Hunt Advisor HUNTER LEMASTERS

I grew up in the small town of Friendly, West Virginia where my dad played a huge role in shaping me into the hunting fanatic I am today. One of my earliest hunting memories is shooting a squirrel and falling off his lap in the process. That moment happened on a piece of land I would later build a cabin next to where my wife and I lived before moving to Utah.

Hunting was more than a hobby growing up, it was a way of life. I watched my dad bring home wild game to fill our freezers and listened to his stories with awe, which made me idol that lifestyle. I tagged along on trap lines, fishing trips, and hunts until I was old enough to head out on my own. From an early age, he taught me to respect the animals we pursued and to always follow the rules. Even now, he’s the first person I call after every hunt, whether I fill a tag or not.

Much of my younger years were spent balancing school, sports, and the outdoors. I loved playing sports, but my true passion was always in the woods. I followed the sports route to West Virginia Wesleyan College where I ran track and field, joined Theta Xi Fraternity, and earned a biology degree with a minor in chemistry. I had plans to attend dental school, but a job opportunity back home allowed me to use my degree and gave me access to 1,300 acres of hunting land. I was sold! For the next eight years, if I wasn’t working, I was in the woods.

In 2018, I took a leap and planned a Colorado OTC second rifle elk hunt with two friends. That trip changed everything. I fell in love with western hunting, the public land, the challenge, and the endless opportunities. I knew I belonged out west, but I had no roadmap for how to get there. I taught myself everything: how to navigate state regulations, obtain tags, rank units in spreadsheets based on criteria I wanted in a hunt, and e-scout effectively. Since that first trip with limited vacation time, I’ve packed out six elk and a mule deer buck, all self-guided. Those hunts pushed me mentally and gave me the confidence to take on even bigger challenges, like building my own house.

Today, I’m proud to be part of Huntin' Fool where I help others find their passion for hunting and shorten the learning curve. Whether it’s friends or strangers, nothing excites me more than seeing someone succeed and fall in love with the lifestyle that shaped me.

Challenge yourself. Tackle the unknown. You’ll come out stronger on the other side.