Hunting Matters

John Jones is the president of Lochow Ranch Pond and Lake Management. He is a Texas based fisheries biologist with 25 years’ experience.

John is the current president of the Texas Aquaculture Association, a member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s freshwater external advisory committee and a Texas A&M University College of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries external advisory committee member.

John founded Lochow Ranch Pond and Lake Management with an extensive knowledge of the pond and lake management field. A graduate of the Texas A&M University Wildlife and Fishery Science Program, John also holds an Aquatic Plant Management certification from the University of Florida. He is a member of the American Fisheries Society and is certified as a Pesticide Applicator.

Boyds Gunstocks was started in 1981 by Randy Boyd and is located in Mitchell, South Dakota. Boyds Gunstocks has grown in size and scope each year, now employing over 100 people to manufacture the strong line of Boyds Gunstocks that are shipped all over the world.

Dustin Knutson is a long-time employee of Boyds Gunstocks and as of January 2020 became the new co-owner. Dustin became Boyds’ general manager after working his way up the ladder from the production floor. Dustin’s experience and expertise ensures that Boyds’ production facility remains modern, efficient, and producing high-quality gunstocks with the latest technology available. Dustin is an avid hunter as well as excellent target shooter and enjoys getting out into the outdoors as much as possible.

Boyds Gunstocks is the largest aftermarket gunstock manufacturer in the world, making stocks for over 155 different gun brands and 1,200 models within those brands. “Nobody can offer anywhere near the huge selection and variety of stocks that we offer,” says Dustin. “With over 24 different stock shapes, offered in over 15 different colors, and with the multitude of stock customizations, there are literally hundreds of thousands of possible combinations that you can come up with to personalize a stock that’s made just to your liking.”

Marcus Hutsen is the Business Development Manager at Patriot Coolers.

Founded in 2018, Patriot Coolers offers a line of high-quality stainless-steel drinkware and
rotomolded coolers, where a portion of every purchase is donated to Homes For Our Troops, a
non-profit that builds and donates accessible housing to severely injured post 9/11 Veterans.
Growing up in Texas, Marcus was raised hunting, hiking, and playing sports.

Today he lives in Cypress, and loves spending time outdoors with his wife Emily, their daughter, and their dog.

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PJ Carleton joined the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation in early 2008, and now serves as the Senior Director, Events and Donor Relations. PJ brings nearly 20 years of fundraising and event planning experience; in this role she manages CSF events in the Nation’s Capital and around the country. PJ also works with CSF’s donors and sponsors for their continued support, including making sure they get their benefits that come with their support.
In her role as the Senior Director, Events and Donor Relations, PJ has the pleasure to plan and implement CSF’s variety of hunting and fishing centric events every year. From their Congressional Clays Competition with their Bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, to their one-of-a-kind, Wine, Wheels & Wildlife with Richard Childress, CSF sets the standard for Sportsmen’s events.

Prior to joining CSF, PJ was the Director of Political and Special Events at Epiphany Productions, Inc. During her 5-year tenure, she executed large- and small-scale meetings and events for a diverse clientele throughout the United States and Europe. Before working for Epiphany, PJ spent two years in the office of U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin.

PJ has a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Design from Louisiana State University. Growing up in “Sportsman’s Paradise”, PJ had the opportunity to be around hunting and fishing from an early age and still enjoys fishing with her brothers. She is also passionate about cooking, decorating, gardening, organizing and fashion. When not at work, PJ is often creating fun ice cream flavors for her colleagues to test out. PJ is also an avid sports fan – cheering on her LSU Tigers!

Will believes wildlife conservation is massively impacted by hunters with the money they spend and the legal harvest of big and small game animals to maintain stable populations. Although there are many other groups that contribute, wildlife conservation in North America would not be possible without hunters. Bear Beans Coffee, founded in 2021, gives back to help bear conservation in North America by providing ten percent of its profits to conservation.

Will is a hunter-conservationist and his passion is starting new projects and ventures and aligning with like-minded people to make a positive impact in the world. He lives in Southwestern British Columbia, Canada with his wife, Tara, and their three young boys.

Kevin Dougherty is the Chief Operating Officer of Greater Houston Sports Club (GHSC).
Established in 1959 and situated on 290 immaculately maintained acres less than 20 minutes south of downtown, Greater Houston Sports Club is Houston’s premier shotgun sports complex.

