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About Team DIYEric Welsh It all started when I got my first BB gun; no lizard or bird was safe! I grew to love the outdoors and bow hunting. There is nothing in the world like the feeling I get when I draw my bow on an animal, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's not about the kill (which is awesome), it's about being one with nature and seeing all your scouting and practice pay off. I love the animals we hunt, and I will do whatever it takes to promote conservation so that our children will be able to do the same.
Nathan Welsh
I lead a typical, stressful, white collar life. I work long hours in the office and weekends so, needless to say I don't get much free time. I look forward to my two weeks vacation a year that I spend hunting the West for big game. When I do get an occasional weekend off, there is nothing I love more than sitting twenty feet up in a tree, stress free, enjoying nature, and waiting for a huge black bear to cross my path. I have sky dived, bungee jumped;, cliff jumped; I have even flipped a sports car going 100+ miles per hour, and none of them give you as intense a rush as staring a black bear in the eye and letting an arrow fly. It's more than just an adrenaline high, it's also getting to share these exhilarating moments with your family and friends. I would be hard pressed to tell you a more fun activity amongst friends than, after a long hunt, to sit around the campfire, cook some back straps, drink one too many tall boys, reminisce, bond, trash talk and B.S. about the day. None of this would have ever been possible if, twenty plus years ago, my old man hadn't dragged me out of bed by bribing me with sprinkle and bear claw donuts, to take me on my first hunt; for that, I will be forever thankful!
Evan Williams
Growing up in South Central Nebraska and Northwestern Kansas I was introduced to the outdoors at a very young age. Between sports, Boy Scouts, and competitive rifle shooting the only time I spent indoors was forced time by school administrators.
I began hunting Mule Deer at the age of fourteen, at the time that was the minimum age allowed by the state. But my love and admiration for this Majestic species began years before when upon my return from school one day my younger brother and I were greeted to the largest buck that I have ever seen! I had been hunting with my father since before I can remember for whitetail in Nebraska but nothing that you could see above the bed of the truck.
Following my high school graduation I received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Missouri – Kansas City for the universities rifle team where I majored in Mathematics and Statistics and was forced to put my hunting on hold. After the completion of my collegiate career I moved to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center and renewed my passion for the outdoors as I began working at the local archery Pro-Shop.
My hunting is centered on backcountry DIY bow hunting for trophy mule deer. At the age of 28 my biggest bow hunting idols are: Randy Ulmer, David Long, and Cameron Hanes. Randy and David take some of the best Mule Deer consistently year after year and Cam is an inspiration for all backcountry DIY bow hunters.
Bruce OldenKamp Growing up on a dairy farm in Chino, California. I have been around hunting my whole life; my first real gun at 10 years old, a single shot 410 started it all for me. I have always been into hunting, but growing up playing sports all year and school made it just something I did on September first or a trip out of state for a week for deer hunting and that was it. After school I started to have time to do my own thing and I got big into firearms and hunting with firearms. I killed a few deer with my rifles, but my true passion was predator hunting. Building precision rifles loads and all that went along with it consumed me and really started the fire in me for the outdoors. I picked up archery just to have something to play with, I bought an entry level PSE Nova and I hunted a little bit with it, and killed my first buck with a bow in Utah in about 2007. That’s when it all changed for me, I was hooked....line, sinker the whole thing! I then started looking at some better equipment: bow, glass, gear, everything. Started playing the points game in all the states I thought I might want to hunt. Shooting my bow almost every day, talking to others and learning everything I could about the sport and getting out there and learning off trial and error. I now am consumed with archery, all aspects of it. Hunting, target, tuning or simply helping some else get started in this great sport we love. I just want to be around it. In the off season, when I can’t hunt big game you can find me shooting a local 3-D competition or a national event, hunting predators and shooting fish all with a bow. Hanging trail cameras and scouting new areas for the coming years big game hunt are a few other things that also help me get through the off season. When the season finally rolls around I try to hunt as many places/states that I can get to every year. Luckily, I have a very understanding wife that stands behind me and encourages me in all the adventures I might take. There are no words to describe the feelings and sights you see and feel being out in Gods great outdoors, and having the opportunity to harvest one of his animal he put here for us to live off of is just icing on the cake.
