I GREW UP IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI IN THE HILLS OF THE OZARKS. I HUNTED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WITH MY DAD, TEACHING ME EVERYTHING FROM SQUIRRELS CUTTING HICKORY NUTS, CHASING RABBITS THROUGH THE BRUSH PILES TO CALLING WEARY OLD GOBBLERS ACROSS A WOODED RIDGE.

LATER ON WE MOVED TO NEW BLOOMFIELD MO. (JEFFERSON CITY AREA). I THOUGHT HUNTING WAS GOING TO BE OVER. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT MY HUNTING HAD JUST BEEN EXPANDED!! NOW CAME MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE, TROPHY WHITETAILS.

AFTER YEARS OF HUNTING WHITETAILS AND SHOOTING SOME DECENT BUCKS WITH MY BOW AND RIFLE, I WANTED MORE. I STARTED PAYING MORE ATTENTION AND SET MY STANDARDS HIGHER. IN 1996, MY PATIENCE PAID OFF, I HARVESTED A MATURE 8 POINT WITH MY BOW. LATER THE SAME YEAR I HARVESTED THE BIGGEST BUCK I HAD EVER SEEN, A 12 POINT THAT SCORED 165 WITH MY 30-06. THE NEXT YEAR, I HARVESTED A 130 CLASS 10 POINT.

FROM THEN ON, I WAS ADDICTED TO TROPHY HUNTING; I HAD A RIFLE CUSTOM BUILT FOR ME BY JOSH WOODS, OWNER OF WOODS CUSTOM RIFLES. IT WASN’T UNTIL 2001, FOUR YEARS LATER I HARVESTED THE BIGGEST BUCK OF MY CAREER, A TYPICAL 9 POINTER THAT WAS JUST 2 INCHES SHY OF 170 BOONE & CROCKET POINTS.

I STARTED DOING MY OWN TAXIDERMY WORK IN 2001 BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET A TAXIDERMIST TO PERFORM TO MY STANDARDS. I PUT INTO TAXIDERMY THE SAME DRIVE THAT I PUT INTO MY DEER HUNTING, ONLY THE BEST AND NOTHING ELSE! I LEARNED FROM THE BEST WHITETAIL TAXIDERMIST IN THE COUNTRY. NOW WHEN I MOUNT A WHITETAIL BUCK IT HAS TO BE PERFECT OR I WILL TEAR IT APART AND START OVER. I DO NOT TRY TO SLAM WORK TOGETHER JUST TO GET IT OUT THE DOOR FAST. THAT JUST WON’T CUT IT HERE.

TROPHY WHITETAILS ARE MY LIFE NOW, I SET ONLY THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND POISE.