Team Hunting Life Pro Staff
Kevin Paulson, Founder and CEO
Having grown up in a Forest Service family Kevin began his time in the woods at a very young age on the back of his father being packed up the mountains on fly fishing trips in the Tahoe National Forest. His first hunt came in 1975 at the age of 5 with his father chasing mule deer along the Nevada border. On that first hunt he saw the Western most herd of Antelope and watched his father take a mule deer. Kevin was hooked on hunting and the pursuit of big game.
Over the last 37 years Kevin has hunted as far north as Saskatchewan, owned an outfitting business, chased and guided elk hunters in Idaho and now is the President and CEO of HuntingLife.com.
Kevin has also dedicated his life to conservation and maintains a strict policy of donating 10% of his personal earnings to conservation organizations and 10% from HuntingLife.com to conservation. Kevin is a committee member for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Life Member and is a committee member for the NWTF. His membership in several organizations shows his dedication to habitat and youth hunting.
Dennis Brauchle, Pro Staff
Dennis has been hunting with our team for a year and his tips and wit have impressed us all. Dennis will be hunting this year in Manitoba for Whitetail and enjoys the pursuit of Turkey and Deer in his home state of Pennsylvania. His tips are cumulated from over 50 years of hunting experience in the east. His dream hunt is pursuing a Canadian Moose in the next couple of years.
Paul Bambara, Pro Staff
Paul Bambara brings 50 plus years of hunting and fishing knowledge to our website. A Chiropractor by profession, Paul has also managed to stay very active in the outdoor field.He holds a New York state license to guide as well as a Coast Guard 100 ton Masters Captain license. During the late 1990's through 2002, Paul ran boat based black bear hunts in Alaska’s southeast islands along with salmon, halibut , and lingcod fishing in the famed inland passage.From his first trap line while still in elementary school to hunting and fishing on five continents, Paul has a wealth of wilderness experience to draw upon.
His biology background mixed with an insatiable love of wildlife and a passion for bow hunting gives Paul unique insight into the animals we love to hunt. Paul brings stories of his own adventures as well as product reviews and question answering forums to our website. E-mail Paul direct with questions about wildlife behavior, hunting, or future trip advice to paul@huntinglife.com and he will try to answer your questions right here on the website.
Christopher Woods, Pro Staff
Chris Woods was brought up in a family steeped in the traditions of the outdoors chasing grouse, turkey and deer from an early age in West Virginia. Chris moved to Virginia as a teen and enjoyed learning all aspects of saltwater fishing as well as duck hunting. Chris got his first bow at eight years old and over the years he has honed his skills as an archer while being very furtunate to have harvested numerous species. Dakota and Gracie are his two German Shorthairs that have spent countless hours running grouse coverts and cut-overs for quail with him. Chris has hunted in numerous Eastern and Northen states. Chris has hunted plains game in South Africa. He is an active member of the Ruffed Grouse Society, Quail Unlimited and on the board of Western Henrico Ducks Unlimited. Chris loves double guns and accurate rifles and reloads his own shells. Chris will be handling our advertising sales efforts and providing stories for the site. Cwoods@HuntingLife.com
Don and Ginny (Husband and Wife Team), Pro Staff
Don Rickards & Ginny Powell: They are a married team that enjoys hunting and fishing together. They have hunted big wild hogs and done lots of fly fishing for Bonefish in the Bahamas islands where the normal beachgoers don’t visit. Deer Hunting in Pennsylvania is a passion for Don that takes up a lot of his time in the fall and early winter. But their current obsession is hunting in Africa. Together, in four trips, they have taken 28 different species and 40 Plus animal there. They also act as live references at the sports shows and throughout the year for Motsomi Safaris of South Africa & Mozambique. With limited funds they are slowly pursuing the Big 5 as a couple. They have hunted Leopard for almost 3 weeks (with no success) but will try again. Then there was the hair razing experience with Don getting his female lion at just 40 yards and closing. This past March 2009 they spent a few rough days chasing a problem crop raiding/village harassing elephant in Mozambique, only to get busted within 30 yards. The most recent success on the same trip was getting the first ol daga boy Cape Buffalo in that area of Mozambique, Africa,
Don & Ginny’s background are as diverse as they are personally. Don is a hyped up enthusiast in whatever he enjoys. He is a retired Philadelphia Firefighter/medic and construction company owner who grew up serving newspapers on horseback and trying to lasso deer. And now, he lives the dream of retirement and shares his life with his BEST hunting/fishing buddy ever. He has hunting buddies all over the country and pulls on their expertise as needed. Big Joe Kelley is THE expert in primitive hunting and is an expert in handmade leather goods and art. Bill Odor is a custom knife maker. And his best friend, PaulB is a master fly tier and fisherman, as well as a plethora of knowledge on many subjects.