JUNIOR TEAM DIY Kade Smith
Ever since I got my first bow at about age 8, I’ve been fully addicted to bow hunting. Last year, in 2008, I received a letter from azgafd , and I never felt so good as when my archery elk tag arrived. Unfortunately, I did not kill an elk, but I will never forget the feeling when there is a bull of any size screaming 15 yards away.
I have been around hunting all my life. My dad is a taxidermist so it is really neat to see all the nice animals come in from time to time. My brother Justin inspired me to hunt; I look up to my brother 100% and always will.
My favorite thing to do is be in the outdoors. I have never been the type to play videogames all day. Once you spend a day in the outdoors you will be hooked, anywhere from shooting rabbits with the buddies or taking a camping trip with my father. I will always look up to the outdoors and I hope you do too.
Logan Erautt
It all started when my Uncle Eddy asked me to come to Arizona and hunt foxes with him (but of course we did not see any foxes). That week I knew I liked the outdoors. I knew my Uncle Eddy was having a blast. I didn't stop asking my parents for a bow for my 11 birthday. My dad called my Uncle Eddy and set me up with a bow.
Logan is new to the sport. A couple months back, he received his bow on his 11th birthday and has been shooting almost every day since; he is becoming a great shooter. He has been going on all our scouting trips in Arizona and is really learning a lot. He smoked this Ram in California. This ram didn't even have a chance! He pin wheeled it at 30 yards, making it his first trophy. We are hoping to get him his first hog real soon and are sure he will only go up from there.
Jared Tippit
Prescott,AZ
![]() Thanks to my dad and mom I got my first bow for Christmas of 2010. By January 1st I had my first archery kill(javelina). It's all bow hunting from now on! My dad and mom both love the outdoors. My dad is a outfitter here in Arizona so I have been involved with hunting and the outdoors my whole life(all 12 yrs of it). They both taught me that hunting is a privilege and that I always need to respect that. Every year I look forward to helping my dad with glassing and scouting but the best is hanging out in the cedars in the gray light of September when the bulls are on fire. Only one thing better, getting to do that with a bow in my hand. I am also part of the M2D Camo team young guns.
Cy Weaver
Yucaipa, CA
I had my first hunting experience when I was two years old.
![]() I've had my first bow since I was four. I got my second bow when I was eight, for Christmas, then I got my PSE Chaos when I turned eleven in June 2010. So thanks to my dad and mom for purchasing those bows for me. When I got the Chaos I was an unbelievable shooter, and always ranked first, second, or third place in all tournaments I entered. And I also took down my first big game animal with a bow in January 2011. I am so happy for all of the achievements I have done.
DIY FIELD STAFF Aaron Hartley
Adam Roemer
Brett Burrier
Corey Paulsen I live on the Wetside of Washington State. Washington is not known for producing a lot of trophy animals, but we do have a variety of great animals to hunt. I am passionate about hunting Blacktail deer, Roosevelt Elk and Mule Deer. I have been fortunate enough to also hunt Utah and Idaho for elk and mule deer. Hunting is more than an activity or a season for me. As soon as one season ends the next one begins. I believe that hunting and specifically archery hunting is a form of therapy. The is no greater rush than being successful with a bow. Success is not measured by the antler size! I enjoy the story just as much as the sight of a great trophy. I am lucky to work for a company that is in the archery industry. Everyday I learn something new and I can't wait to see what the next day has in store. I shoot a LimbSaver Proton at 67lbs. I use a all LimbSaver products. LimbSaver Fall-a-way rest. LimbSaver Prism sight with the mover pin. LimbSaver Modular stabilizer. TightSpot Quiver. Victory VForce and VAP Arrows. Trophy Taker Shuttle T broadheads.
