48.2766° N, 116.5535° W
Nick is an account manager at Kochava, a mobile attribution and analytics company based in Sandpoint, Idaho, as well as the founder of WapitiID, a high-performance hunting apparel company designed for the extreme mountain hunter. WapitiID is still in its infancy, but get ready for some fantastic gear, all made in the USA! Born and raised in Ohio, Nick moved out west after graduating college. His passion is archery hunting for elk and deer, as well as waterfowl hunting with a chocolate lab. You will typically find him in the mountains or on the water with his two young kids and beautiful wife.
Regarding your favorite outdoor passion, how did you get into what you do?
I can remember when I was just a little kid, waiting up for my dad to get home from hunting, and always checking out the back of the truck. Whether he got something or not, I had to look just in case he was fooling with me. I was always so excited to see how his hunt went, and couldn’t wait to join him someday. My first opportunity was with a bb gun on a pheasant hunt on Thanksgiving morning with my dad and brother. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
I started bowhunting with my dad, sitting at his feet in our man-made treestand with a crossbow at seven years old. I eventually got my own stand, and a compound bow and the obsession began.
My senior year in college, I was invited out to North Idaho to visit my cousin, Calvin, for a week long archery hunt for elk. I’ve never done something more physically challenging nor addicting, and I moved straight out to Idaho once I graduated from college. It might have something to do with my first encounter with a 6 point bull at 10 yards, staring me down, drooling, blowing snot bubbles and screaming in my face.
Tell us about the first time you had a successful adventure. i.e., your first fantastic trip, successful hunt, or fishing trip.
I have been pretty successful regarding big game hunting, especially growing up in Ohio, the home of monster whitetail. My most memorable hunt is not my first one, but one that sticks out in my mind more than others, and spans three years.
One of the properties that I grew up hunting was a Christmas tree farm, which was endless rows of 5-10” trees as far as the eye could see, with patches of woods and ponds all around. I was still hunting with a crossbow at this time and was 14 years old. I remember hunting on top of one of the wooded hilltops, being able to view down the valley and see each row of trees at a distance and watch the whitetail funnel out throughout the morning. One particular morning, I saw a buck, probably ½ mile away. I got my old rattling antlers out and started banging them as loud as I could to try to get this buck to hear me. He eventually did and meandered his way down to the pond, and started walking up the tree row straight towards me. I watched him walk up the row very steadily, weaving in and out of the farthest trees and eventually up to my level. I had the crosshairs on him, but he just wasn’t old enough. It was one of the first times that I had passed up on a buck, and I didn’t have very many in the bag by this age yet. Either way, I felt great about the encounter and felt even better about passing up my first buck.
The next year, it happened again, same exact scenario. Believe it or not, it was the same buck! I could tell this was the same buck that I had passed on the year before and could see that he was a bit bigger. He reacted the same way to the rattle and took the same tree line straight up to me. I had the crosshairs on him again when he popped out and saw that he was just at his ears… a nice buck.. but could be so much better the next year if I had the discipline to pass. And I let him walk. They stop growing once the hit the dirt.
Fast forward to the next year…. And I’m hunting my first year with my Bear Black Panther II compound bow. I had shot a doe the weekend before with it and was confident in my new abilities. I decided to give my spot a try again and went out as usual about 30 minutes before daylight. I watched dozens of deer funnel out of those pine trees, and noticed one with a massive white rack! So I gave the same sheds a loud rattle and saw him bead into my locating and start the same exact track that he took both years previously. He popped out at 28 yards staring me in the face. I let one fly, and he fell within 30 yards. My first compound harvest, with a nice buck that I had hunted for three years. My dad mounted that buck for me, and he is still one of my proudest mounts to date. Not the biggest buck that I have harvested, but certainly my most memorable.
What’s the first thing you say to people when they ask why you do what you do?
I enjoy feeding my family the wild game that I am fortunate enough to harvest every year. I have not purchased red meat for many years, and love the fact that my 3-year-old daughter and my 9-month-old son have only ever consumed wild game. We prefer the taste of deer and elk and fish I can provide, which is terrific. I love the challenge of the hunt but also cherish the fact that I can provide for my family through my efforts.
How do you mix/balance your professional life with adventure?
This is the challenge! It’s not easy, and I certainly do not get to go out as much as I used to. I work full time, I’m trying to grow WapitiID, and only really have weekends to do anything in the outdoors. With two young kids, I don’t always get to go out and be the weekend warrior that I wish I could. But I see this as something equally as fun and challenging, and I’m just taking this time to help raise my future hunting buddies and elk packers! Thankfully my fantastic wife does understand my passion and obsession and knows that I need to take my adventures to stay sane. It will all pay off for everyone in the end. I’ll get my hunting buddies in a few years, and she will get a lot of mommy time back when I take the kids hunting!
pc: Jerrin Uecker
What are the 3 pieces of gear you would never go without?
- Headlamp
- Nanopuff
- Multitool
What do you do to stay in field shape?
I am very fortunate to live less than a mile away from the best elk training hiking trail in North Idaho. In the peak of the preseason, I’m hiking/running this trail at least five days a week along with weight training. The goal every year is never to slow down any of my hunting buddies. I hunt with some monsters and need to hold my own. I have never packed out a bull in comfortable conditions, so want to be in the best shape that I can be. Opportunity is greater the further you can hike
Do you have any advice for the guy or girl reading this who is considering a leap into your world?
If someone wants to leap into the world of building a business from scratch: it will not happen overnight. I have a background in clothing and have some excellent connections. I have also been developing this brand for four years now and am just now getting some traction. Don’t expect it to happen overnight, and don’t be discouraged with setbacks. Keep at it and as Cameron Hanes would say, "Keep Hammering". It will happen if you work hard enough at it and want it bad enough.
What’s one thing we could do as a society to protect the environment vital to your passion?
One thing that I was always taught to do and something that I teach my kids to do is to leave the woods cleaner than I found them. Its amazing with some of the places that I go, no matter how hard to get there or how far away, I always end up finding garbage in the woods and mountains. Whether its beer cans or spent balloons, there is still garbage to be found in these beautiful areas. If people were more mindful of this, and picked up their trash, or even take someone else’s out with them, it would make a difference. Carrying out a beer can will not put your pack over the weight limit. I just get sick to my stomach to see such beautiful places littered with our garbage. If we keep things clean and leave less impact, we are going to have unspoiled lands and mountains for future generations to enjoy just like we did.
pc: Jerrin Uecker
Tell us something that's true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
The heart is the best piece of meat on an animal.
What is your favorite quote?
Not just a quote, but a poem.”
“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
~ Chief Tecumseh
Instagram - @Wapiti_USA
Sandpoint, Idaho