Scott Crider

Hi there and welcome to The Deer Camp Reader!

My name is Scott Crider and I am a 44-year-old father of two, hunter, fisherman, and Creative Director from Little Rock, Arkansas. I’ve been a hunter and fisherman all my life and one thing I’ve found is that – for the most part – real hunters have a lot in common.

I also have some experience as a blogger, having been the first person to launch a presidential election blog for my friend Mike Huckabee way back in 2005. That blog got a lot of attention and I worked hard at it for over three years. By the election’s end it had received nearly 650,000 visitors and it drove a lot of support for Huckabee.

It was an amazing ride, feeling like I could have an effect – however small – on presidential politics from my laptop in my bedroom. Since then, I’ve taken some time to figure out what to do next, and this is it. I am combining some of my passions – hunting, writing, the Internet, and helping people – by creating The Deer Camp Reader.

This is a blog for real hunters. By “real” hunters I mean guys (and gals!) who hunt under the rules of fair chase as defined by Boone & Crockett.

I once had a client who was a doctor. He had an amazing trophy room in his office full of huge bucks with elk-sized antlers with drop tines and all kinds of amazing stuff. Every one of them came from fenced deer farms with heated, soft-chaired stands, guides, and catered meals.

He and I didn’t have much in common.

I want to connect hunters who don’t always have the best equipment and best land, and who work at their sport and are proud to take a buck because its a real, wild deer – not just because its a record of some kind.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not slamming hunters who have the money to buy nice gear, private land, and guided hunts. As long as you are a real hunter — meaning you go out and hunt deer under the rules of fair chase – you are OK in my book.

I am also writing a book for hunters like us, also called The Deer Camp Reader (which will be a companion to this blog). I know that real hunters share a lot in common. From the joy and camaraderie of hunting to the challenges of fatherhood and careers. My vision is share my experiences with other hunters like myself and to provide a platform on the Internet to connect real hunters, with real lives, to one another.

I belive that together we can make connections and create friendships that help us all become better hunters, better fathers, better businessmen, and better people.

We are going to have some fun here getting connected on social networks, too. More about that soon.

Scott