Over Under Ambassadors

Tampa, Florida

Favorite O/U Product
My favorite O/U product is the Marion Tote because it’s the perfect bag for any occasion and I take it everywhere with me.. 

Dream Outdoor Excursion
My dream outdoor excursion is to go fly fishing in Alaska! Would love to catch a silver salmon on a fly rod

Favorite Dog Breed 
Out of all the dog breeds, my favorite has to be a Boxer. My family has always had one since I was little.

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
If I could share a duck blind or boat with anyone it would have to be my Grandpa. To be able to enjoy and photograph a moment like that would be a memory I would cherish forever. 

What Conservation Groups are important to you?
Stepping into the outdoors, I have learned a lot about Safari Club International. I am grateful to be a member of the chapter in Georgia and have been amazed to watch and learn how much they do for the community and upcoming generations. 

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
Being in the outdoor world for almost 6 years it’s hard for me to name my top memory because there are far too many. My favorite time spent is when I’m surrounded by great people and doing what we love to do. 

Cleveland, GA

Favorite O/U Product
Leather Duffle because I rarely leave town without it tied with the Riggers tote because it holds all my dog gear. 

Dream Outdoor Excursion
To complete the SCI Game Birds of the World!

Favorite Dog Breed
Can’t believe I’m saying this...LAB!

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
I’d spend the day with Kristy Noem talking all about the Second Century Habitat Initiative. She’s such an inspiration for women in the outdoors to build their own legacy. 

What Conservation Groups are important to you?  
SCI - First for Hunters! SCI is constantly fighting for our gun and hunting rights. Habitat is so important, but we have to keep the right to use it.

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
My favorite time in the outdoors is the day both of my girls were pheasant hunting with me and Tater Bug got her first pheasant. 

Jacksonville, FL / Iliamna, AK

In your opinion, what takes a guide from “good” to “great”?

You are only as good as your angler on the bow. A great guide looks at his clients, assesses strengths and weaknesses and plays to them. It is our job as guides to make our guests feel like heroes, not to expose their shortcomings. Say they can’t cast very far. It becomes my job to put them in places where a short cast works and the wind is to their back. They’ve never held a rod before? Casting lesson. Explain the basics. Got a little nervous and messed up an opportunity to sight fish a red in the back of a creek? Don’t jump their case. Positive reinforcement and coaching is way more effective than popping a bad attitude and voicing your frustration at them. There’s a time and place to be intense, and I can get there, and some people need intense Charlie on the back to spur them on, but the majority of clientele don’t thrive off intensity and it ends up being a deterrent rather than a reinforcer. There’s absolutely no reason for a guide to yell and scream, in my opinion, it’s his insecurity and ego coming to the surface. A “great” guide’s ego should not be rooted in how many fish or the size of the fish caught, but rather, “did I serve my clients with excellence and were their expectations met”? It’s about them, not us. I wanna put fish in the boat more than they do, it’s literally in my job description, fishing guide, but it’s their day not mine.

Go-to boat jams. Who should we be listening to?

I‘ll be honest, I’m not a big music guy on the boat. I’m there to soak up what’s around me and a lot of the time I’m using my ears just as much as my eyes to locate fish, so music can get in the way. But, when I do, and there are times I do… longer boat rides, sandbar, etc., it’s something laid back and easy. There’s a band out of Texas named Khruangbin, they’re my go to. Very talented band. After them it’s gonna be Ryan Bingham, Colter Wall, Fleetwood Mac, and John T Martin. 

You’ve got an awesome Golden Retriever, Copper. What’s something we can all learn from our dog?

What a great question. Copper is awesome. We got her as a puppy from a great breeder upon returning home from Alaska in October and I quickly learned that she is a joyful dog. She’s just happy. We get up in the morning? She’s wagging her tail and happy. Oh were walking to the kitchen now? She’s wagging and happy. Someone’s at the door? Extra happy, might even pee a little bit. Dare I say “b-o-a-t ride”? She’ll lose her mind. Fish comes in the boat? Massive wiggle butt (we’ve nicknamed her Wigglebutt) immediately followed by keen interest in the fish who she then admonishes with kisses all over. 

