the outdoors. I appreciate everyone who has helped me along the way and I hope I am able to have many more years of hunting and good ole’ times to come.
P.S. Deer Gods, would you please let me get my first Pope n Young during the 2010 Deer season!?
____________________________________________________________________________________
December 2009
Ashley / MathewsChic
After dating a hunter for a little over a year, I decided I wanted to
see what was so interesting in the timber that he would go and sit for
hours on end. So I asked PJ to take me out with him. We went for an
afternoon hunt that Fall. We sat at the top of a hill on a field edge,
right inside the timber. To his surprise, I was quiet and sat still. I
think he talked more than I did. Although we did not see anything there
was something about hearing the sounds of nature that was so calming
and intriguing.
After graduating from high school I moved to Mississippi. While there, PJ called and asked if I would be interested in participating in a late hunt with him. Of course I was nervous and ecstatic at the same time. I came home and we headed out for our first hunt together. I climbed up into the double man stand and waited for him. He realized it was completely iced over and told me to get down IMMEDIATELY! While I was waiting I was thinking about how dangerous the sport was if you had to climb up on ice covered steps! However, I soon realized that would not happen again. We decided to sit across a small creek, on the ground. Approximately five does came in and I shot at one. She fell to the ground and flopped around before getting up and taking off again. We were hunting with a muzzle loader and PJ was trying to reload as quickly as he could, however she was gone. We found blood and tracked her forever, but never found her. I was devastated. After all, I wounded her and couldn’t find her. That season left me with an unfilled tag.
The following year I applied for gun season and late season tags in hopes of getting something down. Late in the year, I also began bow hunting and purchased a tag. I missed again another doe, which I did not think was possible. Therefore, the season went with more unfilled tags. I was beginning to lose hope.
This year is my third year in the timber. It is my first year hunting a full bow season and every gun season. This year has been the most exciting by far. I hunted the majority of the season by myself in a couple different tree stands that PJ hung for me. I started hunting in the bottom of the timber, close to a cornfield. With harvest being late several deer would cross on this trail during a late afternoon trip to feed in the field. I saw several does and a few bucks. I shot at one buck and missed again. However, I kept my head up and with encouragement from USAHP I knew the time would come eventually. After the fields started disappearing I moved into a stand on the edge of a bean field. Here is where I had the best encounters! I had a buck (approx. 130) come in right underneath my stand. I was ready to smoke him the minute I saw him, but he angled toward me the entire way to my stand. I never had a clear shot. As I got down from my stand that evening, I began crossing the bean field when I noticed another buck starring at me from approximately 30 yards. He began to trot off and blew a couple times. He eventually stopped and starred for a while so I got a good look in the binos. He was a nice buck that PJ and I had been watching via trail cams all season. I was stoked to see it so close! One evening I had thirty or more deer sprint by my stand! I had never seen so many at once. PJ’s scent spooked a couple of does down from where I was sitting. The does must have stirred the timber on their way out. It was awesome. I don’t know if I could have even pulled my bow back. I was in Awe. The rest of the season continued with several does and small bucks walking around me, but I never got a clear shot on them. Before I knew it gun season arrived. PJ and I headed out for a long walk in around 4:30am on opening morning. Before shooting light a buck worked his way across the bean field. PJ and I watched in disappointment because it was too early to shoot. The buck worked back to the other side and we thought for sure he was gone. PJ began to call, hoping he would slowly work his way back as the sun began to rise. Sure enough, he slowly walked his way back and stopped right in front of me at 60 yards to feed. The light was shining and I had a perfect view through my new scope!!!! I shot off the muzzle loader and BOOM!!!! He was DOWN! He only ran approximately 60 yards and never left the field. It was the biggest adrenaline rush EVER! I was pumped. It still makes my heart race thinking about it. My first deer/buck was put down around 6:30am opening morning for the first gun season of 2009! I couldn’t be happier. In 2010, I hope to put something down with my Mathews!