Ginny the “Brain” as she is called, tries to keep Don in line and works with 4-H, a youth development program. She grew up on a farm in Ohio and starting hunting when she and Don went on there first trip to Africa. (She’s the one who talked him into going.) She claims she got caught up in all the testosterone around her and had to try it. It is the one sport she loves and is good at. It is the first thing she has ever done that makes her totally forget the office and all the problem surrounding life today. And she has been hooked ever since.
They hope to bring their recommendations and experiences from years of hunting and fishing trips to the Hunting Life team, especially through the unique perspective of husband and wife. You guys should try it. Don says she smells nicer and snuggles better them those nasty guys at hunting camp… LOL You may contact them at Don@HuntingLife.com or Ginny@HuntingLife.com
Tammy Ballew, Pro Staff
Tammy Ballew, an avid outdoors woman in many respects, comes to HuntingLife.com with great enthusiasm and passion for the hunting and shooting sports. Her 30-plus years of hunting deer and turkey, as well as several small-game species, in her home state of Missouri, has definitely played an important role in her knowledge and experience of the outdoors.
She enjoys sharing these memorable events through her outdoor writing. Currently she is a writer for West Tennessee Outdoors, Michigan’s Hook and Bullets, and also The Women’s Outdoor News. Her memberships include the NRA, NWTF, Women Hunters, the Women’s Outdoor Media Association, and the Hunter Safety Education Association. She is also on the Pro-Staff of Ludowski and Associates, representing several industry leaders in shooting and hunting supplies.
Tammy also is hooked, so to speak, on fishing. Although bass fishing is among her favorite, she loves to fish for crappie and catfish in the nearby lakes and rivers. Snagging for spoonbill in the spring is another sport she enjoys participating in.
As a woman hunter, Tammy feels it is extremely important for women to learn how to field dress and clean their harvests, and stresses that it is an essential part of the hunt.
Randall Buchanan, Pro Staff
Randall Buchanan is a North Carolina native who developed a passion for hunting at a young age. He has fond memories of his father carrying him on his shoulders hunting raccoons in the N.C. Mountains before he was old enough to walk. Growing up on a remote mountain Christmas tree farm, he learned to entertain himself by fly fishing and hunting small game. A little later in life, he grew to love hunting Whitetail deer and would have to drive hours from his home to hunt as the deer population was scarce in that area.
Since then he has had the opportunity to hunt for trophy whitetail in many states such as Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas and Colorado. Randall is still looking for that dream MidWest buck to give him an opputunity. He is a single father of three wonderful children. His oldest son Trevor is Team HuntingLife Pro Staffer as well. While Randall still loves to hunt and fish as much as ever, he has found that sharing this experience with his family makes it even more enjoyable.
Randall is a member of the NWTF, NRA and Duck’s Unlimited and he is very excited about his future with Team HuntingLife. Please don’t hesitate to contact him at rbuchanan@huntinglife.com.
Logan Hinners, Pro Staff
Logan grew up in Spring Valley, MN and his parents introduced him to hunting and fishing at an early age. His father was a an instructor for both Firearm Safety and the 4-H Shooting Sports program both of which have instilled a strong skill set for his current position as a guide for Elkhorn Outfitters in Craig, Colorado. Logan has a front seat to one of the greatest learning experiences in the world spending months in the field around great hunters learning about hunting ethics and safety in the field. His ability to test gear and understand the functionality in the field is going to provide tremendous value to our team.