The thing I’ve learned, truly learned, is unconditional joy from my pup. Her joy makes me joyful. It doesn’t matter if she’s been in her kennel for a couple of hours while we’ve been out or if I accidentally step on her tail in the kitchen ‘cause she was laying under my feet, she’s still happy and smiling! All she needs is a good belly rub or an ear rub and she’s ready to rock and roll. It’s like her sole goal in life is just to make Amy and I smile. I think people need to remember and recognize that some people just need some joy in their day. Maybe their circumstances are so crappy that they’ve forgotten what joy looks and feels like. For those of us who are in joyous periods of life, far be it from me and us to be selfish with that. Spread joy. Sounds a little hippy, (which I am not) but it doesn’t take a whole lot to smile and be kind to someone. If a dog can do it, so can we. 

Quick story about Copper. February of this year I started casting a fly rod in the front yard pretty much every evening after I put the skiff back in the garage. I’d grab my rod with a hookless piece of fluff on the end and spend 20 to 30 mins just working on cast mechanics. One night, about a week in to this, Amy let Copper out to use the bathroom in the front yard. My dog comes flying out of the front door and beelines straight for me. Eyes locked on to whatever it was I had in my hand. I can only imagine her thinking “a stick with line and a moving target on the end…” For the next hour Copper chased that fly full speed up and down the yard. Eventually she learned that the moving target always came back in the same direction so she’d sit on the fly line about halfway out and wait for the piece of fluff to come to her. When it got about 15 feet away I’d strip it like I would if I were fishing to a red. Little strip. Little strip. Pause. Little strip. Little strip. Pause. At this point the fluff is 5 feet away and Copper, eyes locked onto this thing, crouched in the “about to kill” position poised like a tiger. Tail up. Ears and face narrowed in. I’d let it get about 3 feet away and rip that son of a gun real fast by her head. My dog turned into a spaztastic Tasmanian devil chasing that thing all the way back to me. Every 10 or 15 casts I’ll let her grab a hold of it and take off, peeling drag. She always trots right back to me, head held high, fly half sticking out of her mouth, just so proud to show me her “catch.” She’s a great dog and I’ll throw the fly with her any day now. 

Read the full story HERE.

Book a day on the water with Charlie Martin HERE.

Dalton, Georgia

Favorite O/U Product
Wingmaster Field Jacket for its reliability. 

Dream Outdoor Excursion
Taking my Father Elk hunting in New Mexico  

Favorite Dog Breed
British Labrador  

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
Chuck Norris, because, well… he’s Chuck Norris

What Conservation Groups are important to you?
Delta Waterfowl

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
Definitely some of my top memories were spent with my dad learning to hunt!

Dalton, Georgia 

Favorite O/U Product
The Whitby Vest (Olive) - I love the elegant look and style of this product. The incredible quality and design , and warmth of this vest cannot be matched or compared to any other vest in todays market.

Dream Outdoor Excursion
Argentina dove hunt

Favorite Dog Breed
Labrador Retriever 

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
Chuck Norris - He was my hero growing up. I value his morals and heart outside of the celebrity life.  

What Conservation Groups are important to you? 
Delta Waterfowl / NWTF

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
Dove hunting with my Dad when I was young

Piggott, Arkansas 

Favorite O/U Product
I adore my Bottomland Great Basin Sporting Cooler! It’s roomy, stylish, and versatile. Not only is it perfect for winter hunting trips, but lake days in the summer as well. Plus, as always, it’s #BetterInBottomland! 

Dream Outdoor Excursion
Turkey hunting in Hawaii is definitely ranked #1 on my bucket list!  

Favorite Dog Breed
Golden retriever

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
Eva Shockey. When I was 13 years old, I wrote her a letter and told her I wanted to be just like her. I still remember my bright eyed admiration of her as a female trailblazer in the outdoors and have since aspired to be the same inspiration as a role model for other young ladies. Almost 10 years later, I still have the letter she sent as a response!   

