We're excited to announce supporter and friend Matt LaFleur has joined the Willowpine Outdoors Prostaff!
Name: Matt LaFleur
Current Location: Enterprise, AL
Hometown: Grand Haven, MI
Position: Willowpine Outdoors Pro-Staff
Favorite Critter to Hunt: Waterfowl
Favorite Fish to Catch: Salmon in Alaska
What is your favorite thing about hunting and fishing?
Being outdoors. Whether it's shooting
limits or hanging a goose egg, I love being outdoors and seeing what can
happen. Listening to nature do her thing while trying to spot and stalk a
mature buck, or trying to slow down a sunset to savor a few more minutes of
shooting light in the duck blind, nothing beats being outdoors.
What was your best day in the field hunting or fishing?
My greatest days in the field are hard to
choose. There have been many great sunrises in deer stands, sunsets in duck
blinds, chasing largemouth back home in West
Michigan, and everything in between . With that being said, if I had to pick one, my favorites days in the field would have to be
a trip to the “North Slope” in Alaska. The year was 2001 and I took a 5 day
trip chasing Caribou with my dad, John LaFleur. We were not successful in the
sense that we did not harvest a pope and young caribou, but the memories are as
fresh in my mind today as they were at age 14. This was the first trip to Alaska where I was allowed to stalk big game myself, and although I
didn’t get an arrow off I learned there is more to the hunt than backstraps
and a trophy picture. I did get to see a caribou arrowed by some Air Force guys
that were camping near us, and it was THAT harvest at 10 yards that got me
hooked on bowhunting big game. Watching the caribou snort and stumble right in
front of me was an experience unlike any other, and the fact that my dad was
right next to me made it all the better! To be fully immersed in the natural
beauty that Alaska has to offer was enough to have me hook line and
sinker.
Tell us about how you started in the outdoors, and why do you maintain the lifestyle...
I got started in the outdoors at a very young age. My first
ever fishing trip was with some family friends when I was just 4 years old. I came home with
some vocabulary describing the size of the fish we caught that day, and my mother wasn’t exactly fond of that lesson.... Growing up I was lucky enough to have a dad
stationed in Alaska from 1999 - Present. Because of that I was exposed to deep sea fishing for halibut, salmon fishing during their spawning run, caribou stalking, and black bear hunts. I was
exposed to duck hunting in 2006 with my good friends John Lipasek Jr. and Sr., and that was when the obsession really began. Since then I have made every attempt to
get outside and chase whatever is in season. Getting outdoors and making
memories with those around or even hunting solo, I’ve found it helps me keep
recharged and keeps my outlook on life positive. You never know what is going to happen
when you walk into the woods or launch the boat at 3am, that’s why I’ll
keep coming back.
Meet Matt on Facebook. Also check out the March 2016 Podcast featuring an interview with Matt LaFleur!
Also check out the Willowpine Outdoors & Tackle Co. Facebook page for updates from Matt and other WPOTC prostaff members!
Willowpine Outdoors & Tackle Company is excited to welcome Matt LaFleur to the team! We wish him many successes in the field and on the water!
If you love hunting and fishing as much as we do, and have an interest in being part of a fast growing company committed to outdoor sports, take a minute to fill out an application to join our prostaff. We're always looking for motivated people who want to share their hunting and fishing knowledge, stories, pictures, and videos with the world. Email us today at willowpineoutdoors@gmail.com or shoot us a message on Facebook to receive an application.
