Mark Reilly (LaCrosse Pro Staff Member)

Currently I’m a resident of the great state of Oregon but I grew up in the Northeast. Living in Wilmington Delaware, I got introduced to hunting, like most kids, following my dad to the duck blind on those early and cold November mornings. As time passed I found myself spending even more time in the marsh with my buddies experimenting with just about every decoy set imaginable in an attempt to fool those wary Eastern Flyway birds.

My introduction to big game started in Southern PA just over the Delaware line on Route 52. I was fortunate enough to have access to about 200 acres of private ground that came with a lot of whitetail and a lot of state approved damage tags. Needless to say I spent many hours 15 to 20 feet above the ground searching for a good whitetail. To say I was hooked by high school on all forms of hunting and fishing would have to be the understatement of the century.

Many years have passed since those early days but one important factor has remained the same, my passion and respect for the outdoors. Today you will find me trying to balance family, work and the outdoors as best as I possibly can. I’m fortunate to work in the hunting industry, for LaCrosse footwear, so I get to live and think about hunting almost every waking hour. If I’m not thinking about how to make the best hunting boots, I’m dreaming about the next big hunt. Both Sera and Conner have been tagging along with me on local hunts since they were both 2-1/2 years of age, and like me, I think I have them hooked at an early age. All of this, has my wife Amy, thinking that she will be seeing less and less of us as each fall passes by.

To date I have hunted in Africa, Canada, and many of the states in the lower 48. Caribou, bear, whitetail, blacktail, elk, mule deer, turkey and many species of waterfowl and upland game, have all been added to the list, as well as to the walls of my trophy room. In addition, I have also arrowed many species of African game and can’t wait to add to take list in the near future.

These day by day hunting schedules are a balance of adventure and family with late spring and early summer spent waiting for successful tags to arrive in the mail. Regardless of my success or failure in the draws, I manage to get back to the Midwest and South East every year to chase whitetail with my bow. Local hunts will include blacktail, mule deer and elk in my home state of Oregon.

So all in all I can’t complain a bit. Great family, quality hunts and a job that allows me to think hunting 24/7.