Our Hunting Mentors and Inspirations Come from Many Places

In my 30-plus years of hunting, I have been lucky enough to have some amazing mentors. I can remember going to my family hunting camp when I was young and absolutely worshiping all the guys who were preparing for the hunt. I did my best to absorb their theories and stories of successes and failures from years gone by. I couldn’t get enough. The old dusty racks and mounts that adorned those walls did nothing short of whirl me into a frenzy of excitement for the time that would eventually come when I too would lace up those boots, put on some camo and create my own stories.

Along with these tangible mentors, I was also influenced by the many great authors of the time. I cannot count the hours I spent reading magazines and books covering the outdoors. There’s no doubt all those stories helped propel this humble outdoorsman into the hunting fanatic I am today, even at age 45.

Mentors can come from anywhere. For example, some people have been inspired by their grade-school teachers, their high-school football coaches or even their older siblings. As a high-school teacher and coach for more than 20 years now, I have learned that some relationships that are struck in the classroom or in the weight room at can bloom into long-lasting friendships and sources of inspiration.

Remembering The GOAT

If you live in Michigan like I do and you’re a hunter, you likely have been influenced by Fred Bear. If you are reading this and have not gone down the Fred Bear rabbit hole, stop reading my words right now and start from scratch. Go pick up one of the many books that provide firsthand stories written by the GOAT himself. Then, when you have completed all of those, pick up all the other books that were written about Fred by his hunting partners. After that, do yourself a favor and watch his original hunting videos. Then, you can pick up this magazine and start again.

I never met Fred Bear and was actually born a little too late to truly get the full display of his glory in his hometown of Grayling, Mich., which is only an hour and a half from my home. By the time I was really interested in hunting, the Fred Bear Museum had headed for warmer temperatures in Florida. However, his films and books lined my shelves later in life and inspired my soul to a whole new level of outdoor adventure.

The incredible, untamed stories that were written in his words and shown in his many films captured my imagination. They also inspired me to think about how a guy who spent most of his life in my home state could be such a legend! These early works are the building blocks of what is now the modern- day hunting media. The hunting world would be nothing without Fred’s groundbreaking films and books.

Another Michigan man who had a tremendous influence on this teenaged, pimple-faced boy with a love for the outdoors was Terrible Ted Nugent. Yes, the Motor City Madman.

Love him or hate him, Ted offered a whole new perspective to the outdoors during my teenage years. He was energetic, he oozed rock ’n’ roll, and he preached the outdoors no matter what stage he was on. He also preached against drugs and alcohol during a time when most of my companions were drowning in it. Many people look past this part of his message, but it hit home to me when I was at a crossroads in my confusing teenage years.

The other thing that stood out about Ted was that he shot instinctively, just like me. I shot instinctively for almost 20 years before switching over to a bowsight for the first time. The fact that Ted was so successful with the practice only solidified my relatively odd way of doing things. Like Fred Bear, I have never met Ted. I may have watched him on stage several times, but his words and videos provided a mentorship as if he were my next-door neighbor showing me the way when he had a chance.

Pay It Forward

My goal in sharing all this is not to simply list the many mentors I have had — it is to hopefully inspire you all to think about the impact you might have on a fellow hunter, no matter what age they may be. In a world full of endless negativity and poor role models, I think there needs to be a focus on turning things around and becoming better on even the smallest levels. How are you representing yourself with young hunters around you? How are you representing the hunting world with the pictures you share on social media? Are you taking the time to explain things to people who ask or inquire? Are you able to eloquently explain the lifestyle you love so much?

As mentioned earlier, I couldn’t get enough of the stories I heard at camp as a child. In fact, I still hope some of my older friends and family members will share particular stories each season, even though I have heard them dozens of times. It’s what makes us all united at camp. It’s what keeps all the hunters who came before us, and the lessons they taught, alive. I believe this is an aspect of the hunting community that needs to be built up more. Those storytellers make our hunting lifestyle carry on forever.

Having the opportunity to be published in Petersen’s Bowhunting, and now Bowhunter, over the past several years has been extremely rewarding. It is unbelievable to see my words next to those written by legends such as Chuck Adams, M.R. James, Bill Winke, Eddie Claypool and many others. These guys have been filling my ever-eager brain with bowhunting information for years. Reading how they described their many adventures, gear setups, failures and successes made me want to be the best I could be as a bowhunter.

I would love to know how much money I have spent on magazines in my lifetime. Perusing the magazine racks in the store and seeing the new issue was like Christmas morning. What cool adventure was Eddie going to describe to me? What kind of big-buck knowledge was Bill going to provide, only for me to apply incorrectly to my hunting situation and completely screw it up? What amazing photos was Chuck going to share on his endless journey through archery mastery? Well, now I have the humbling opportunity to be in the same magazine as those guys! I feel like I am pulling a fast one on somebody. Once again, I have never met any of these individuals; however, they have changed my life in many ways.

Some say print media is a dying medium. Well, don’t believe it! Even though there are some amazing advantages to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, it is simply not the same as the feel and tangible experience that come with having and holding a hunting magazine or book. Sure, the digital pictures and videos you can see on your smartphone screen are awesome — not to mention a great way to let yourself get distracted in a deer stand — having that magazine on the coffee table or in the blind is a whole different experience.

I always had a book or magazine in my backpack at school so I could hurry up and get the ridiculous math work done and then set it aside and read how to tackle the upcoming rut or drool over the advertisements for the new flagship bows. Who needed that math stuff anyway? I was never going to use that later in life. I needed to be focused on how the moon was going to affect the peak of the rut in my area. That was some necessary information to absorb.

Magazines are, of course, now available online, and I get that some people love the easy access to them. However, it is simply not the same scrolling through on a screen after I have spent half the day doing bills, writing lesson plans and answering emails. When that magazine is in my hand, it requires a different focus and harkens me back to reading in my bed as a youngster with the headlamp or flashlight as I wondered what it would be like to actually get to full draw on a decent buck.

Inspiration Lives On

Finding a mentor you can literally share a campfire with is the ultimate goal, but there are so many experts out there that you can learn from. Even when those individuals are miles away or have long since passed, their words and stories can be a bounty of inspiration and knowledge for you. Think about the great musicians in history who have been gone for hundreds of years and still inspire young kids to pick up their instruments today.

I will never be able to thank all of those who have inspired my outdoor pursuits over the years. I know I will never get a chance to meet them, but I hope they understand what they have provided me is going to live on through my words and actions. I also hope that I, in some ways, might be a source of inspiration to those who read these words. It still blows my mind that I have been provided an opportunity to share my thoughts and stories with all the readers, and I don’t take the privilege lightly.

The author resides in Northern Michigan with his wife, Jessica, and two children, Grace and James.

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