Questionnaire Section 1:

Tell us about yourself:

I grew up in a small town in south central Wisconsin. Dad started taking me hunting around the age of three. Growing up in an area where bears weren't accessible, I remember vividly my summers spent traveling the four hours to bear country in the old pickup truck. As I got older, even through the involvement of horses and athletics, I still made it up a majority of the weekends to help my father run his hounds and enjoy time with a group of people that I consider to be extended family. Growing up, dad and I shared the pack of hounds and that's where I truly learned so much about what it takes to make and maintain good dogs. When I turned 18, I decided to put horses and sports aside and focus on creating my own pack of hounds from scratch. It was then I started traveling and gaining knowledge and experience from other houndsman and started utilizing it to better myself and my pack. At the age of 21, I made a move to northeast WI and was closer than ever to hunting grounds where I was able to hunt a lot more, consistently put dogs on good game and had a blast doing so. In 2018, I packed up and moved everything 800 miles south to West Virginia, simply for the experience of moving to a new state and testing my abilities as a houndsman and trainer in new territory and terrain. I moved there with a fresh young pack yearning for new experiences and it was there I learned more than I ever could of imagine. It tested my patience, focus, drive, and showed me how resilient and disciplined I was to my goals. In Charleston, West Virginia was one of my first hands on experience with activism and litigation. A bill was on the table about new guiding regulations and the amount of houndsmen that showed up to fight resulted in the bill being tossed out. This showed me that when you stand for what you believe in and show up with power in numbers anything can be accomplished. Over the course of the year and a half I lived in the mountains I gained so much knowledge and confidence with my hounds and also learned about family and passions that I had neglected before. I moved back home to finish my nursing degree so I can further pursue my passion in the coming years. I look forward to being back home and further my training for myself and my young pack of hounds for the next generation of hounds I pursue.

Questionnaire Section 2:

With road closures severely limiting hunting access to large areas of timber company-owned land and county forest lands, we need BOD members who are willing and able to go to local government meetings and advocate for keeping land open for hunting. WBHA must continue devoting time to assure that bear hunting will continue to be recognized as a valuable activity here in Wisconsin.

Besides BOD meetings and the Annual meeting how much time can you commit per month? (Options: 2 hours, 4 hours, 10 hours, or More)

10 hours

How far are you willing to drive? (Options: 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 or more miles)

100 or more miles

What days are the best days? (Options: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Questionnaire Section 3:

What are some of the things you feel you can personally do to further accomplish the goals of WBHA?

I think I can be a positive spokesman at all times, exercise good sportsmanship, and remain respectful and considerate of others at all times. I think just by always being considerate to others and treating others how you'd expect to be treated is the best way to keep our sport and ourselves in a positive light.

Questionnaire Section 4:

Knowing that the HSUS has an unlimited bankroll, and one that is far superior to what the WBHA has, what would you be willing to do to save your sport?

I think there's a few things that are important in keeping our tradition in a positive light. I have the drive and passion to be a positive engaging spokesperson and advocate. A lot of people don't quite understand our tradition and carry a prejudice because of how they are informed via NGO groups seeking to end the use of hounds to pursue game. By speaking to people unfamiliar with our sport with an empathetic and engaging positive attitude, while utilizing inference and knowledge supported by science and sound management practices, I believe we can change perspectives. We need to understand that not everyone is raised in the lifestyle that we are; and people carry different values, ethics and perspectives, so we have to be mindful of others by using an educational approach, while acknowledging the mindset difference. By being a mentor, to not only the youth, but everyone that has interest in our sport - I can can bring more engagement into the tradition I love and want to protect. A huge part I try to play is getting more women involved. I think by being a female houndsman myself that I can be a resource for more women to feel comfortable in our sport, and to join WBHA and hound hunting. This could also result in more youth getting involved. I have the experience and motivational drive in working sanctioned events, both by WBHA and other organizations, and also helping educate, advocate and fundraise. I have also utilized my social media platform to positively influence and educate when need be. I think social media can be an educational platform to positively interact with others, but I remain mindful that social media is and can be a double edged sword. I believe positive interactions with people that are unfamiliar with our sport helps with our reputation as sportsmen and houndsmen.