Kevin was born and raised in Michigan and worked at Detroit Gun Club for 9 years. In 2002, he moved to Houston to take a job at Greater Houston Sports Club, as the General manger. During his now 20 years there, GHSC has seen substantial growth. Now boasting 10 Skeet fields, 2 trap fields, 4 Sporting Clays Courses, 5-stand FITASC and soon, Helice.
Kevin lives in Katy, Texas with his wife, son and daughter.

Ben Masters is a filmmaker and writer specializing in wildlife and adventure stories. He is most known for directing the feature-length documentary The River and The Wall, a SXSW 2019 award winner, and for producing Unbranded, a Mountainfilm 2015 Audience Award winner.

Masters studied wildlife biology at Texas A&M University and founded Fin and Fur Films, a production company specializing in short films featuring wildlife research, conservation, and activism. He is the author of two books published by Texas A&M University Press and has written for National Geographic and Western Horseman. His films have been distributed on Netflix, National Geographic, STARZ, PBS, and he has worked with The Wildlife Society, Borderlands Research Institute, YETI, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, and other great brands and NGOs.

A proud Texan, Masters loves riding a good horse through new country, filming wildlife stories that have not been documented before, and using movies to help conserve wildlife and wild places.

Chris Horton joined the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) in 2010 as the Midwestern States Director. In this role he oversaw and interacted with the state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses and members of the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus throughout the region. As the Senior Director, Fisheries Policy, he serves as CSF’s primary point of contact on federal recreational fishing issues, as well as assists the States Program Team staff with challenges for anglers at both the state and regional levels.

Chris currently serves on the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council and has served on the Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee, the board of the National Fish Habitat Partnership, and the Future Fisherman Foundation board of directors.

Prior to joining CSF, Chris served as the Conservation Director for the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.). His primary responsibility was to work with and represent the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and B.A.S.S. members on local, state and national conservation issues that impact sport fishing. During his tenure at B.A.S.S., he was part of a U.S. delegation to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization in the development of a Code of Practice for Recreational Fisheries.

Chris received a master's degree in fisheries from the University of Arizona. Prior to working with B.A.S.S., Chris served as the reservoir research biologist, as well as the black bass biologist, for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Heather Kelly is the founder and CEO of Heather's Choice®. They produce healthy, lightweight, packable meals and snacks for adventurers worldwide. All of their products are made in their dedicated gluten-free kitchen in Anchorage, Alaska. Their mission is to put good food in everyone's pack, no matter where their adventures may take them.

Heather was a two-time NCAA National Champion in women's rowing and was voted CRCA/Pocock All-American her senior year. She still considers herself an athlete and loves everything from CrossFit to weight training to long walks in the woods.

At Western Washington University she earned a degree in Evolutionary Nutrition and went on to study at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating to become a certified eating psychology coach. Heather believes we all have a relationship with food, and it's important to cultivate a healthy, satisfying relationship with our diet for long term health.

Heather has a Czech German Shepherd named Jango who can do lots of cool tricks. Her favorite wine is Argentinian Malbec and she has rafted the Grand Canyon six times since 2011 and won't say no to a river trip.

Heather Kelly was born and raised in Alaska and still calls it home today.

Ross Melinchuk has been a member of Houston Safari Club since 2015. He is the Executive Director of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA). He is also the President and CEO of Melinchuk and Associates, LLC, an environmental and natural resource policy consulting firm based in Aiken, SC.

Ross previously served as Chief Conservation Officer for NWTF. Prior to that, he was the Director of Conservation Programs for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) where he oversaw the Land Conservation, Water Resources, Landscape Ecology, International Programs and Project Management Office. He also served as the Deputy Executive Director for Natural Resources for TPWD from 2009-2017, responsible for overseeing the department’s Wildlife, Coastal and Inland Fisheries Divisions.

Before accepting his position with TPWD, he was Director of Public Policy for Ducks Unlimited (DU), where he was responsible for providing strategic direction for public policy and state grant activities for a 15-state region in the South and Southeastern U.S.

Prior to his 17-year career with DU, he served as North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) coordinator for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies from 1990-1992.

He began his professional career with Saskatchewan Environment, as a wildlife biologist in the late 1970’s, ending up as the agency’s NAWMP coordinator, a position he held until 1990 when he left Canada to work in Washington D.C. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and earned a Master of Science degree in 1983 from Lakehead University.

Ross is an avid hunter, angler and shooter and has hunted in Alaska, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and South Africa.