The HHAUSA Podcast

Less than a dozen pages into Combat to Conservation, I felt like I had known Francis "Fitz" Fitzgerald my entire life. His writing style and way with words draped a familiar calmness over me that I experienced growing up in the Midwest as a kid of the 80s. Fitz is a quarter century older than I am but he embodies the same qualities of "the good neighbors" of my youth and I knew...

This week, we have HHAUSA Podcast Producer Logan Chartrand of WhizBang Media joining us once again. Last month, he loaded up his family, left their home state of Missouri and made the 9 hour trek to Wisconsin to partake in his first HHAUSA event. An accomplished 3D and tournament archer, Logan was in for a much different experience than his days on the competition trail. Meeting several of the gue...

Picking up a bow for the first time at 14 years old, Ben Klusmann was hooked on the sport of archery and his world hasn't been the same since.   While he and his father did their fair share of gun hunting, it wasn't until the South Dakotan watched Michael Waddell harvest a turkey with a bow on TV that he knew there was more to the outdoors he needed to explore. He told his dad he wanted...

Our good friend and Law Enforcement Officer Tyler Geiger joins us once again on The HHAUSA Podcast. A passionate archer and ultra runner, he rallied his followers last year to raise money for us by completing the David Goggins inspired 4x4x48 Challenge, running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. A few things have changed since we last spoke to Tyler. Having moved from the outskirts of Nashville i...

There is nothing I love more than partnering with likeminded individuals that have a heart for serving others. Collin Cottrell with High Caliber Hunts absolutely fits that mold and we are excited to come alongside him and see his new venture grow in the great state of Texas. A fellow Midwesterner born in Minnesota, Cottrell picked up hunting at a young age and once he grabbed a bow, a lifelong pas...

Growing up in a family of hunters, it wasn't until Michelle Sanchez returned from Iraq in 2005 that her father presented her with a .25-06 Smith and Wesson and invited her to join him on the ranch.  A cousin then persuaded her into buying a bow which led to a first place finish in a local bowfishing tournament. Things snowballed from there and before long, Sanchez found herself shooting compe...

It's impossible to put into words, either on paper or in a two hour podcast, how life changing a trip on the Honor Flight is. Less than 12 hours removed from what would be my third flight in the past four years, I will attempt to do just that and bring you, our listeners, along on this truly remarkable day. For those not familiar with the organization, The Honor Flight Network consists of 128...

There are a lot of gifted people in this world and the outdoor industry is home to a bunch of them. But I'm not sure that I know of anyone with a resume quite like my close friend Chad Davis.  Whether he's putting in reps at the gym with his wife, chasing trophy whitetails, cranking out photo and video content or designing a new t-shirt, Chad is one of those guys that excels at everythin...

I probably sound like a broken record but I have been so fortunate to have crossed paths with some amazing people through the sport of archery over the years. Carl Drake is no doubt one of those individuals. A man of strong faith, Drake credits his blessings in life to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and begins our episode this week by sharing his testimony. He also details a near fatal accident...

Christian, father, husband, US Army Veteran, archer, outdoorsman, whitewater rafter, chaplain...Carter Check wears a lot of hats! The Wisconsin native now living in the land of the Sooners, Check was an absolute joy to talk to on this special Good Friday edition of The HHAUSA Podcast. From his time serving our country as a Cav Scout to successfully navigating clients through deadly whitewater rapi...

Good friend of HHAUSA and Air Force Veteran Kyle Mindiola joins us on this week's episode. Meeting Kyle in Warrens at one of our shoots two years ago, who knew that we would become such close friends? A shared passion for the outdoors has led him and a group of likeminded archers to form a new nonprofit organization, Archery Origins. Focusing on personalized instruction, Mindiola and his team...

Fighting PTSD through archery and the outdoors is at the heart of the HHAUSA mission. When I sat down to write the intro for this episode, I didn’t want to take away from the message that our guest spelled out so clearly in the About section on her website. The wife of a Combat Veteran who suffers from PTSD, I'm going to let Lauren Rich tell you what drives her work in her own words: If you&a...

