Hunting Matters

David Wirth is an inventor and entrepreneur who holds two degrees in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA and is currently pursuing his PhD in nanoengineering of materials. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force and co-founded a metal 3D printing company, Fabric8Labs, which was recently funded by Intel ventures. In 2016 he was personally invited to the White House to discuss topics related to additive manufacturing with industry and academic leaders. In 2017 he left Fabric8Labs to partner with Jason Murray and founded Arcflash Labs, LLC with the goal of advancing electromagnetic propulsion technologies.

Together they developed a new type of high-density power inverter and offered a number of coilgun and gauss rifle prototypes for sale, including the GR-1 "Anvil" which was recently featured on Forgotten Weapons. David has been featured on the Forbes' 30 under 30 list in the area of manufacturing, and his projects have been featured on the Discovery Channel, Popular Mechanics, New Scientist, The Drive, and Popular Science.

Harding Bush is the Operations Manager at Global Rescue. Previously, he spent more than 20 years as a US Navy SEAL during which he held responsibilities including Platoon Leading Senior Chief for SEAL Team Eight and Command Senior Chief of the Navy’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Course. After leaving the armed forces, Harding held international security leadership positions for the Jannah Hunt Oil Company working closely with senior executives on security conditions at three oil production facilities in Yemen.

Additionally, he was a security advisor and trainer for the Ogantz Group and Harke Strategic where he delivered a full spectrum of security services to global organizations. Harding is a graduate of Norwich University where he earned both his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees.
He is an expert in procedures for high-risk travel, cultural awareness, crisis preparedness, leadership and operational planning. Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services for hunters and outdoor adventurers worldwide.

An avid sportsman since his youth, Adam Whitehead grew up chasing bucks and pretty much anything that moved on his family's farm in Eastern North Carolina. Growing up in rural North Carolina, Adam saw first-hand the challenges folks faced to get hunting and fishing gear. After attending East Carolina University, Adam founded Sportsman's Box (2015) with the intention of providing everyone access to the essential tools to enable outdoor success.

Today, after undergoing a brand transition from Sportsman's Box to Buddy Outdoors in 2021, Adam and the Buddy Outdoor's team are providing members with access to the outdoors top gear brands, while helping to educate as well.

Dan Forster, Vice President and Chief Conservation Officer for the Archery Trade Association (ATA)

archerytrade.org


A native of Georgia, Dan received both his. B.S. and M.S. degrees in wildlife biology from the University of Georgia. He is a certified wildlife biologist and retired from the Georgia DNR's Wildlife Resources Division serving the last 12 years as Director. Dan currently works as the Vice President and Chief Conservation Officer for the Archery Trade Association (ATA) where he manages their government relations and conservation agenda. Dan has served in many leadership roles at the regional and national level including president of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and is a sitting Board Member for the National Deer Association, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, and the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports.
Dan is an avid, lifelong hunter and currently lives in Social Circle, GA with his wife Jennifer, two children, and their Brittany Spaniel Millie.

Jim Willis is the founder and president of the Wildlife Habitat Federation. Over his esteemed career, Jim has served as a foreign service officer in three American Embassies, has been an agricultural economist/Soviet specialist/rice analyst for the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and was the Director of Foreign Programs for the USA Rice Council. Jim also served as President of the International Programs for the U.S. Rice Producers Association.

The Wildlife Habitat Federation (WHF) is a non-profit conservation organization that facilitates on-the-ground restoration of habitat that is needed to re-establish healthy and sustainable populations of quail and other upland wildlife species native to the Texas Oaks and Prairie Eco-region. WHF provides information, specialized equipment and on-the-ground physical assistance to landowners and lessees committed to re-establishing native grasses and forbs.

WHF Habitat Action Teams provide technical, financial and mechanical assistance to landowners wishing to restore native grasses, wildflowers or forbs to conserve all native resources, including soil, water, air and wildlife. WHF also harvests seed from local native ecotype species of grass and wildflowers to ensure successful plant establishment. Restoration activities include invasive species removal, managing prescribed burns and grazing, and wildflower seeding, among others. A 7-mile-long wildlife corridor and other restored native habitat serve as models for landowners wishing to restore native species of both plant and animal species.

John Whitehurst is the founder and owner of Sauvignon John Inc., a Houston based winery. John graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017 and previously worked as a VP for Frost Bank in their Commercial Lending department.

John enjoys hunting, playing tennis, and spending time with his wife, Carly, and their two dogs. John is an avid whitetail deer hunter. Born in Corpus Christi, John has hunted South Texas his entire life. In addition to whitetail hunting, John also enjoys dove hunting and quail hunting with his German short-haired pointer.

Sauvignon John was recently voted "Best Wine of the Year" per Swoon magazine's latest issue in January of 2022. Currently, they make a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Rosé wine.