Logna is currently attending college in the off months from guiding and hopes to get a degree in Graphic Design. His passion for the outdoors keeps him hunting, fishing, camping, shed hunting, boating, motocross and snowmobiling. He spends quite a bit of time with his faith, family and friends and he is a rabid fan of the Twins. His specialties are Whitetail, Muleys, Antelope, Elk and Turkeys. Don't hesitate to contact Logan with questions at logan@huntinglife.com.
Rudy Hassall, Pro Staff
Rudy Hassall has a love of wildlife, backcountry hunts, bowhunting and the great remote wilderness of our planet. Rudy spent his time in Delaware and moved to Virginia at the age of 14. A great friend from school introduced Rudy to the world of hunting and Rudy grows his passion for hunting every day. Rudy took his first deer on opening day with a bow in the rain.
Rudy is passionate about bowhunting primarily for small game, predators and big game. He is a first generation hunter and completely self taught. He loves sharing his stories of missed opportunity as well as his success with anyone who will listen and he loves nothing more then sitting around a campfire and listening to great hunting stories by anyone who will tell them.
Rudy lives in Virginia with his beautiful wife, his young son and 2 dogs with 3 other sons in an extended family. Rudy is Co-Chair for the Bull Run CHapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a member of SCI and Izaac Walton League of America. He is also holds a PMP from the Project Management Institute and knows his way around computers.
Rudy is the founder of www.windedbowhunter.com where he provides updates on conservation, environmental issues, hunting updates, gear reviews and whatever else strikes his fancy. You can contact rudy at rudy@huntinglife.com
Marty & Hally Killion, Pro Staff
Marty Killion was raised in the Midwest along the Missouri River in Western Iowa; it was not until moving to Wyoming that he realized his passion for the outdoors and hunting.
Marty was injured in the line of Duty Police/SWAT officer and forced to retire in 2004. He is also a sponsored professional strength athlete bench pressing well over 500 pounds in a t-shirt.
Relatively new to hunting but in his short 12 years as a hunter he has had many accomplishments in taking 35 different species of big game and 9 of those being inside the Top 10 ranking for Safari Club International. Marty brings the experience of hunting from Northern Alberta to Mexico and California to Florida along with 3 Alaskan adventures. His preferred method of hunting is with a muzzleloader.
Marty is a member of SCI and the NRA. He is also a measurer for Safari Club International. You can contact him at Marty@HuntingLife.com
Hally grew up in a log cabin in the woods of Southern Indiana. She moved out West to pursue a degree in Fish and Wildlife Management at Montana State University. It did not take long before she began hunting turkeys and Montana whitetails. Hunting came naturally as a great way to enjoy the outdoors and to learn first hand about behavior and ecology of wildlife. As an undergraduate, she pursued every opportunity to do research on wildlife and to get out in the field. She met landowners and worked with ranchers and was able to hunt in some of the most beautiful areas Montana had to offer a hunter. After graduation, she immersed herself in the issue of whirling disease of wild trout which was impacting the blue ribbon trout streams of Montana. She received her Master's degree in Fish and Wildlife Management with numerous publications on whirling disease detection and ecology. Her career path has now taken her to become a Senior Wildlife Disease Biologist working primarily with chronic wasting disease (CWD) and brucellosis in big game species as well as plague and tuleramia in carnivores and rodents. Her passion for all species of wildlife is evident in her career path as well as her hunting accomplishments. Hally also has shown to be a conservationist and protector of our 2nd amendment right in being members of both SCI and the NRA. To her credit as a huntress she has taken a SCI top 10 Rio Grande turkey in Texas, whitetails in several states and several trophy pronghorn in Wyoming.
Mitch Strobl, Pro Staff
Mitch grew up a Hoosier on the state line of Indiana and Ohio, near Cincinnati. Mitch's father introduced him to small game hunting at an early age and he began deer hunting at age five. Throughout his life he has had two loves, Hunting and Baseball. Mitch is currently a pitcher for DePauw University and majors in Biology with an Environmental Science Minor. Mitch works at the DePauw University Nature Park where he works on various conservation projects and builds habitat for wildlife.