What Conservation Groups are important to you?
I was an active member of my college’s Ducks Unlimited chapter and feel that it’s making great strides to preserve waterfowl habitat throughout the country. That being said, I also am a proud member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and I am thankful for their work in continuing the legacy of improving our country’s turkey habitat and increasing the population.   

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
I’ll never forget duck hunting in -40 degree weather and watching hundreds of mallards float into our spread—it truly felt like an out of body experience.

Boone, NC

Favorite O/U Product
Core Layer Hoody - this pullover is perfect for any day on the water. I’ve worn it sun up to sundown sight fishing tarpon and hiked all day searching for trout in it. A must-have when I’m on a fishing trip.

Dream Outdoor Excursion
A South American trip for Dorado and Giant peacock bass on the fly.

Favorite Dog Breed
Golden Retriever

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
My Grandpa. He’s the one that got me into fishing, hunting, sports, etc. Would love to enjoy one more day on the water or joking behind a duck blind with him one more time.

What Conservation Groups are important to you?
Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited, NC Wildlife, Captains for Clean Water, and any groups that can help educate people on the dos and don’ts for our Wildlife.

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
My first time fly fishing in Florida. A friend and I drove through the night to get down to Clearwater and decided to fish the rest of the afternoon until late into the night. I got a grand slam catching a Tarpon, Snook, Triple-tail, Red, and Trout. Would love to relive that excitement a thousand times.

Columbia SC

Favorite O/U Product
Waxed Briar Jacket and Great Basin Sporting Cooler

Dream outdoor excursion where, what species would you pursue, etc.:
Argentina dove

Favorite breed of dog:
Boykin (lucy)

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and briefly why:
Phil Roberson (not necessarily to talk ducks but more about Jesus) there’s more to life than ducks, bucks, and creation, the Creator is who allows us to experience and love it all. "Nature in its varied forms are the little windows through which God permits me to commune with Him and to see much of His Glory, Majesty, Power by simply lifting the curtain and looking in" Simply being able to enjoy creation as often as I get to leads me to believe Christ has only scratched the surface on earth as to how glorious Heaven really is|

What Conservation Group/s are important to you and or which ones would you like to use your platform to raise more awareness to the gen public about?
QDMA (National deer association)
Native habitat project
National wildlife cooperative
The dear hunter project
Delta waterfowl
DU
To name a few

Your top/ favorite memory spent in the outdoors:
again too many to really narrow a specific day down… but one that comes to mind is My dad and I were drawn on a duck hunt for one of South Carolina’s waterfowl hunts, and we were both down to our last shell with 2 birds to fill our limit. After sitting a bit, we had a single grey duck come in perfect, and dad shot once and folded it. A little while later, another grey came in and did it beautifully as well, and I finished our limit with the last shell we had. After that, we just sat where we were and watched the birds pile in for about 45 minutes before we left just to soak up the morning with a strap full of birds and enjoying a successful hunt and a beautiful morning.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Favorite O/U Product
The Women's Waxed Briar Jacket because it can take you from a day of wing-shooting to the nightlife of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston. The style and functionality are truly unmatched.

Dream Outdoor Excursion
Waterfowl Hunting in Argentina

Favorite Dog Breed
Labrador Retriever

If you could share a duck blind or a boat for a day with anyone, who would it be and why?
My answer will always be my three-legged retriever, Tripp. He’s the joy of my life and always will be, and honestly, he’s the reason I love waterfowl hunting the most.

What Conservation Groups are important to you?
My full-time job is serving as the Director of Membership at the National Wild Turkey Federation. It’s an honor to devote my career to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

What's your favorite memory spent in the outdoors?
Most of my favorite memories are pretty simple ones. I genuinely love the outdoors because that’s where I feel closest to God. Watching a sunrise, breathing in the cold mountain air, hearing an elk bugle, listening to the woods come to life and appreciating the moments that make you feel so incredibly small.