Learn from the Experts

About Melissa:

Melissa Bachman grew up in a time when outdoor television offered a new career path where none had existed before, and in a place, central Minnesota where outdoor dreams can come true.

She was raised on hunting and fishing surrounded and guided by family and mentors to whom the outdoors wasn’t just something you did, it was a way of life.

Bachman pursued her academic life with the very same tenacity she approached her passion for hunting. After graduating with honors and armed with a degree in television broadcasting, and another in Spanish, from St Cloud State University, Melissa set her sights on a career in outdoor television.

She began as an unpaid TV intern driving 150-miles a day to work for free. Within months Melissa was offered a position as a full time producer where she traveled the country filming, producing and editing shows with a variety of incredible hunters on some fantastic adventures. 

Although close to her dream job, Bachman truly longed to be the one outwitting her prey, and squeezing the trigger. So she spent every spare moment of her free time arduously filming and editing her own hunts. Finally, with time, patience and persistence, Melissa got some solid shows into the right hands and her wish became reality.

Mentors share. It's what they do, and sharing the great outdoors and the adventure is what Melissa wanted to do. Her choice was to do this through television.

Today, Melissa spends over 200 days a year in the field, around the globe filming and producing her series Winchester Deadly Passion in its 14th season. But it hasn’t stopped there.

Her journey and commitment to the outdoors, family, the conservation of nature and sharing have made Melissa an ambassador for the way of life we all cherish.  Melissa now calls South Dakota home with her husband Ben Bearshield and their five children.

About James:

James Started hunting at age 14 and was able to kill his first doe with a bow and was hooked from that moment on. 35 years later he has chased his passion all over the US hunting whitetails from Washington State to Virginia honing his skills and techniques.  What he has found is that even though every state is different, and the terrain is different whitetails tend to do the same things. Since 2008 he has been blessed to share his knowledge and passion on his TV Show Open Season TV which has also allowed him to learn from other passionate whitetail hunters. 

About Klint:

Klint Macro is an educator and motivator of his fellow citizens, encouraging all Americans to exercise their individual rights and liberties through education and empowerment. 

 Klint's background is in the music and film industry but Klint changed roles by becoming a firearm safety and defense trainer and instructor in the early 2000’s. He founded the Trigger Pressers Union (www.triggerpressersunion.com) in 2013 and today he trains instructors and citizens alike on a daily basis by teaching them safe, ethical, and contextually appropriate curriculum that helps them to safely protect themselves and those that they love.

Klint is a Personal Defense Network Training Tour Instructor (www.pdntrainingtour.com) and a regular contributor to Personal Defense Network (www.personaldefensenetwork.com). Klint is certified through various companies and organizations including the USCCA, NRA, I.C.E. Training, ASP, Sabre, and Project Appleseed.

 Klint is also the co-founder and administrator of National Train A Teacher Day (www.nationaltrainateacherday.com), Co-Host of Meet The Pressers (www.meetthepressers.com), President of The Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League (www.acslpa.org) and VP of Firearms Owners Against Crime Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Educational Action (www.foac-illea.org).

About Jeremy:

The HuntChef, Jeremy Critchfield, is the premier Wild Game Chef who loves to share his knowledge and techniques!  HuntChef seasonings, jerky, sausage, brine kits and his NEW sauce line, paired with his YouTube channel and social media pages will help you better prepare your harvest!  Check out all of his wild game cooking videos at www.huntchef.com or @huntchef on YouTube.

About Rod:

Rod Bates was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and, just by looking at his name, you know he was born to fish! Although he doesn’t remember the times his parents took him river bank fishing when he was in diapers, the photos cannot be denied. Rod is a Christian and he is the owner of Koinonia Guide Service. Koinonia was started in 1999 and they offer guided fishing trips for smallmouth bass, catfish and panfish. Rod enjoys helping people become successful at catching fish. It is the mission of Koinonia Guide Service to provide their clients a safe, productive and memorable experience while exposing them to Gods Wonderful Creation.

Rod is a Proud Pro Staff Member of fantastic national companies like Bass Pro Shops, Mercury Marine, PLANO Tackle Systems, PRADCO, St. Croix, Team Catfish, Frabill and Lowrance. He is also sponsored by great local companies like Fitt Premium Lures, AlumaRyder Boats and Snagler Tackle Company.

These relationships allow Rod to field test new products and report back to the companies.

Rod’s love of fishing is not limited to river fishing as he has expanded his guide business to include exotic trips to such places as Alaska and Cost Rica. The Alaska Trip is an annual event where the group primarily targets Halibut and Salmon. 