Mitch's grandfather introduced him to archery at the age of 13, and this is when archery hunting took over his hunting passion. Hunting for Mitch is a family activity with many family members sharing in this great common bond of hunting and conservation. Mitch has interned with the United States Department of Agriculture on various land resource and wildlife farm projects. He also is the founder of the DePauw University Conservation Club, where a group of determined students discuss conservation topics and carry out various projects to make a difference in the conservation world.
"In my opinion, the ability to call myself a hunter is a god given gift and I am thankful that I live in the great country we call America, where we can enjoy this lifestyle season after season." Mitch Strobl
Mitch enjoys sharing his passions of hunting with youth and other hunters, drop him an email at mitch@huntinglife.com
Chris Telinda, Pro Staff
Chirs Telinda was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Growing up in a house filled with wild game mounts, his passion for hunting whitetails started very early. At the age of eight, he harvested his first 8 point buck and has been hooked ever since then. Chris's Father and close family has been a major influence throughout his life teaching him to work hard, play hard and hunt hard. It is his dad and grandfathers who have instilled in him a love for the outdoors and passion for the conservation and land ethic.
The key to success for Chris has been learning the fundemental teachings of quality deer management in his home state of Ohio. Chris now studies QDM as well as many other management tools as a student at Hocking College majoring in Wildlife Management. Chris is a member of Ted Nugent’s United Sportsmen of America, Quality Deer Management Association and our school wildlife society is currently forming a collegiate chapter of the Quail Forever organization. Chris enjoys being in the outdoors whether it is hunting or introducing someone to hunting, shooting or just enjoying mother nature.
Josh Morrissey, Pro Staff
Josh is an 18 year old college student at Winona State University, majoring in Ecology. Josh has a very strong commitment to conservation and a wealth of experience in hunting and fishing. Josh is a committed waterfowler and member of Ducks Unlimited. Josh is working to bring Ducks Unlimited to the campus of Winona State. Josh is a former member of the Hunt Recorder and Notes Book Pro Staff. Josh is well respected in his hometown and because of his hard work and ethical hunting he has gained permission to hunt thousands of acres of private farmland and forests, as well Josh hunts many small and large public tracts of land for waterfowl and big game. Josh is a strong advocate of introducing youth and others to the traditions and passions of hunting, fishing and the outdoors. Please feel free to contact Josh at: josh@huntinglife.com
Travis (TJ) Johnson, Pro Staff
Travis (TJ) Johnson grew up in Grand Forks, ND with a tremendous love for the outdoors. His father instilled this love of the outdoors in TJ at a very early age and to this day TJ's the family hunts every year together out at the family's "Two Goose" hunting camp. TJ enjoys hunting with his friends and family out at the camp on a yearly basis for predators, ducks, geese and Deer. TJ is involved in the yearly preparation of food plots and working with local landowners to cull predators and assist in wildlife management. He is a Junior at North Dakota State University as an Agriculture Economics Major. In 2009, Travis had his best year of hunting in North Dakota and he and his father even took a trip out to Colorado for an elk hunt. We look forward to great stories and food plot tips from Travis.
Justin Morrissey, Pro Staff
Justin is a senior at Baldwin-Woodville High School in Baldwin, Wisconsin. He is dedicated to hunting, fishing, and everything else outdoors and has been since he was in elementary school. He is an active member of Ducks Unlimited. Justin is the brother of Pro Staffer Josh Morrissey and they have been hunting together for years. He is currently working as a camera man for Josh, but will also be seen in front of the camera on a regular basis. Justin is well respected in his area as an outdoorsman. In school, Justin is in hockey, golf, forensics, and school plays, but most of his friends know him for the strong passion he shares for the outdoors. To Justin, there is no such thing as an off season. He ice fishes and scouts all winter, chases turkey in the spring, scouts new hunting spots and bowfishes all summer long and heads to the woods in the fall for Waterfowl and Whitetail. We are proud to have Justin on our team and look forward to seeing him grow as a team member, hunter, videographer and more on our team. You may contact him at justin@huntinglife.com
Taylor Lauren Rather, Pro Staff
Taylor Lauren Rather is 14 years old. Sitting down and talking with her you would think she is 14 going on 35 because of her wonderful poise. Sitting in a tree stand with her, you quickly see her determination to hunt hard and her wonder and appreciation of the world around her. Her writing has been gaining accolades upon accolades among our readers and we are excited to have her on our team. When not hunting she spends her time in school where she is an Honor Roll Student, rides 4-wheelers in the mud with her friends and brother Josh. She also likes to fish, camp and spend time with her various pets which include 2 dogs, 6 bunnies, 10 cats and a fish. Taylor is also an accomplished artist who loves photography, Videoing her adventures and has a strong passion for drawing what she sees in nature.
