Whether they’re in the woods or on the podium, Hoyt’s Pro Shooters represent Hoyt to the fullest. And Hoyt.com is the only place where you’ll find behind-the-scenes info about their recent success stories, their travels, their favorite Hoyt bows and accessories, and other details that any true Hoyt fan needs to know.
HOYT: How long have you been shooting Hoyt, and how long have you been on Hoyt's Pro Staff?
MICHAEL: I've been shooting Hoyt exclusively since 2002, and I've been on Hoyt's Pro Staff since 2004.
I've always been a Hoyt fan and I owned several Hoyts prior to working in the hunting industry.
HOYT: You've been shooting the new Hoyt Katera for a while now. What do like best about it?
MICHAEL: It's tough as nails for one, but all the Hoyt bows are that tough. It sounds crazy, but I
love the way the Katera draws back. To me that makes a big difference when coming to full draw on
a still, frosty morning when everything is silent. So many of the bows these days are herky-jerky
on the draw with a bad rollover feel at the end of the draw. The Katera doesn't have that. It's
smooth as silk. It flat out shoots.
HOYT: You recently returned from a hunt in Africa … what animals did you hunt? How did the hunt go? Who did you hunt with?
MICHAEL: I was mainly there to host a new show called Bone Collector. We went to Botswana and even though I've always wanted to hunt cape buffalo with my Hoyt, in Botswana, they don't allow bowhunting for cape buffalo, which I think is nuts. So I went to just get a vibe on the culture and explore the minds of hunters who hunt there - especially on animals like elephants. I personally have never had a desire to hunt one, but I wanted to experience the hunt behind-the-scenes. I was joined on the adventure with co-host and good friend Nick Mundt, who was coming over from hunting in Namibia for the Bone Collector show. Aaron Neilson with Global Hunting Resources was hunting the elephant. He shot a monster bull on the 8th day of the hunt. We saw hundreds of elephants and I learned so much about what hunters do in that country to give back. Their money and food from the animals killed feeds thousands of tribes and villagers. It really made me appreciate my country even more. One thing is for sure … Africa has some wild stuff a hunter can go after. I'll be back and next time I'm bringing my Hoyt.
HOYT: Tell us more about your new "Bone Collector" show. How is it different than "Realtree Road Trips"? What was the inspiration behind it? What's your #1 goal for the show? When can your fans tune in to check it out?
MICHAEL: Bone Collector was certainly born from the highlights of hosting Realtree Road Trips. The original producers of Road Trips - Steve Finch and Marc Womack of Surf 'N Turf Entertainment - will be shooting and producing the Bone Collectors. Bone Collectors will be a mix of Road Trips, a news story documentary and NFL films-type of stuff. We really want to explore and do new things and give a better understanding of what we hunters are made of, like what drives us and what makes us fall in love with hunting-specific things.
We're not looking at making any excuses for why we hunt; we just want people to understand why we prefer to do our grocery shopping in the wild. This show will be pretty deep, but it will have plenty of light hearted fun and humor, too. I'll be teaming up with Nick Mundt and Travis "T-bone" Turner. They'll be co-hosting the show, and believe me, all the new Hoyt products will put to work. We plan on dulling a lot of broadheads!
HOYT: Your new Website - www.michaelwaddell.com - went live recently. What can your fans expect to find there?
MICHAEL: I just wanted a site that lets people know more about me and the products I believe in and use. It was also built to serve as entertainment and a source of information for hunters and outdoorsmen and women who are looking for places to hunt or tips to help them on the hunt. It will list my schedule and favorite places to hunt as well as a lot of personal stuff that people might not have known before now. We're also starting a Bone Collector Brotherhood club where fellow hunters can join up and have opportunities at giveaways and hunts, and also receive a Bone Collector membership package with some really cool stuff in it. I'm really excited about the club deal.
HOYT: Your fans and hunting buddies include celebrities, professional athletes and blue-collar folks. Tell us how you've been able to use hunting as a way to relate to people from all sorts of backgrounds.
