I was elbows deep into an elk carcass, in the mountains of Montana, on my 10 year wedding anniversary….and I am still married. That was last September. I followed that up by shooting an 11 point whitetail back home in Wisconsin a month later. Not a bad bow season, although it ended up being a lot of time away from home. I am fortune to have an understanding wife; not sure she understands my obsession, but she knows that is how a boy from northwest Wisconsin rolls. This obsession started at an early age watching my dad pack the truck for his annual trip out west or waiting up past bedtime when he was late coming home from bow hunting wondering if he had a deer in the back of his truck. The love of the outdoors, which was introduced to my twin brother Ryan and I by our father, continues to grow stronger every year. Brothers can be very competitive and being twins fueled that fire. As you can imagine that competitiveness still exists as we continually try to out-produce each other. That drive, as well as the passion that I have found in bow hunting, defines how I hunt. I hunt hard, strive for success and all of the experiences in between are an added bonus. I am very excited about being part of the Campfire Productions team and I look forward to the challenge of capturing quality outdoor adventures on film and sharing them through Campfire Stories.

I grew up in Northern Iowa in a family where hunting wasn't a passion, it was a way of life. Waterfowl was my family's passion and I was following in those footsteps. Many years ago at the age of 13 I harvested my first whitetail buck with a bow. Since the moment I released that arrow, my life changed. While the family headed off in mornings to waterfowl hunt I walked the lonely trip through the dark woods to sit in a tree and wait for the opportunity to present itself again. I learned as much as possible from everyone I talked to and as much as I could through trial and error. I am proud of the hunter I have become and hope to pass that on to my first born son, Beau Hunter Weichers. None of this would be possible with out my amazing and understanding wife Amanda, who is also learning the joys of becoming a hunter. She has harvested her first Whitetail, and first Black Bear both on film. I spend every free moment I have doing anything involving archery or hunting. For a "real job" I am a co owner of Bravo Printing Company. I write a column for a magazine in which I travel around the state shooting 3-D courses and also own Double A Archery. I guess you could say my passion has become my life. Taking the passion one step further I started Campfire Productions. As I watched DVDs and T.V. shows I dreamed of one day being able to do something along the same line, but with a different spin. So Campfire Productions started with the idea of a couple of young individuals, who work or attend school full time, filming there outdoor activities to make a DVD/show for the average hunter! And honestly, that is who I am! I am an average hunter who has been blessed enough to have great people help me in achieving my goals. I look forward to helping to entertain, educate, and show you what the passion of hunting is all about to me, my friends, and my family! So let's get nocked up and see what happens!

From the age of five, I have spent most of my time in the woods of Central Missouri. I mainly bow hunt but have been know to pickup a rifle every now and then. From the day that season closed to the day it opens, I spend my time running trail cameras, planting food plots, and hanging new sets. To me hunting does not have season, there is just a portion of the year that you get to relax and see what all the work was for. I would have to say that my favorite game to hunt is White-tails but I also get after those Thunder Chickens pretty hard in the spring. I have been blessed with a wife that is understanding of my obsession and allows me to do whatever I need to do to pursue it. I’m also a member of Mossy Oaks White-Tail Pro Staff and a Rutwear Field Expert for Central Mo. I truly believe that you will never know everything about hunting, so I am always looking for new tips and advice that might make me a better hunter.

I grew up in a small town in Southeast Missouri called Doniphan. I grew up in a hunting and farming family. At the age of 7, I harvested my first whitetail, and after that the addiction set in. I started archery hunting at the age of 15, and from there on, I have been a whitetail fanatic. My other passions are shed hunting, turkey hunting and waterfowl hunting. I love the pre-season scouting for whitetail and all that is involved. Every year we run multiple trail cameras, plant food plots, and try to improve whitetail habitat. I am more than excited to share my journey to harvest a buck with everyone. I am married to a wonderful woman, named Jill, who loves to deer hunt, just not in the colder weather. This year, Jill was going to take up archery hunting, but we are expecting our first child in late August, so we will have to wait another year. Hopefully she can get out for some early season Muzzle loader hunting. My father is also a whitetail fanatic, and hopefully this year, you will be seeing a lot of him in front of the camera with either a crossbow, rifle or muzzleloader in hand. So everyone sit back, relax, and enjoy all the campfire stories that we are going to be bringing you.

