One of the nation’s best known deer hunting experts is in Iowa this weekend, leading seminars he calls simply a "celebration of hunting." Michael Waddell hosts the popular hunting TV show "Realtree Road Trips" on the Outdoor Channel and says he’s always flattered his talks draw such good crowds.
Waddell says "We talk a lot about what we do while we’re on the road as well as just my view on hunting and the hunting industry and just the excitement of what hunting has meant to me over my life. That, and some tips on things I’ve learned on hunting all around the country as well as right there in Iowa." Waddell, who lives in Georgia, says he won’t dwell too much on deer hunting tips, since Iowa already has a lot of seasoned hunters.
He says "I try to stay away from a ton of ‘how to’ because I don’t really want to bore people with stuff they already know, but obviously, if there’s things people want to learn and they have questions, I want to be able to answer them. Our seminar is about having fun and stories and inside looks at things that happen on the road." Waddell spends about half his year on the road with the TV crew, hunting deer, but says he always enjoys meeting hunters and trading experiences.
He says "Iowa is one of my favorite places to hunt. I think Iowa’s home to the biggest bucks in the world. When you talk about Iowa in any other place across the country, immediately, if anybody knows anything about large whitetails, they start smiling and looking for a ticket so they can fly in there and hunt Iowa." Waddell’s appearing today and Sunday at the Iowa Deer Classic in Des Moines.