Being born in Richmond, Virginia, into a family full of outdoorsmen, has given me a growing passion for wildlife and the outdoors. I started waterfowl hunting around the age of 9 when my dad would let me tag along with him and my older brother into the marshes of our family farm, Lilly Point. I was brought along without a gun for a full two seasons to learn the ways of waterfowl hunting. I chased cripples in the marsh and watched ducks and geese come cupping into our decoy spread as I learned how to call, shoot, and work the dog. My father passed on experiences, knowledge, and traditions that I won't soon forget and will continue to pass on. It was the smell of the marsh, the cold mornings where I could see my breath, the whistling wings, and the echo of the gunshots over the marsh and into the woods that ignited my true obsession for waterfowling.

In the fall of 2010 I will be transferring as a junior to Virginia Tech. I am fortunate enough to have a schedule that is flexible enough to enjoy as many mornings as possible in the duck blind throughout the season. I am an avid waterfowl hunter but love to enjoy deer, turkey, and dove hunting as well.

My favorite hunting memory took place in Wetonka, South Dakota as I sat underneath around 1,500 Snows, Blues, and Ross geese who were all “gettin’ tipsy” over the decoy spread until the magical words, “kill ‘em” were shouted. Watching this many birds decoy at one time was a sight that I will never forget.

I am an active member of Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl and am proud to support ProHuntersJournal in sharing and passing on hunting traditions.

I feel blessed to have been born into a family of hunters who, from an early age, shared with me their love of the outdoors and their passion for hunting. My father, both grandfathers and several uncles…all of them were hunters and incredible role models for what it means to be true sportsmen. I can still remember hearing my Grandfather's voice as he taught me one of my first lessons as a hunter. He'd say "Never point your gun at something you don't plan on shooting, and don't shoot something you don't plan on eating!"

My earliest hunting memories are of waterfowling with my Dad – starting when I couldn't have been much more than five years old. He'd wake me up early, several hours before sunrise and take me down to the kitchen to talk about what the day might have in store for us while he'd fill his beat up old Thermos with coffee and then fill a second Thermos with hot chocolate just for me. We mostly hunted big water ducks from a boat blind in those days. After we'd cross the moonlit lake and found our spot, I'd hand Dad decoys from the boat and he would place them "just so", hoping that we had set up an appealing shooting hole so that we could get a good close shot at decoying ducks. I was still using a toy gun in those days, but even still, I downed a few birds myself by using the power of my imagination. I eventually graduated to a Daisy 880 BB gun, then to a single shot .410 and eventually I was shooting a 12-gauge, just like Dad. We've had some great times in the duck blind together back then and still do to this day – of which I am very thankful.

My parents were born and raised in Iowa but eventually moved to Southern Ohio, where I was born and where I still live today with my wife and three beautiful children. When I was young we would travel "home to Iowa" each year to visit my grandparents for the holidays. Iowa provided my first experiences with upland hunting, as it was rich with pheasants and cottontails. Between our family events and holiday get-togethers we'd always find time to put on our boots and blaze orange and get out to the family farm to see if we could kick up a few Pheasants…and we did, and it was magical.

It wasn't until later in life, after college, that I really discovered my passion for deer hunting. I had taken a deer with a shotgun when I was in high school. But it wasn't until I was invited to an archery range to shoot a buddy's beat-up old compound bows that I really developed a strong interest in Whitetails. But after taking just a few shots with those bows, I was hooked. That day I told my buddy that I was going to buy my own bow and harvest a deer with it during the next hunting season… and I did, and it was magical.

One of my favorites things about hunting is that you truly can learn something new every time you step foot into the field. Plus, there are so many great experiences to be had and to be shared that only other hunters can appreciate. These are among the main reasons why I co-founded ProHuntersJournal.com.

Favorite Hunting Memory: I have two favorite hunting memories that come to mind. The first was watching my Dad get a "Scotch double" on a couple of Bluebills that were buzzing our decoy spread at full speed. I wasn't even old enough to shoot a real gun back then, but it was still an amazing thing to watch.

The second was when I took my first buck with a bow. He was decent 9-pointer that came perfectly into my setup, just as I had devised and imagined it in my mind. I was able to arrow him at less than 20 yards. I can still remember those moments like they're in "high-def" slow motion in the theater of my mind.

I am an active member of Ducks Unlimited, the NRA, as well as other local conservation programs and organizations.

I grew up on a small farm in Liberty Center, Ohio. At an early age I learned the ups and downs of the outdoor world from my father and grandfather. I would sit and listen for hours about their great hunting and fishing adventures up in Canada. I knew as a young boy that I was destined to be an outdoorsman myself. I began hunting pheasants and rabbits on our land at the age of 12, and have since added whitetails, turkey and waterfowl to the list of game I pursue. Waterfowl hunting has became a real passion for me over the past few years, and although my area doesn’t offer substantial migration numbers, I’ve learned there is a lot of reward in scouting hard and going that extra mile to achieve a goal. My fondest memory in the outdoors was on Thanksgiving morning in 2007, when I harvested a drake mallard sporting a Jack Miner band.

I still reside in Liberty Center with my wonderful wife Randi Sue, and our three terrific children, Tristan, Trenton and Tatum. If I’m not in the woods or on the river you can find me coaching my kids baseball, softball, basketball and football teams, or spending time with friends and family.

At age 13 I started hunting with my dad, who taught me all the in and outs of the sport and from that point on I knew hunting and archery would be a passion for life. Taking my first Pope & Young buck at age 18 got me even more addicted. Since then I have takenseveral Pope & Young’s and continue on my quest year after year for that Booner. I also enjoy hunting small game, coyotes, turkey and bear with my bow. With many other big game animals on my list I’ve also added 3D shooting and helping to educate/teach others about the great sport of archery