Meet The A-Team

Luke grew up an Army brat, but his family's farms in Grayson County, VA were constants in his life. He spent his childhood camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting.

He barely graduated from Virginia Tech in 2013, where he studied History & Appalachian Studies (super useful in the real world). He somehow commissioned as an Army Infantry Officer despite spending most of his time at Hokie House (local watering hole) or the tree stand.

During his second deployment to Afghanistan, he discovered powerlifting and competed in several Army competitions. On that deployment his started his MBA but dropped out the first day. Missing hunting season that deployment motivated him to take advantage of every opportunity to be in the woods & lit a spark that has since grown into an obsession. 

He figured the best way to learn business was to start one, so he launched HLE.

He lives with his beautiful wife Caroline in Colorado Springs, CO. They have a young son, two dogs and a very annoying cat.  

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He's 5'7 and thinks he's in charge. 

Caroline grew up on a horse farm in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. She spent her early years fishing, camping, and spending most of her free time in the outdoors.

Once Caroline met Luke, she quickly became immersed in the family deer camp. The HLE community has been great to help shorten her hunting learning curve. 

She's an elementary school teacher by trade, but is staying home with their first child, Barrett.

Caroline handles design & merchandising and manages all order fulfillment & customer service. 

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If there is a mistake with your order, it's her fault. 

Carter grew up in North Georgia and from a young age had a passion for fishing and the outdoors. He was introduced to hunting as a freshman in college and had been hooked ever since. He has hunted in many states including black bear in Alaska, mule deer and antelope in Wyoming, ducks in Arkansas and North Dakota and most often, whitetail in his home state. With hunting has come a passion for cooking wild game and sharing it with others.

Carter is a high school history teacher in John’s Creek, Ga where he teaches AP US history, AP Psychology, and World History. He also coaches several sports including cross country, tennis, and swim team. He lives on a small farm with his wife and 1 year old girl where gardening and self sufficiency are important.

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Carter is the only dude who brings rosemary to deer camp.

Derick grew up in the backwoods of West Virginia.  During his youth he played football, baseball, and wrestled and spent time learning to hunt from is uncle and grandfather.  After high school, Derick attended Fairmont State University and graduated from the Physical Therapist Assistant program.  He wanted more and enlisted in the Army. 

He was assigned as a medic to 3rd Ranger Battalion and spent his entire military career there.  While on his last deployment, Derick decided to give knife making a try when he got back home.  He instantly fell in love with the art and transformed this side project into a full-fledged business.  Derick is the HLE resident blacksmith/bladesmith, medical SME, and has been a frequent guest on the podcast.

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Derick looks like the goat dude from Narnia. 

Fuck James. 

Bobby is a redneck stuck in New Jersey.

He grew up upland and small game hunting and slowly started to learn all aspects of hunting. He may not be the best hunter in the woods, but he sure does take killer selfies sitting in a tree.

Bobby has 3 short hair pointers and spends most of his life catering to them. He also runs a non profit in his home state to help more people get off the couch and into the woods. 

He used to be a fat bastard. So he woke up one day, changed his lifestyle, and began to get his ass in shape.

When you talk to him, your first thought will be “I want whatever this dude's on.” It’s not cocaine, he's just high on living and loves a good laugh. 

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Jersey Shore meets the backwoods. 

Growing up on the Western Slope of Colorado, I was without a doubt  born and raised in the mecca of western hunting and the outdoors.

At an early age I’d spend my days wandering the mountains with my dad in search of remote brookie streams or sitting around a campfire listening to the old timers talk about opening day and what it might bring.

My passion for the outdoors quickly transformed as the years grew on, but it wasn’t until 2020 when it all hit me. Struggling with the “hardest year” of my life, I had a choice to make on January 3, 2020; cover & move or die.

So I grabbed my running shoes, hunting gear and a new perspective on life.

Combining my newfound passion for human performance with my dedication conservation has truly transformed my path as a person. With this new outlook on life, I spend my free time making every moment I am given worth it.

Life is about driving change around you through living influence!

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Kaleb uses 5 words when 1 will do, but he sounds damn nice while doing it. 

I was born and raised in Kentucky and from a young age developed a strong connection to the outdoors in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and farmland of the Ohio River bottoms. I grew up a few hundred yards away from the Ohio River and spent most of my time playing sports, fishing, riding four wheelers, camping, and hunting. I credit everything I know to my parents and grandparents who molded me into the man and outdoorsman I am today.

I currently live in the outskirts of Ashland, KY with my lovely wife Kristin where I teach Health and Physical Education and coach baseball at Raceland High School. I spend my free time with my wife and family, hunting, fishing, working out, going to church, or playing guitar and singing. 

It looks like Josh took his Team photo with a Nokia. 