I grew up on our family farm near Wyoming Iowa. I got my first taste of hunting long before i could remember. When my dad and his friends went coyote hunting in the winter and he would have to watch me, they would strap me in my car seat with Gene and let me ride along. Gene was older and had bad knees so he was usually within sight distane of the truck so i guess it all worked out ok. One the first animals i ever killed was a coyote when i was 9. One of my favorite hunts was my first year bowhunting. My friend and I got moms camera out, some camoflague tape and took out for some rut action on our home farm. The first night with the camera we got about a 130 class 8 point under our stand chasing a doe, but i couldnt get him stoped for a shot. The following night we were back in the same stand when a tremedous buck steped out of the timber at 75 yards. We got the camera rollin and he was checkin scrapes all the way down the draw in front of us. We gave a few grunts. He circled below us and came in the timber to 25 yards. We were both shaking so bad i cant believe we didn't fall out of the tree. I grunted and he came to a dead stop looking right in my eyes. He ducted the arrow and troted away. All 165' of that 11 pointer gone in seconds. It sure was fun though.

I have had the privilege of calling Iowa home and as a result, I have been blessed to have taken at last count, 24 whitetails over 140". My father had limited time to take me hunting but he still gets credit for planting the seed in me at an early age. By age 7 I was taking squirrels with open sights as well as practicing with a Ben Pearson recurve. I became proficient with the recurve and by age 11 got my first compound. I shot with bare fingers and no sights until 2002. Pre-teen hunting years found me riding a bicycle and moped a couple miles outside of town to hunt daily. That gave me plenty of time on my own to learn from many beginner mistakes. Over the years, I have honed my skills and matched wits with some very impressive whitetail and Iowa longbeards. I have always shared my passion for hunting with everyone around me. While I truly enjoy putting my tag around a leg or antler, it is much more satisfying to watch a first time hunter peel the backing off those tags. I currently prostaff for Tree-Lok, Firenock, BowTech, Campfire Productions, Bowhunters Beards and Spurs Club, Buck Fever Synthetics and have worked very hard to earn multiple product sponsorships that I take great pride in. I am a firm believer and advocate of introducing and keeping youth hunters in the field. It is up to us to transfer our knowledge, experiences and beliefs to our children....I live by the motto of Hunt Long, Hunt Hard and Hunt More.

I grew up and have always lived in the Waterloo area. Having a desire for hunting at a very early age, I can remember walking sloughs with my uncle chasing pheasants. No matter how tired I was, I still wanted to carry any game that we would get. I was introduced to archery by a family friend at the age of 14, from that point on I was hooked! From being involved in my local archery club, to turkey and mushroom hunting in the spring, and sitting in a stand in the fall. Anything that I do away from my family revolves around hunting or the outdoors. It wasn't until the last ten years, that I devoted all my time in the fall to bow hunting. In that time I have been blessed in harvesting some great deer. Now that I am involved with Campfire Production, I look forward to making new friends and memories to share with all of you.

I grew up in northwest Wisconsin, and began hunting rodents in the yard about the time I was 8--about the same time I started tagging along behind my dad in the whitetail woods. At 12 I was able to legally hunt deer in Wisconsin, and opening morning I was able to take an 8 pt and a 7 point off the same stand, 30 minutes into my hunt. It was dumb luck all the way, but it left me with a passion that hasn't let down since. I picked up bowhunting the next year, and since my dad had not been introduced to it, I set out on my own to set up my own bow, pick a stand and hunt. Once again luck was on my side, and I scored on a dumb 7 pt buck. Now I really was hooked. After high school, I spent 10 years in the Air Force, traveling the world and getting assignments in Colorado, North Dakota, and Alaska. I was lucky enough to have opportunities at whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, antelope, black bear, grizzly, caribou, and moose- getting many of my hunts on film. After being stationed in Alaska for 3 years, my hunting trips turned in to "adventures" and now my passion for hunting takes me past the act of killing, and focuses on sharing time with friends in the outdoors, filming hunts, and planning adventures in Alaska and several western states. I feel that "hollywood versions" of hunting have tainted the sport, and I am looking to be part of something that brings hunting back to what it should be!

