Hunting Matters

Mario Kalpou’s lifelong fascination with nature’s bounty took root at a young age. Australian born, as a youth Mario split his time between his father, a farmer in rural Sydney, and mother, a waitress at the Wentworth Hotel - where his maternal grandfather was a world-class chef in the ’60s. Comfortable in both the field and kitchen, Kalpou soon set on a path to pursue his innate love of cooking working alongside prominent chefs and eventually opening and operating several highly acclaimed restaurants most notably, The Old Library, garnering various awards such as Zagat 3 Hats and 2nd place Belle Awards.

He deepened his love of harvesting from the wild and honed his already advanced outdoor skills when he traded the metropolitan restaurant world for rural New Zealand. Kalpou opened an extreme-adventure lodge and became a professional guide for overseas clients. During this time, he observed not only how being immersed in the outdoors positively affected each client but a realization that being connected to the source of free range, wild food echoed the interest of his chefs and patrons in the restaurant world. People want to feel connected to their food source and the inspiration for “Man Eats Wild” was born.

Monte was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up a few miles north in Keller. His dad is a veterinarian, and growing up, they lived outside of town. His fondest memories of childhood almost all revolve around shooting and hunting with his dad and G-Dad (his grandfather) or running through the pastures surrounding his dad’s clinic with a BB gun, a .22 or a shotgun and his old Australian Shepherd, Tuffy.

While going to college, Monte found Tac Pro Shooting Center, in Mingus, Texas. It was there that he entered his first 3-gun match. That match was miserable! It was cold (it never got above 35° that day), rainy and he finished up dead last. He was instantly hooked on the sport!
Since that cold, rainy day, he has spent a lot of time asking questions, listening and leaning from a lot of fellow shooters. He’s gone from dead last in that first match to typically being close to the top of the list when it’s all said and done.

Since becoming a full-time employee at XS Sights, Monte has been able to continually increase his skills and abilities as a competitive shooter. It is through his hard work and lots of help from friends and sponsors, as well as an understanding boss and co-workers, that he is able to continue improving and chasing his dream. Monte is a marketing and sales engineer, expert marksman and avid hog and deer hunter. His certifications include Tac Pro Shooting Center Primary Pistol, Tac Pro Shooting Center Intermediate Pistol, Tac Pro Shooting Center Advanced Pistol, Combat Shooting and Tactics (CSAT) Carbine Operator, CSAT Pistol Operator, CSAT Carbine/Pistol Instructor, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Basic Instructor, TCOLE Firearms Instructor, NRA Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) Pistol/Shotgun Instructor, and NRA LEAD Select Fire Weapons Instructor.

Inspired by his grandfather, Chris Williams is a second-generation knife maker. He watched his grandfather craft knives from discarded bandsaw blades in his workshop. This prompted Chris to create his own style of knives that were as beautiful as they were functional. This “hobby” continued to blossom as he made knives for friends until he ultimately walked away from a promising career as an investment banker to fully dedicate his energy into creating legendary knives.

In 2005, Williams Knife Company was born and what has evolved has become a veritable artform. His big break came in 2010 when he crafted a new style of oyster knife that he named “The Edisto”, designed specifically for the small cluster oysters found along the east coast, which won the overall 2011 Made in the South award from Garden & Gun Magazine.

Matt Loessin is the owner of Vara Ranch. He has been hunting his entire life across the United States and Mexico. In 2017 he purchased the property which is now Vara Ranch. The plan was to raise exotic species for conservation and they added whitetail breeding a year later. In 2020, they started the hunting side of the operation and will launch their inaugural season of hunting and a new 5,000 square foot lodge in September of 2022.

Matt has a vast amount of experience in corporate entertainment through his oil and gas business over the past twenty years. The Vara Ranch lodge was designed with high end corporate events in mind. Plentiful amenities, 5-star service and an unbelievable experience where Vara Ranch customers can bring their clients to build relationships and further their business. Vara Ranch is located just southwest of Columbus, Texas.

Jason Lonsberry, CEO & Co-Founder

Jared Lewis, & Co-Founder

Aidan Stokes: Aiden The Hunter

Aiden Stokes is a young man who loves hunting. He celebrated his ninth birthday this year while on safari in South Africa.

Aidan started learning gun safety and how to shoot at the age of 5.
Took his first feral hog by himself at the age of 6 and loves to be in the outdoors with his dad even if they don't see anything.

Took his first international game animal (Warthog) in South Africa this year.
Aidan has shot and wants to continue shooting competitive benchrest as well as recently joining the Waller County Sharpshooter 4H team (clays).

He also gets recognized when walking around the hunting tradeshows here in Houston by a few people who watch him online and like to see how he is learning.
He also became friends with the owner of Texas Hog Bait at a tradeshow and was sent an official "Pro Staff " vest from them from the work he has done trying to help promote the product and for just being a good kid learning to hunt safely.

Native Texan Mike Arnold is a research scientist and outdoor writer with more than 140 published articles, including feature pieces in such magazines as Sports Afield, Hunter’s Horn, Safari Magazine, and African Hunting Gazette.

Mike has launched his new book titled Bringing Back The Lions: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed African Ecosystem.
The hunter’s horn blew early for Mike. Taking his first whitetail near San Saba while hunting with his father at the age of five was a transformative experience. From that time forward, Mike has spent months each year pursuing game animals – from quail and rabbits behind his parents’ house, to kudu and leopard in Africa.

Mike combines his love of writing, science, and hunting to record his adventures. He often covers the role hunters and their organizations play in ecosystem restoration and conservation. He has produced a series of articles on key stakeholders highlighting how sport hunting leads to the conservation of habitats and wildlife. Mike’s upcoming TEDx talk and book both cover this topic as well. To learn more about Mike visit https://arnoldoutdoorwriter.com.