Thanks to my USAHP family for always providing encouragement and a good laugh! I have met several of you on the site and looking forward to meeting many more. Each of you give insightful information and helpful tips to me as a beginner hunter, whether you realize it or not. I appreciate every moment the site has to offer me. USAHP is simply the virtual world of sitting around a campfire telling deer camp stories EVERY DAY! Thanks to all of the administrators, moderators, and members for making another home for me. Happy New Year!
After graduating from high school I moved to Mississippi. While there, PJ called and asked if I would be interested in participating in a late hunt with him. Of course I was nervous and ecstatic at the same time. I came home and we headed out for our first hunt together. I climbed up into the double man stand and waited for him. He realized it was completely iced over and told me to get down IMMEDIATELY! While I was waiting I was thinking about how dangerous the sport was if you had to climb up on ice covered steps! However, I soon realized that would not happen again. We decided to sit across a small creek, on the ground. Approximately five does came in and I shot at one. She fell to the ground and flopped around before getting up and taking off again. We were hunting with a muzzle loader and PJ was trying to reload as quickly as he could, however she was gone. We found blood and tracked her forever, but never found her. I was devastated. After all, I wounded her and couldn’t find her. That season left me with an unfilled tag.
The following year I applied for gun season and late season tags in hopes of getting something down. Late in the year, I also began bow hunting and purchased a tag. I missed again another doe, which I did not think was possible. Therefore, the season went with more unfilled tags. I was beginning to lose hope.
This year is my third year in the timber. It is my first year hunting a full bow season and every gun season. This year has been the most exciting by far. I hunted the majority of the season by myself in a couple different tree stands that PJ hung for me. I started hunting in the bottom of the timber, close to a cornfield. With harvest being late several deer would cross on this trail during a late afternoon trip to feed in the field. I saw several does and a few bucks. I shot at one buck and missed again. However, I kept my head up and with encouragement from USAHP I knew the time would come eventually. After the fields started disappearing I moved into a stand on the edge of a bean field. Here is where I had the best encounters! I had a buck (approx. 130) come in right underneath my stand. I was ready to smoke him the minute I saw him, but he angled toward me the entire way to my stand. I never had a clear shot. As I got down from my stand that evening, I began crossing the bean field when I noticed another buck starring at me from approximately 30 yards. He began to trot off and blew a couple times. He eventually stopped and starred for a while so I got a good look in the binos. He was a nice buck that PJ and I had been watching via trail cams all season. I was stoked to see it so close! One evening I had thirty or more deer sprint by my stand! I had never seen so many at once. PJ’s scent spooked a couple of does down from where I was sitting. The does must have stirred the timber on their way out. It was awesome. I don’t know if I could have even pulled my bow back. I was in Awe. The rest of the season continued with several does and small bucks walking around me, but I never got a clear shot on them. Before I knew it gun season arrived. PJ and I headed out for a long walk in around 4:30am on opening morning. Before shooting light a buck worked his way across the bean field. PJ and I watched in disappointment because it was too early to shoot. The buck worked back to the other side and we thought for sure he was gone. PJ began to call, hoping he would slowly work his way back as the sun began to rise. Sure enough, he slowly walked his way back and stopped right in front of me at 60 yards to feed. The light was shining and I had a perfect view through my new scope!!!! I shot off the muzzle loader and BOOM!!!! He was DOWN! He only ran approximately 60 yards and never left the field. It was the biggest adrenaline rush EVER! I was pumped. It still makes my heart race thinking about it. My first deer/buck was put down around 6:30am opening morning for the first gun season of 2009! I couldn’t be happier. In 2010, I hope to put something down with my Mathews!
Thanks to my USAHP family for always providing encouragement and a good laugh! I have met several of you on the site and looking forward to meeting many more. Each of you give insightful information and helpful tips to me as a beginner hunter, whether you realize it or not. I appreciate every moment the site has to offer me. USAHP is simply the virtual world of sitting around a campfire telling deer camp stories EVERY DAY! Thanks to all of the administrators, moderators, and members for making another home for me. Happy New Year!