Taylor took her first turkey at the age of 11 and that same year she took her first deer which was an 8 point buck during muzzleloader season. Her dreams include a Turkey Grand Slam and to be able to hunt waterfowl and upland game. Her big game dreams are filled with elk, mule deer, black bear, moose and antelope. Taylor hopes to attend Virginia Tech to study Veterinary Medicine or Wildlife Biology. We look forward to many more years of her great stories and are excited to have her on our team as an inspiration to youth around the country to get out there and go hunting.
Joshua Rather, Pro Staff
Joshua has been hunting since he was 9 years old and this year graduated from Halifax County High School. Joshua is an avid fisher as well as a hunter and began his pursuits in the wild beside his father. He has harvested many deer and turkeys and a few squirrels over the years. This past deer season was awesome for Joshua. For the first time he harvested a six point buck. He has been hunting for nine years and he just couldn’t get pass the does. (A few years back he had been tracking an 8 point buck for 2 weeks with his bow with no luck and on opening day of muzzlerloader and her first day out, his sister Taylor Rather, killed the 8 point buck that he had been watching for). Joshua enjoys the outdoors whether it is hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, baseball season or sitting around spending time with his friends, he has always been an active person.
Joshua is a volunteer firefighter for his community volunteer fire department. He is also involved with a new chapter of Hunters Helping Kids, Inc. Joshua can be reached at jrather@HuntingLife.com.
Trevor Simmons, Pro Staff
Trevor is a sophomore at Franklin County High School in Virginia. He hopes to attend Virginia Western and transfer to Virginia Tech and study wildlife management and or business. He is an active member of the NWTF as well as a NASP shooter for Franklin County High Schoo His love of archery and hunting shows up in everything he does. He is active in the church and plays bass guitar weekly. He dreams of some day owning a large cattle operation and has his own small business raising eggs and guides clients on hunting trips. Most of Trevor’s education on hunting comes from just going out into the woods and learning things by trial and error. Trevor’s passion for the outdoors led him to us and we look forward to watching him grow on our team. Trevor@huntinglife.com
Trevor Buchanan, Pro Staff
Trevor Buchanan is a 16-year-old sophomore from Morganton, North Carolina. He was introduced to the outdoors at an early age and is an avid outdoorsman and athlete. Trevor attends Patton High School and is enrolled in the Honors Curriculum, with a current GPA of 4.22. He is the quarterback of the varsity football team and also plays on his high school’s golf team. When he is not playing ball, Trevor is enjoying the outdoors. He has taken trophy whitetail and turkey and says that a bull Elk is next on his wish list. Trevor not only has a love for big game animals, but he is also an avid fly fisherman and enjoys fishing for trout in the streams and rivers near his home. Trevor is a member of the NWTF, NRA, and Ducks Unlimited. Currently, he is working with the local chapter in efforts to start a Ducks Unlimited program at his high school. Within the community, Trevor is active in his church youth program and also volunteers with the youth baseball and football camps. After high school, Trevor would like to attend West Virginia University or Appalachian State University and study wildlife management. His career dreams include becoming a Wildlife Officer or hosting his own outdoor television show. Trevor is very excited and honored to be a part of the Hunting Life Team and has great hopes of being an asset to the future of wildlife management and conservation, as he grows older. Contact him at TBuchanan@HuntingLife.com