Jarin "Kratz" Kratzberg was born and raised in East Moline, IL. The hunting tradition was passed on to him by his dad an brother when he was 8 years old when he began to join them on waterfowl and pheasant hunts. Over the next 8 years his passion for hunting grew deeper and by the time he had a drivers license he was spending every spare moment chasing whitetails, turkeys, and waterfowl. While Jarin was in high school his family began to manage a family farm in West Central, IL and during this time Jarin not only continued hunting but also began to study the whitetail deer more in depth and develop an appreciation for this awesome animal. In 1999, Jarin moved to Iowa City to pursue a degree in engineering. He quickly made some good friends locally that granted him access to hunting ground where he learned first hand just what Iowa is all about. Over the next 9 years Jarin hunted hard and hunted often in both Iowa and Illinois and was able to harvest some tremendous animals during this time, including three whitetails in the last 5 years that gross better than 165". Jarin began filming his hunts with fellow staff member Matt Watters in 2007 and has thoroughly enjoyed the time he has spent in the tree filming as it presents a whole new challenge. In 2007 Jarin married his wife Jessica, despite her knowledge that he was a hunting fanatic and that it consumes him for a good portion of the year, yes he is a lucky man. In 2008 Jarin graduated from the Univesity of Iowa with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and later that year closed a chapter of his life out when he moved from the state of IA and was forced to get a "real" job. He currently resides in the state of Indiana, and although he misses his days in the IA timber he has quickly learned that Indiana may be the best sleeper state for hunting in the midwest. Jarin will team up with his two good friends Justin Musfeldt and Matt Watters whenever he can and will also be working with a TBD team member locally. Jarin looks forward to making more hunting memories in IL with his dad and brother and also to traveling the United States in pursuit of big game animals with his family and close friends. Finally, he looks forward to being a part of the Campfire Team and to producing quality hunting videos.

My name is Jeff Gifford and I was born and raised in Cameron Wisconsin. My nickname is Snuffy, you will hear me called that more then my own name. I have three brothers and one sister. My father was an avid hunter, trapper, and outdoorsman. He included me and my brothers on every outdoor experience. I cant say when hunting became a passion because it has always been a part of my life. I was fortunate that my family had a cabin in the north woods. Growing up we spent every weekend at our cabin enjoying the great outdoors. I married my wife Racheal in 2002. She has became a great archery hunter along with waterfowl hunting. She always said, “ the only time I will get to spend with you is if I take the sport of hunting up myself.” Together Racheal and I have two boys Gavin 8 and Cayden 3. Both boys loves the woods and hunting as much as me. In 2003 I started my own company J & J Stonework and Flatwork. My business deals with all concrete and masonry construction. After a life long dream of being a part of a nation wide hunting company, I am honored to be staffed by Campfire Productions. I will be committed to you to bring the most joyful and memorable hunts. I hope to put the spirit in your heart to succeed as a hunter.

Justin Hoeppner was born in Waterloo Iowa. He has lived there his entire life until recently moving to rural Janesville Iowa. His passion for the outdoors began at the young age of seven. He spent his early years pursuing walleyes on the mississippi river with his father. In 1989 Justin got his first bow and was introduced to bowhunting. At the age of twelve he harvested his first deer with a bow. Over the nextfew years he spent every chance he had outside of school (sometimes while he was supposed to be in school) calling ducks from a duck blind, laying in a cornfield calling geese or sitting in a tree stand waiting for deer. At the age of twenty he knew his number one passion was going to be whitetails. It was then that his father told him if you are going to shoot big whitetails you are going to have to leave those birds alone. Since then Justin has enjoyed much success. He has been fortunate enough over the last twelve years to harvest ten pope and young whitetails with the largest being a 161 inch ten pt. He has also been fortunate enough to shoot a 5 by 5 bull elk in Colorado on a do-it-yourself hunt with his father. In 2008 Justin had a very exciting year. In April he shot his first turkey with a bow. In early may he caught a ten plus pound walleye. Then on may 29th his son (Dakota) was born. What a year. After all that it was topped off with his first 8pt (inside story). This year Justin looks forward to turkey hunting and two out of state trips with his father and hunting buddies. Then he can't wait to return to Iowa to hunt whitetails!! He is looking forward to bringing you some awesome footage and more campfire stories in the year to come!!