About Autumn:

Autumn McEntee is 20 years old, born and raised in central Pennsylvania. She has been immersed in the outdoors from the age of 3 and is most passionate about waterfowl hunting, bass fishing, and beaver trapping. This allows Autumn to spend ample time in the water year-round, and her experience fuels the knowledge she shares.

About Lance:

Lance has been a full time fishing guide on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River for the last 43 years, making him one of the longest, continual working, on the water, guides in Pennsylvania.

He has averaged 200 to 250 charters a year with an average of 8,000 to 11,000 fish caught and released from just his custom made 21ft jet boat, (The Beast), each year!

One interesting fact, he never uses live bait and only uses American Made fishing rods and fishing lures on his charters and he will tell you what they are and why that’s all he needs to be successful.

He is the published author of “Legend or Survivor” Tips and Tales of 40 plus years as a fishing guide. And has a second book, “The River” to be published soon.

He has been on many TV shows, made several fishing and hunting DVD’s, radio broadcasts, and has been the subject of magazine articles over the many decades of his career. 

About Rick:

“ASK THE BUTCHER”

Rick Fetrow is a professional meat cutter & further processor with more than 40 years’ experience.  Rick is currently employed as a Senior Field Sales Consultant for Tyson Fresh Meats since 1993.  His talents are utilized for conducting seminars, teaching food safety, teaching meat-cutting techniques, and food preparation.  Rick routinely works with area retailers like Giant Foods, Weis Markets, Redner’s Markets, and Shur Fine Markets.  On the food service spectrum, Rick conducts training classes with major accounts like Sysco Food Service, Feeser Food Service, and Performance Food Group.  Rick has also been invited as a guest speaker for area universities, vocational schools, and technical schools.  In his free time, Rick was on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Beef Council and is chairman of Hunter’s Sharing the Harvest venison donation program.

About Randy:

Randy Flannery is a registered Maine Master Guide with over 35 years of guiding experience and a lifetime of experience tracking and stalking whitetails. He and his wife Sharon own and operate Wilderness Escape Outfitters in Northern Maine where they teach people how to track and stalk the huge trophy wilderness whitetails Maine is famous for.

This renowned tracker-stalker has regularly been featured in Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Deer & Deer Hunting, NRA’s American Hunter, and many of the nation’s top outdoor publications for over 20 years.

About Ken:

Ken Hammel grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania and has enjoyed Hunting in the Outdoors for as long as he can remember. As Owner of Mountain Hollow Game Calls, Ken has been hunting Gobblers around the country for for almost 40 years and has helped build one of the most successful game call companies in the hunting industry today. In fact, Mountain Hollow Game Calls is celebrating its 42nd year in the business of manufacturing game calls since 1982.    

About Bobby:

Bobby Hart was born in to a family tradition of custom gun builders and gunsmiths. He now has taken over the lead role from his father, Wally Hart, at Robert W. Hart and Son Inc. as a 4th generation custom rifle builder. Located in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania, this small, family run business is known worldwide to the hunting, shooting, military and law enforcement industries.

About Tony:

Tony LaPratt is the "god father" of modern-day whitetail habitat improvements. Tony has harvested 61 mature trophy-class whitetails consistently for 37 years. He has also designed over twenty-two hundred world-class hunting properties in 29 states ranging from five acres to six thousand acres.

Tony is the founder of The Ultimate Land Management & Whitetail Boot Camp. Heh as ran over 160 classes. All classes were held at the amazing Whitetail Habitat Research Center; the most advanced hunting property ever designed. Hunters have come from 41 states and Canada. 

Tony is the most innovative man in the whitetail and land management world. He is a keynote speaker all across the country. Tony has extraordinary insight into mature whitetail bucks.

You don't want to miss Tony's seminars! They are in-depth sessions about his newest techniques in exclusive whitetail discoveries. These amazing findings will totally separate your hunting land from the surrounding lands.

About Matt:

Spend an hour interacting with Matt Miller of Tryin Hard Outdoors and Collins Lowcountry Hunt Club. With over 30 years as a professional guide, top-ranked competition shooter, nationally published writer, and a certified archery coach he has picked up a few tricks that he would love to share with you. Whether you are interested in working on your crossbow, learning to shoot it more accurately, or hunting and trailing techniques this seminar will have something for you.