Dustin Jones
I have been a bow hunter since I was old enough to possess a hunting license. I still remember how excited I was being woken up before sunrise knowing that my dad was taking me hunting. At a very young age my dad introduced me to hunting and I have been addicted ever since. He instilled his values on us and taught us all that I know about hunting which I plan to teach to my kids as well. I am continually seeking to be better and gain more knowledge so this is a great place to learn from others.
Eric Baler
When I was a kid, we only had two channels on TV, and the only hunting show available was on at 4:00 am Saturday morning. So on Saturday morning, when most other kids were sleeping in, I woke up early just to watch and became intrigued with bow hunting. For the next few years, all I ever asked for or wanted for any birthday, Christmas, or present was a bow. When I was 13 my parents finally gave into my pestering and bought me my first one; a Bear Whitetail 2 which still hangs on my bow rack. I was the first and only bow hunter in my family or circle of friends. With no one around who could share anything about archery or bow hunting, the term DIY was very real to me. I pored over every magazine, TV show, and anything else I could find. I spent countless hours with bow in hand and taught myself everything I know about archery; from being able to run a pro shop to tagging over thirty Pope and Young animals. My love of archery has grown from enjoying shooting in the backyard to hardcore backcountry hunting expeditions.
There is no better feeling or way to describe bow hunting. Nothing compares to shouldering a 50lb pack and heading to the backcountry to watch all your hard work scouting, practicing, exercising, and paying attention to details pay off big with a Pope and Young animal on your pack headed out with you.
Faron Hembree
I have been a hunter for as long as I can remember. Growing up on a farm in rural SW Missouri really kept my opportunities to hunt constant. My father took myself and my 2 brothers hunting a lot and taught us to be ethical hunters as well as conservationist. We all participated in archery shoots at our church and I shot in the state archery competition when I was in the 7th grade. I became Hunter Education certified when I was 10 years old and my father let me start carrying a rifle to deer hunt with. When I was 12 years old, I harvested my first whitetail doe with a 30-30 rifle. The next year I shot a doe with my bow and I have been hooked on bow hunting every since. Bow hunting whitetail deer is my passion and I can hardly wait for September to roll around every year.
Greg Miller
As a young boy I wasn’t exposed to hunting as much as I could have been. My father wasn’t around much when I was growing up, he spent much of his life battling drug & alcohol addictions. I’m making sure I don’t make those same mistakes. The only addictions I have are good ones, my family & bow hunting. So almost everything I’ve learned about hunting I’ve learned on my own. I’ve hunted Elk, Mule Deer, Antelope, Black Bear, Whitetail Deer and Turkey. But my main focus is on Whitetails & Turkeys. Someday I hope to have the chance to hunt in Africa.
Joel Pile There is nowhere on earth more peaceful than the great outdoors. My most cherished childhood memories all surround time spent outdoors with my dad and grandpa. Hunting, camping and fishing have always been a way of life for me. I am blessed to spend between 180 to 200 days a year immersed in the outdoor experience. Bow hunting is my true passion, as a young Boy Scout my favorite merit badge was archery. At scout camp, my troop leaders always had to drag me from the archery range to participate in the other activities. I believe we become better hunters through experience and sharing the acquired knowledge with one another. I am certainly no expert, but I have made enough mistakes, all the time learning from those mistakes and eventually found some level of success. My job with Team DIY is to help others learn from my experiences, so they may also find success. I also believe it’s our responsibility to instill solid outdoor ethics and education with our youth, so this great hunting heritage may be passed to the next generation. Today, life is all about spending time outdoors with friends and family making new memories. The thrill of a new DIY adventure or spending time with my boy Benjamin outdoors is my “Rocky Mountain High”. You can follow our adventures on my blog at: http://www.joelpile.blogspot.com.
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