Seventeen years in, one man's passion for hunting, helping others and a heart for the Lord has culminated into an amazing body of work coming out of southeastern Wisconsin. Little did Mark Neumann know that a love of the outdoors and his HUNT4LIFE license plate would become the catalyst for a ministry raising over a half a million dollars a year. A one day shooting extravaganza held each Octo...

We conclude our conversation this week with good friend and Army Veteran Tyson Trunkhill of Sticks & Stones Archery and The Dust Off Project. While a bit lighter episode than part one, the Iowa native dives a little deeper into his diagnosis of PTSD and tries to break down the stigma in the Veteran and First Responder community of sharing those struggles publicly. After years of putting on a t...

One of the more difficult podcasts that I have done thus far, I want to thank our guest for his transparency, honesty and willingness to share his story about PTSD. Our mission here at HHAUSA is to change and save lives and conversations like these need to happen in order to reach those it is intended for. Not for the faint of heart,  it is dark and graphic at times so please listen with discretio...

From the first moment that I met Adam LaRoche, I could sense that he was different than anyone that I had ever met before. In spite of being a Major League Baseball star and a central figure on The Buck Commander,  there was something about the way he carried himself that I had never experienced. Over a decade since that initial meeting, it was his faith in Christ that set him apart and would ulti...

This week we are joined by HHA Sports Sales and Marketing Manager Jake Mancl. We talk about his lifelong love of the outdoors, how he came to land his dream job in the archery industry and what’s in store for 2022. We then take a deep dive into our shoot schedule for the 3D season at HHAUSA. With six events over the course of the summer, we discuss each club at length and what sets them apart from...

David Wootten is our first return guest on this week’s episode of The HHAUSA Podcast. We discuss his recent deer hunt to Arizona where he was blessed to harvest his largest buck to date.  Listen in as David puts an epic stalk on a great muley. Taking his boots off to close the distance, his Mathews bow and HHA sight sealed the deal at 84 yards and brought tears of joy to the Army Veteran and those...

We resume our chat with Navy Veteran and Founder of Limb-itless Outdoors Aaron Ritter on this episode of The HHAUSA Podcast. Taking a ten year break from active service in the 90's, Aaron began pursuing a career as a fireman in his home state of Washington. His very first call involved a young girl who was run over multiple times by a vehicle and the traumas often associated with Veterans ins...

Aaron Ritter has lived a lot of life in his 49 years and by all accounts, probably shouldn't be here. A Navy Veteran and lifetime outdoor enthusiast, he could have left this world much sooner but God had other plans. Surviving a near fatal motorcycle accident that resulted in the loss of his lower leg, Aaron's life was forever changed on the night of February 12th, 2011. On leave and una...

3D archers, have we got an episode for you! This week, Brad and Brittany Rinehart of the Rinehart R-100 join us to talk about their 2022 schedule and so much more. Kicking off in sunny Florida on February 11th, the couple will put on thousands of miles, traveling to 17 venues across the USA this year, wrapping things up in September in West Virginia. What makes the R-100 so unique is its menagerie...

The Honor Flight Network will always be credited as a catalyst for the beginnings of HHAUSA. Serving as a ground volunteer in central Wisconsin, I was instantly drawn into the organization and how everyone involved worked together to put on a first class experience to honor our Veterans. Flying to Washington DC as a guardian on two separate trips only furthered my love for something that is nearly...

I’m a firm believer in divine appointments and that there’s no such thing as coincidences.  This week’s guest would certainly agree and the path life has taken him on is living proof that a higher power not only exists but has a plan for every part of our lives, even the tragedies. Shortly after losing his three dogs to a house fire that left him with little more than the shirt on his back, Brian...

Retiring in 2007 as a Lieutenant Coronel after 20 years in the United States Army, Oshkosh Wisconsin native John McDaniel's time of service was just beginning. Seeing first hand the trauma that the war had inflicted on so many, the avid outdoorsman began sharing his love of hunting and fishing with those in need.  In 2009,  Wounded Warriors In Action was formed to expand his mission. The 501c...

What better way to end the season than with a year in review of all the great things that happened at HHAUSA over the past 12 months? Our producer and good friend Logan Chartrand joins us to talk about everything that made 2021 so successful as well as a sneak peak into 2022. On behalf of everyone that is part of the HHAUSA family, thank you for listening in and sharing these podcasts and the powe...