About Sean:

• Professional Guide
• World Goose Calling Champion
• World Goose Calling Champion of Champions
• Mason-Dixon Duck Calling Champion
• Eastern US Open Duck Calling Champion
• World Championship Duck and Goose Call Maker

Sean Mann is a native of Easton, Maryland.  His father took him on his first goose hunt when he was 5 years old.  Sean got his first flying goose that year, with a .410.

He grew up near the Walsh family.  Joe Walsh and Sean were classmates until 10^th grade.  Joe's Dad Dr. Harry M. Walsh wrote “The Outlaw Gunner” and founded the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.  Sean and Joe Walsh spent a great deal of time under Doc's wing and learned the importance of proper stewardship and conservation of the resources of Chesapeake Bay.

He began working for a guide service as a “Go-Fer” when he was 13 and started guiding goose hunters on Maryland’s Eastern Shore when he was 15.

Sean entered his first World Goose Calling Championship contest in 1981 on a dare. He placed fourth in 1981 and fourth, again, the next year.  However, in 1983, Sean finished third.  Dissatisfied with “store-bought” goose calls, Sean began designing a call of his own which began the “long call revolution”.  Sean took his prototype goose call to the World Goose Calling Championship in 1984.  Although Sean and his goose call did not place in the top six contestants that year, he took many orders for calls from his fellow callers and professional guides.  “The Eastern Shoreman” goose call was born.

He found another contest as soon as possible, and in March of 1985 won the Mid Atlantic Goose Calling Championship in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Sean won the World Goose Calling Championship in 1985.  He repeated his championship performances in 1986 in both the Mid Atlantic Goose Calling Championship and the World Goose Calling Championship using “The Eastern Shoreman”, the long goose call he developed. 

These accomplishments paved the way for many of today’s goose call makers.

In 1997 Sean Mann’s Outdoor Adventures opened a waterfowl guide service in Alberta Canada, which Sean operated through 2012.  That experience necessitated the development of Sean's Shorty Reed Canada Goose Calls, for various Canada Goose Sub-species and Sean's White Out Snow Goose Call and White Front Specklebelly Goose Call.  All of these calls have added titles to Sean's  World Championship Call Making credentials.

Since 1985, Sean’s Canada Goose Calls, Snow Goose Calls and Specklebelly Goose Calls  and Duck Calls have won over 40 World and International Titles, and over 150 State, Regional and Local Titles.  They were the first to win the World Goose Calling Champion of Champions Title and the first to win the International Goose Calling Champion of Champions Title and were used by more winners of the World Game Calling Challenge than any other calls.

In 1994 Sean won the Mason-Dixon Regional Duck Calling Championship with his own duck call.  Sean repeated his victory in the Mason-Dixon Regional Duck Calling Championship in 1995.

In 1995 Sean was the first-ever winner of the prestigious “World Goose Calling Champion of Champions” competition held at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.  As the victor of this competition, Sean was automatically and officially retired from World Goose Calling competition.

In 1997 Sean won the Mason-Dixon Regional Duck Calling Championship for a third time, officially retiring him from that competition as well.  In fifteen years, Sean was a finalist in 12 World Goose Calling Championships and 9 Mason-Dixon Duck Calling Championships, an unprecedented record.

Prior to taking on the Chairman’s role, Sean was the first and only person to ever be officially retired from all adult division calling contests at the Waterfowl Festival.

 In order to keep the Sport of Competition Calling going strong in the East, Sean founded and ran:

•         The Maryland State Duck and Goose Calling Championships

•         The Chesapeake Bay Open Duck and Goose Calling Championships

•         Upper Chesapeake Bay Goose and Duck Calling Championships

•         The Susquehanna Flats Classic Goose and Duck Calling Championships

•         The Old Time Barnegat Bay Two-Man Team Waterfowling Competitions,

•         The World Live Duck Calling ChampionshipThe World Live Goose Calling Championship.

 He served on the Waterfowl Festival Board of Directors for 3 terms and served for many years as Chairman and Master of Ceremonies of the World Goose Calling Championship, The World Live Duck Calling Championship, The Mason-Dixon Duck Calling Championship and the World Live Goose Calling Championship.