Justin “Moose” Musfeldt was born and raised on a family farm in west-central Iowa near the small town of Manning. Although he spent most of his childhood autumns sitting behind the wheel of a John Deere, he was always daydreaming of his next trip to the field in search of ringnecks. He did manage to sneak away from the tractor long enough to down a few birds and harvest was usually done in time for Iowa’s shotgun deer season. When Justin went off to college, he discovered several new opportunities to get outside in the form of waterfowl and turkeys. It wasn’t until 2007 that his friend, Jarin, introduced him to bow hunting. That year, Justin killed 3 does and a Pope and Young buck, all with archery equipment. From the second he first drew back his bow with a deer in his sights, he knew he was hooked for life. Bow hunting has definitely cut into his time in the marsh; in fact his duck boat has a for sale sign on it now, but his first and foremost passion will always be pheasant hunting with his German Shorthair, Charlie and his little brother, Joel, who will hopefully get some time in front of the camera this spring on his first turkey hunt and next fall in search of pheasants. Fortunately for Justin, he has very understanding friends, family, and coworkers who all know he is going to spend every day off from October 1st through January 10th sitting in a tree stand, crouched in a duck blind, or walking behind Charlie in a field of switchgrass.... they all know that they won't see much of him during the fall, but understand he has the rest of the year to socialize, with the exception of spring turkey season that is. Justin is extremely excited to share his hunting experiences on film and is looking forward to getting some great footage with his buddies, Matt “Muddy” Watters and Jarin Kratzberg. His dream is to harvest a Boone & Crockett whitetail, and to get it on film.

During the fall there is only one place I want to be and that is in the woods, I take part in hunting just about everything north Iowa has to offer me, from turkeys in the spring to deer in december, I love it all. I grew up on a farm north of charles city. It's where I've done the most of my hunting, and it has offered me an awesome place to do it. I've been hunting for something like ten years, and I've loved every minute of it. Most of the hunting I've done has been with the gun but in the last few years I've started bow hunting. I've gotten really into it and it has become my favorite part of the fall season. I've got my dad to thank for getting me into hunting, from my first squirrel hunt with him, to getting in on deer hunting with the guys. If it wasn't for these guys loving hunting and wanting to see me do well at it, I don't know if i would be the same hunter I am today. I'm all jacked up for this season, I've got big hopes, I've never been more prepared and never had better gear, I've got a good feeling this year is going to be the year, the campfire is going to be great, I'm gonna get a ton of time up in the tree and hopefully we can get out there and make things happen, Let's get knocked up.

I'm a native Iowan originally from Shell Rock, but Georgia is where my heart is. My fathers military background and my own military career gave me a chance to see the world and moreover, hunt various game in numerous states and even some wild boar in Germany. I spent much of my growing years in Georgia where I got my first taste of hunting and archery. At the age of ten I was hunting squirrels, rabbits and whitetails. Over the next 21 years I had the opportunity to hunt various game and increase my experience of hunting and observing wild animals in their natural habitat. Some of my experiences include: hunting whitetail deer, turkey, boar, and rattlesnake in Georgia; whitetail deer in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Kentucky; whitetail deer, peccary (javelina), cougar, and rattlesnake in Arizona; wild boar in Germany; and of course, whitetail deer and turkey in Iowa. So far it's been great working with and meeting new friends through Campfire Productions! It all started with two guys (who have a serious passion for hunting) and a camera, just wanting to get some of their own hunting footage. Now we're out to get down to earth footage of what the typical, everyday hunter (all of us) encounters, and share our experiences with all of you. Maybe one day, that buck of lifetime will come through while we got the tapes rolling. In the meanwhile, show a youth the wonders of the outdoors and maybe introduce them to hunting and help preserve a lifelong tradition. Be safe out there and happy hunting! Now let's get knocked up!