After years of successfully working together at Cushman Insurance Agency, Cole and his father, Larry, felt the one gap in the insurance market was when it came to proper coverage for firearm sand hunting trophies. When looking to insure their own guns, they discovered that the traditional homeowner’s policy was not sufficient.

The Cushman’s solution to this problem was to create an insurance company that not only meets their needs but serves others as well. Thus, Gun & Trophy Insurance was born. Partnering with The Hanover Insurance Group, they represent thousands of individuals across the country operating as an independent insurance agency.

A love of outdoor sportsmanship is what led Cole to Gun & Trophy, but he says the family values and job flexibility are what make him stay. After all, when the company values a good hunt – you have the team’s support to take off early on a fall afternoon during deer season.

Cole prides himself in serving other Americans who share his passion for shooting. He can’t recall a client ever questioning G&T rates (which is virtually impossible in this industry) as proven by a retention ratio that has flirted with 100% every renewal since the program started. More rewarding is the number and quality of referrals he receives from customers. There is no shortage of pride when Cole is able to provide clients with top-notch service at an unbeatable price. It’s safe to say that Gun & Trophy is not slowing down anytime soon. They are a family-owned and operated business that feels blessed to combine their passion and profession. Whether you’re an avid shooter or a new gun owner – Gun and Trophy Insurance can meet your needs.

Shawn was hired by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department in 2004 as a wildlife biologist for Pecos and Terrell counites, and in 2008, transferred to Brewster County. He was promoted to be the Mule Deer and Pronghorn Program Leader in 2009. Prior to his career with TPWD, Shawn was a research technician for the National Park Service at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, working with big game species such as elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and bison. He received his bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management from Texas Tech University and his master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology from Texas State University–San Marcos.

Tim Herald, Senior Consultant, Worldwide Trophy Adventures (WTA)
worldwidetrophyadventures.com

Tim Herald lives in Lexington, KY with his wife Alka and twin sons, Will and Drew, and has been hunting since he was six years old. He has hunted and fished all over the U.S. (40 states), Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Zambia, Namibia, Spain, Botswana, Mozambique, England, Costa Rica, Australia and New Zealand. He has taken dozens of record book big game animals and has harvested 25 wild turkey Grand Slams and 1 Royal Slam. Herald has hunted whitetails extensively for over 30 years, and also hunts moose, elk, African big game and other “adventure” species numerous times each year. He has taken the modern African Dangerous 7 and has successfully hunted dangerous game on many occasions including lion, Cape buffalo, elephant, grizzly, leopard, hippo, crocodile, rhino, etc. Herald also guided for whitetail, waterfowl and turkeys for many years in a number of states.

Herald has been involved in the outdoor/hunting industry on a professional level since 1996 in varied capacities as a guide, outfitter, hunt consultant, outdoor writer and on-screen television personality. He was the Outdoor Marketing Manager for Under Armour from 2004-2008 and was Director of Marketing for Bad Boy Buggies 2008-2009. He now makes his living full time in outdoor television, writing, promotion, and hunt consulting.

Tim has conducted seminars throughout the U.S. and has also been featured in many major outdoor publications, television and radio shows, hunting videos, as well as ads, catalogs and commercials for various outdoor companies. Along with frequent guest appearances on television programs such as Realtree Roadtrips, Mossy Oak’s Hunting the Country, Knight and Hale’s Ultimate Hunting, North American Hunter, etc., Herald joined the staff of the Hunters Journal Television Show on the Outdoor Channel in 2003.

Tim was on the panel of 2006-2011 pros for Whitetail Country (ESPN2 and now NBC Sports), Pro Hunter Journal and Hunt Masters., and co-hosted LimbSaver Outdoors in 2007 on the Men’s Channel. In 2008 and 2009 Tim hosted Outdoor America on the Outdoor Channel. He worked with Magnum Global Media from 2009-2015 as host of both THE ZONE (Sportsman Channel) and Magnum TV (Outdoor Channel) and is currently an owner/consultant at Worldwide Trophy Adventures and is a host/producer for Cabela’s Instinct: Expedition Series on The Sportsman Channel.

Darrell joined the Houston Safari club in 2000 and became a life member in 2007. Darrell served as vice president from 2006 to 2007. He also served on the board of directors from 2007 to 2011. He is a past president of the club having served as president in 2009/2010. As president of the club Darrell implemented the funding for the Hunting with Heroes program at HSCF and remains involved in that program.

For the past several years Darrell has been a volunteer for the Double D Ranch wounded warrior program and special needs youth hunt. He has spent many hours meeting with different organizations to find the children to attend this youth hunt as well as organizing the meat processing and trophy delivery.

Darrell and his wife Cheryl have two children and reside in Katy, Texas. When Darrell is not hunting or fishing, he can usually be found on a golf course. Just look in any greenside bunker and that is where he will be.