____________________________________________________________________________________
November 2009
Jason / Bow_dad
I am a true river rat, growing up literally and figuratively on the
banks of the Tippacanoe river in North West Indiana. My parents moved
out of the city when I was one and I thank them every time I get the
chance for giving my two brothers and I the chance to grow up in the
outdoors. I enjoy every aspect of the outdoors from sheds and turkeys
in the spring to shooting birds over my short hair and running a trap line in the fall. I truly enjoy the extra effort it takes to take
fish on a fly rod and get within bow range of mature whitetail however.
My favorite thing about the outdoors now is the time spent with family
and friends, both the ones who still teach me a thing or two and the
newcomers like my son, niece and wife Tonya.
____________________________________________________________________________________
October 2009
gchunter
I am a 21 year old college student going to school for elementary
education, I am from a small little town in Midwest WI and I have been
hunting since the age of 12. I give credit to my Grandpa who instilled
that passion we all share into my Dad who since has done the same for
me. The closeness we have developed through the countless hours we have
spent in the woods hunting, scouting, checking cameras or anything else
is simply irreplaceable and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
This is my 10th year in the woods and the memories are endless and I
know the future will only hold more.
Thanks to my family and friends for sharing my passion and thanks to the members of this site for being a part of my hunting lifestyle!
Thanks to my family and friends for sharing my passion and thanks to the members of this site for being a part of my hunting lifestyle!
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September 2009
Vic Cook / Mountainman Vic
Since I started hunting in 1984, I've gone from loving the sport of
hunting to being a full blown addict. In 2003, my wife and I packed every
thing up and moved from the hustle and bustle of the fast lane in Harrisburg, PA
to the easy going north central mountains of Pennsylvania.
I work as a superintendent for a construction company building mostly schools and government projects. Over the past three years I've taken up taxidermy and hope to someday go at that almost full time (When I'm not hunting)!
I work as a superintendent for a construction company building mostly schools and government projects. Over the past three years I've taken up taxidermy and hope to someday go at that almost full time (When I'm not hunting)!
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August 2009
Mike Romer / TheRomer
The passion for the outdoors started for me when I was just a little
guy going out after Tree Rats and fishing with my father. When I was 15
he decided to let me try and get my first whitetail.
He got me up in a stand, strapped me in and said, "if you see a buck shoot it". This was the first time I'd hunted without him by my side (he was only going to hunt about 100 yards away) and before he even got to his spot I had a little basketrack 5 pt on the ground, and from that day on the whitetail deer has been our affliction.
Now that I have 2 wonderful boys of my own I can not wait to give them the Passion that I have for gods creation, The great outdoors, and the affliction for the whitetail deer.
My father passed in 2000 and I dedicate all my hunts to him for giving me the opportunity to live this kind of life.
Thanks Dad, I love you and miss you very much.
He got me up in a stand, strapped me in and said, "if you see a buck shoot it". This was the first time I'd hunted without him by my side (he was only going to hunt about 100 yards away) and before he even got to his spot I had a little basketrack 5 pt on the ground, and from that day on the whitetail deer has been our affliction.
Now that I have 2 wonderful boys of my own I can not wait to give them the Passion that I have for gods creation, The great outdoors, and the affliction for the whitetail deer.
My father passed in 2000 and I dedicate all my hunts to him for giving me the opportunity to live this kind of life.
Thanks Dad, I love you and miss you very much.
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July 2009
John Wells / Godfather
Hunting, fishing and the great outdoors in general have always been a
big part of my life. My dad was the person who got me started. I've
been going with him hunting and fishing since I was old enough to tag
along. Now that I am a father myself I can't wait to be able to share
what I have learned about the outdoors with my children. My favorite
sport would be archery hunting for whitetail deer. I just can't get
enough of it! I have been married for five years to my beautiful wife
Jennifer. We currently have one son Blake, who is two, and we have
another little one on the way due this January.____________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009
Tim Bannen / G3
If it happens in the timber I am probably trying to find a way to get
closer to it. I live, eat, sleep, and breath the outdoors. My passion
is whitetail deer, weather it be hunting, studying, driving across the
country to look at them, ect. I use the rest of my time to try to
introduce my family to the outdoors and see the fire inside them grow.
By trade I am a residential contractor which has afforded me the
ability to chase my dreams in the outdoors. I am married to Nichole,
and I am the proud parent of 5 children.