About Alan:

Alan Probst started North American Trapper® operations in 2003 and has continued through today by bringing instructional information and quality trapping products to market. North American Trapper® has produced over 40 different instructional DVD's and his national television programs air weekly as well as an informative Nest Raider™ showcase. North American Trapper® also produces a YouTube channel with a complete Beginner Series dedicated to getting new people interested in the outdoors via responsible trapping.  North American Trapper® is the leader in the promotion of trapping as a viable option in helping landowners, farmers, ranchers and hunters alike control Nest Raider™ and larger Predation problems to become the steward of their own land.  More information can be found at www.northamericantrapper.com

About Eddie:

Eddie Salter began hunting at the age of eight near his home in Evergreen, Alabama. After learning turkey-hunting techniques from his father and grandfather, Salter called-in and harvested his first gobbler at the age of 10. Salter began participating in competitive turkey calling and amassed an impressive list of titles, including seven Southeastern Open Turkey Calling Championships, six Alabama State Championships and two World Open Championships. Named one of the top-10 sportsmen in the U.S. in 1986 and 1989 and with almost four decades of turkey-hunting experience, Salter is recognized as one of the country’s leading authorities on turkey hunting. He’s appeared on ESPN, TNN, The Outdoor Channel and ABC’s 20/20 TV show and in numerous hunting videos and television commercials for numerous Outdoor Brands and has been featured in many outdoor magazine articles and radio interviews. He's has a Tv Show on the Sportsman Channel Turkey Man.  

About Chad:

Chad Schearer grew up hunting and fishing in the mountains of Montana. He has been an outfitter and guide for the last 30 plus years. Chad has a passion for calling in elk and has won every major elk calling competition in the United States and is a World Champion, along with 2-time Eastern US champion.  Chad has hunted on 5 continents and extensively around the world. Besides hunting, Chad is an advocate for wildlife conservation and is the chairman of the board for the Mule Deer Foundation. Chad is also a life member of the NRA. Chad and his family host the award-winning television show Shoot Straight.

About Marsha:

Marsha Schearer loves the mountains of Montana but grew up in hills of Tennessee. She jokes she was hunting for a husband now she hunts with her husband. She has been a licensed Montana Guide for over 25 years. Marsha enjoys getting new hunters involved in the outdoors and also sharing tips on how to cook wild game as she host’s Shoot Straight’s “Recipes from the Field.”  Marsha was the first lady to be put on the CVA pro staff and has hunted and fished around the world from New Zealand to Africa and many destinations in between. As she says, “Shoot like a girl, try to keep up!”

About Chris:

Chris Stefanou, notably known as "LISHARKMAN" is well known for his extreme, action-packed fishing social media pages (Instagram, TickTock, Youtube etc.), with videos reaching over 500,000,000 views and over 1,400,000 subscribers on Youtube! He is an extremely passionate angler who specializes in Land Based Shark Fishing on Long Island, New York, but often ventures out to different states along the east coast of the U.S. He also books private land-based shark fishing charters for anyone interested!

Highly conservative with his shark studies and tagging, Chris loves sharing his experiences and knowledge with fishing fanatics and shark enthusiasts. Chris has been helping various research associations by tagging and documenting thousands of sharks of different species. This helps to better study these sharks and protect them, and the ecology of our oceans.

About John:

John is a third-generation sport angler whose passion for fishing has gone on since the age of four. He has fished up and down the East Coast for both salt and freshwater species.  His initial passion was for freshwater trout, growing up fishing the creeks and streams of northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania for over 20 years.  Nearly 30 years ago, he was introduced to river smallmouth by a friend.   From that moment on he has become obsessed with learning how to catch big river smallmouth.   He spends over 100 days a year on the water, with most of that time on the Susquehanna River, from Harrisburg to Sunbury, and the Juniata River, from the mouth to Huntingdon. 

John is owner/founder of Snagler Tackle Company, LLC, which he started in 2012.  He has several lines of spinnerbaits, terminal tackle, and soft plastic baits for river smallies.   Being a professional guide for Snagler Guide Service has allowed him to teach what he has learned about river smallmouth fishing to others, share his knowledge of the river’s history, educate people on water quality issues with our rivers and the importance of our rivers to our economies, culture, and citizens. He resides in Lititz, PA with his wife and Christine, they have a daughter, Sarah, who is currently in college.

Seminar: Locate & Catch More Bass 

•   Hear and learn how to catch mature bass from legend Bobby Uhrig!

About Bobby:

Professional Fisherman and Master Lure Designer Bobby Uhrig opened Megastrike Inc. in 2001. After 9 years of research and development, Bobby launched Megastrike Fish Attractant, the first amino acid-based fish attractant on the market.  Years later, it continues to be in extremely high demand all over the world by both professional and amateur fishermen. In 2006, Megastrike developed the Evolution Jig. Innovative by design, it won Best New Lure at ICAST 2006. Since then, Bobby and Megastrike have developed many new and innovative products by filming and studying bass and other fish in their natural environment. Megastrike fishing products are the leaders in fishing tackle innovation.