Growing up in Northeast Iowa I was very fortunate to have spend the majority of my spare time in the whitetail woods. It was at a very early age that my dad introduced me to archery and in a matter of no time, my love for hunting and the outdoors evolved into an obsession. When I am not in the woods, I am definitely wishing I was! The springs are completely consumed by turkey hunting. There is just something about hearing a gobbler waking up the timber that really gets me going! As soon as turkey season ends, my time is quickly consumed by bowfishing and preparing for the upcoming deer season. As the summer draws on the desire to be back in the woods becomes unbearable. The long evening drives start, scoping out deer in bean fields and knocking on doors for permission. Then a combination of trail cameras and hanging stands gets me through until the day that I can get back in the woods. It is a yearly cycle that I have been consumed by. My hunting career has been surrounded and supported by family and close friends. They are the people that make the hunt enjoyable and have become some of the most dependable people in my life.

I live and hunt in Central Missouri and enjoy chasing everything from White-tails to Turkeys. I have been bow hunting for the last 25 years but will not hesitate to get the 300 Win Mag out when Missouri’s firearm season opens. I am very lucky to have to a wonderful Supporting wife that also enjoys hunting and the outdoors. I would have to say the most memorable hunting experience was taking my 175 inch typical White-tail with a rifle. I spend most of my off-season planting food plots, checking trail cameras, hanging stands, and scouting for the next year.

Growing up as a kid I don’t ever remember being introduced to hunting, it was just what we did. Living in a small northern Wisconsin town, I spent the majority of my childhood outdoors bow hunting deer. My passion for hunting escalated once I decided to follow quality deer management and shoot only mature bucks. While bow hunting whitetails is my obsession, I have also taken elk, caribou, black bear and turkeys. As long as the adventure takes me outdoors, I am willing to try. I am blessed with a great family life that supports my hunting habits. My wife Christine and I have been together since high school and have spent the majority of our time together outdoors. At 8 months pregnant she shot a 125 inch 10 pointer with bow and arrow. I have one daughter Leah and another child on the way. Although my wife doesn’t have the time to hunt much anymore, we try hard to instill the love of the outdoors with our daughter. At the age of 4, Leah loves to go out to the woods with daddy and mommy searching for sheds or planting food plots. I look forward to sharing my hunting adventures through Campfire Productions.

I grew up in a small town in Northwestern Wisconsin called Cameron. My dad was an avid outdoorsman and I spent every minute I could outdoors with him. As far back as can remember I was quite fond of shooting bow and arrow. I use to follow my dad around at his archery leagues and beg him to let me bring my bow along as well. My grandma and grandpa had a farm about 10 miles out of town that my mom and dad went hunting at every weekend. Before I was old enough to hunt, I remember waiting at the door every night they were out in the woods to see if they had shot anything and if we were going to get to go tracking. When I finally turned 12, I was able to start hunting myself and harvested a doe my first year. I will never forget that night, because my mom, dad, and I all shot deer that same night. From there my passion for bow hunting continued to grow. After harvesting a handful of smaller bucks with my bow when I was younger, I decided that it was time to start letting the little bucks go and wait for the big one. I finally shot my first P&Y buck in 1998 and have been fortunate enough to connect on several P&Y animals since that time. After college I moved back to my hometown, where I’m a special education teacher. I was able to purchase my grandma and grandpas farm. My brother and I worked hard at turning their old dairy farm into our new deer haven. When we aren’t strapped into a tree stand we are busy planting food plots, planting trees, checking cameras, shed hunting, and scouting for the upcoming season. In July, 2006 I married my lovely wife Christine who I share my love for bow hunting with. Although, I’m not sure she had a lot of choice. Our first date found her 20’ up in a tree videotaping me harvesting a doe. She was a very good sport and managed to get the whole thing on film. At that time, I knew she was the perfect woman for me. In fall of 2008, just 9 weeks after giving birth to our son Sawyer, Christine was able to harvest her first buck with a bow, a 124” 10 pointer. I also have a son Cole, who is almost 6 and loves to spend time with dad out in the woods shed hunting and checking cameras. In addition to sharing my love for the outdoors with my family, I also teach hunters safety and run a Learn to Hunt Turkey Program for our area youth. For many years, along with my family and friends, I have been trying to capture hunting memories on film for our enjoyment. I’m looking forward to working with the Campfire team to capture these memories on film and sharing them with you through Campfire Stories.