Ariel was raised in a small farm town in Illinois and grew up like most midwesterners- (staring at corn) fishing, shooting squirrels and rabbits, and frog giggin'.

She joined the Navy after partying a little too hard in college and still works for the Navy now- just as a civilian.

Because she’s also an aggressively mediocre powerlifter, most of her free time is spent at the gym.. or drinking whiskey.. or drinking whiskey at the gym.

Otherwise you can find her at the range, by the water, or out exploring with her pup.

She hopes to get more women into the HLE lifestyle by showing that it’s never too late to learn, and it’s not as hard to get going as you think.

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Ariel lives everyday to prove it's not a phase. 

Scott grew up in Northern California, in the heart of wine country.  He spent his childhood summer’s working on his Grandfather’s cattle ranch in Colorado.  At 16, he missed his high school football playoff game to hunt elk in Colorado.  He shot his first rag-horn bull and his passion for hunting and the outdoors began. 

After High School, he moved to Colorado to be close to family and pursue his quest of big game hunting.  September 11th, 2001 changed the course of his life forever, Scott joined the USMC Infantry as a Machine Gunner (0331) to fight for the ol' USA. 

Now, as a husband and father of 3, he continues his pursuit of the wild in the rolling hills of California or the sagebrush flats of Colorado.  He is an avid Western hunter, water-fowler, and European mount enthusiast. 

Scott picks up roadkill and cleans the skulls.

Totally normal. 

Caleb is one of the most spectacular men on the team. The mullet has stolen the hearts of many. (All in his own mind).

Caleb was raised heavily in the outdoor life. Always surrounded by hunting, fishing, & bull riding, he spent many days watching his grandfather farm the family land.

He spent 5 years in the Marine Corps in Jacksonville, NC where he learned how to saltwater fish and bow hunt. There he secured his first black bear kill, also his first bow kill. Now he resides down in Spring, TX in constant pursuit of the next hunting season.

He also has a passion for body building and plans to continue in the sport until he essentially dies.

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Caleb resembles a juiced up Joe Dirt.

WWTPJD 

Perry grew up in rural Appalachia with his brother and fellow team-member Evan, where the Blue Ridge Mountains afforded plenty of opportunity to foster a lifelong passion for the outdoors. 
Activities such as backpacking the Appalachian Trail, canoeing and fishing the New River, and hunting on the family farm cultivated an interest in natural places and natural things that led him to study Wildlife Biology and Forestry at Virginia Tech. 
Perry now works as an Environmental Consultant in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and two children.  Perry is also a frequent guest on the HLE podcast and hopes to provide an honest approach to the everyman hunter and landowner striving to improve their property and their hunting skills. 

Perry is notorious for showing up late with 3 beers for himself. #fuckperry

Evan grew up in Western North Carolina spending most of his time in the outdoors really centered around hunting and fishing. He was blessed with access to the family’s farm in southwestern Virginia. This farm has great whitetail hunting and a historic cabin that the boys still use as a base camp today.

Evan has a beautiful daughter he is raising in the outdoors.

He is a Special Operations EOD Tech with 28th EOD and has deployed numerous times in support of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

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He’s the resident HLE groundhog killer and doesn’t speak too good. Luke rewrote most of his bio.

John has spent the last decade fishing for numerous fish species all over the rivers and streams of the East Coast region as a passionate and avid fly fisherman. John’s first fly fishing trip was when he was 13 and he has pursued the sport aggressively ever since.

Today, John ties in his knowledge of Western New York streams with the demands of fishing in remote and backcountry locations around the Rocky Mountains. Practicing catch and release fly fishing, John aims to share the benefits of sustainable fisheries to anyone wishing to learn how to access the sport of fly fishing.

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John's the type of dude who walks in without knocking and goes straight to the fridge. 

Jon is an Army Officer currently stationed in Florida. He commissioned as an Infantry officer  and grew up in upstate New York as an avid water fowl hunter. As an adult, he has fully immersed himself into all things hunting and fishing. He has most recently taken up spearfishing down in Florida. 

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Jon lost his front tooth on a sidewalk in Raleigh, NC.

Andrew is an Army Officer currently stationed in Florida. He commissioned as an Infantry officer from the United States Military Academy and is an avid hunter and fisherman.

Luke and Andrew met while at the Infantry Basic Officers Leader Course & have been best friends ever since. 

He has recently taken up bowhunting and spearfishing with Jon. 

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Andrew and Jon are married as far as the VA is concerned. 

Anthony is a professional strongman and strength and conditioning coach. In 2020, Anthony won 1st Place at America's Strongest Man in the 105kg weight class. He lives with his wife and his children in Lancaster County, PA. He's an avid hunter and outdoorsman.

Anthony is  a very big fella with small calves.