Darrell “Shane” Failing

I am a lifelong hunter who was born and raised on the western slope of Colorado, I have yet to find a better place to support my love of the outdoors than here. Except for a four year stint I did in North East New Mexico at the southern tip of the Rockies; I still call Colorado home.

I cannot remember a time when I was not an outdoor enthusiast as my family made hunting and camping a way of life from the Owl Creek to the Uncompahgre plateau, these were my playgrounds.

I participated in 3-D archery shoots at the age of 3 as that is when I could walk the courses with my dad, before that I was put in a wagon and pulled along the entire course by my parents. I was taught to be considerate of other shooters and the rules of 3-D competitions.

I have hunted and harvested deer, elk, fowl, and predators with my father and grandfather who taught me ethics, marksmanship and techniques to be a successful hunter. I harvested my first rifle cow elk at the age of 15 with my mom as my hunting partner, and my first archery bull with my dad at the age of 18, a hunt my dad and I will always treasure. My hunting adventures continue to be a family affair as I was privileged to be with my bride Amanda on her first rifle harvest of her elk and deer.

My parents have always supported my outdoor adventures and did everything to encourage it. For my 8th birthday my gift was my first youth shotgun. My 10th birthday gift was a hunting dog who lived to be 14 and a boys best friend. I am on my third pup now as I had to retire my Belle at age 11 since the cold weather became too much for her. I am on to Daisy now who is the most challenging so far.

I became a volunteer for the Wounded Warriors Elk Hunts in Angel Fire New Mexico along with my dad and now I am proud to be a participant in the Wounded Veterans’ Waterfowl club. These organizations are very near and dear to my heart as my Grandfather was a veteran who taught me the principals he gained as a Marine. To me the success of my hunt is not as important as the people I get to experience my adventure with.

 

Elliot Balsiger My name is Elliot Balsiger, and I have always had an itch to be outside. Hunting and fishing have always been a huge part of my life and I plan on using my growing knowledge from the people I’m around with, and passing it on to others. I lived in North Eastern Ohio for the beginning of my life. Surrounded by hunting wild game, and fishing. Once I was old enough I started going whitetail hunting with my dad. I never did harvest one myself but I will always remember the experience of the hunt. In 2012, my family and I made the jump and moved to Grand Junction Colorado. I absolutely love what the Colorado mountains have to offer here. I was fortunate enough to have harvested my first mule deer, and cow elk, a few days apart at the age of 15. I went on my first waterfowl hunt with my uncle 4 years ago, and the passion is just growing stronger. My first duck was a Mallard drake. Ever since then I now count the days till next season starts….as soon as the last one ends. To kill time in-between I am either fishing, or thinking about duck hunting. I absolutely love big game hunting, small game, and all that other stuff, but waterfowl is what is always on my mind. Before the 2020 waterfowl season started, I tried dove hunting to shake some of the dust off. And that is just another thing that is in the back of my mind. If it flies, it dies…unless I miss. I love being around people that can teach me everything I need to know about hunting waterfowl. Because now, I am able to take that knowledge and give it to someone else. Spending time with friends and family in the blind having a good laugh, making memories, telling a story, having a cup of coffee, or the usual trash talking is something that I will always have a passion for. Hunting waterfowl is what I do. And what I will continue to do until the day I can’t.

 

I am Jerad Davis, born and raised in Colorado. I spent seven and a half years in the US Army working on helicopters and UAVs with one deployment to Afghanistan in 2006-2007. Most of my time in the army was spent at Fort Drum with 277 ASB/C-10 Aviation with the last 2 years being at Fort Carson before being medically separated. I have been hunting in Colorado since 1996 for big game and have hunted waterfowl for about 4 years all over the southeast area of Colorado. My years are spent preparing to hunt, hunting, or fishing with my family and friends.

 

I grew up in southern California near the coast. At a young age my father started taking me out hunting and deep sea fishing. In 2004, I moved to Colorado; that’s when I started duck and goose hunting. When I turned 12 I shot my first buck mule deer, elk, and antelope. Needless to say, after having that amount of success in my first year of hunting, I was hooked! From then on, I spent my summers competing in trap, skeet, and 3D archery. Although I am no longer competing, I still spend most of my free time in the off season preparing for Fall.

From arrowing a bull moose, to shooting ducks in late December; nothing gets my blood pumping like the pursuit of these elusive creatures. To me the success of a hunt is not measured by the inches of antlers or numbers of birds but of the quality of the adventure and adrenaline of the pursuit. Antlers, full freezer and stacked tailgates are just a bonus.