MICHAEL: Hunting seems to bring everyone to the same level. There are really no credentials needed to have something in common with a hunter if you are one yourself. My Dad always taught me to treat people like you want to be treated and, for me, all people should be treated the same. I enjoy good people, period. Especially hunters. I love that some of the celebrities in the mainstream media have used some of our productions to show that they are proud to be hunters. I think it's important that these stories are heard.
HOYT: Many people would say you've got a dream job, but your life no doubt has its share of hard work and stress. Tell us about some of the struggles and stress you face as you do your job.
MICHAEL: It really is a dream job, because I love the outdoors and the hunting industry, and I pinch myself everyday that I get to do this for a living - especially that I get a chance to represent the culture I love the most - the hunting culture. My fellow hunters out there are the best people in the world and they mean everything to me. But it does get tough being away from my family, and I really miss my kids and miss out on a lot of small things that to me are big. I think most dads and moms can understand this, No doubt this is the toughest part of the job.
I'm not complaining, but it seems like most of life is down to an hour-by-hour schedule and sometimes that gets a little aggravating too. I wouldn't trade in my job for anything but my family, but this job will make you prioritize things for sure. If you're given the choice between a sheep hunt in Alaska or your kid's football game where your little boy is playing linebacker, some times the game wins out and that is the way I feel it should always be.
HOYT: Do you ever feel pressured to continually fill your tags and produce high-quality shows? How do you deal with the pressure?
MICHAEL: I never feel any pressure to feel my tags because every hunt serves some type of entertainment for me and hopefully our viewers. I do sometimes get my lip poked out if the game is not moving or if you hunt hard for 10 days and never come to full draw. Don't get me wrong, I love and appreciate everything about the outdoors and I make sure I enjoy everything around it, but I do love to see my arrow pass through the shoulder of big game. I wouldn't be a hunter if I couldn't admit to that. I'm all about filling my tags and letting something big ride in the back of my truck, I just don't let filling tags be the only thing that makes a good show.
There are so many fun and cool things that happen on every hunt and filling a tag just makes it even more fun. Hunters who think they are only successful when they have an animal to enter into the record books are missing the boat in my opinion. I love the whole spirit of the hunt and everything around it. That is what I want to share with viewers, and I've learned that if you can learn to enjoy this, hunt hard and be prepared, record book animals will come as a huge bonus.
HOYT: You host "Realtree Road Trips", Gander Mountain's "We Live Outdoors", and "Bone Collector". Besides all the time you spend hunting, you also make a lot of public appearances. How do you balance all that with your family life?
MICHAEL: The schedule is crazy! I have a very understanding wife who supports me every step of the way. My wife and kids are involved in my schedule and go on several hunts and appearances with me. My wife handles all my scheduling outside the hunts, and I let her put me on the road and take me off, so this saves a lot of arguing about what my priorities are. She's the one who sends me on the road.
HOYT: What would you say is your favorite all-time bowhunt?
MICHAEL: My bowhunt to Alaska with Rhett Akins when I killed the moose in the Wrangle Mountains. I had one chance to close the coffin on a really tough hunt and we got it done. I had always dreamed of shooting a moose with my bow.
HOYT: You've had opportunities to bowhunt all over the world … what's your favorite place to hunt, and what's the strangest place you've ever been?
MICHAEL: My favorite places to bowhunt are Kansas and Montana. There are lots of big deer in both places, it's just hard to beat KS and MT for P&Y bucks. The strangest? That's hard to say … I've hunted with some very strange people, though, overall it was probably in Washington state where a guy tried to get me to bowhunt in a pine tree where he had piled up some apples - which, of course, was illegal. For obvious reasons, I didn't hunt there … I guess it was illegal to hunt over a "pineapple" tree in Washington!
HOYT: What hunts are you most looking forward to this fall?
MICHAEL: Each and every one of them - especially a Kansas deer hunt and a Colorado elk hunt with my dad ... and our Hoyts.