Origin Story

Ready to Hunt was started by two friends, Dan & Kyle, sitting around a campfire having a laugh and reminiscing about the day’s adventure. One of the best aspects of a hunt is the comradery around a campfire or the ridiculous things that come out of your mouth after hours of silence. Silly, crude, cringe, even nonsensical. When you're comfortable enough to be yourself, you don't hold back. 

Ready To Hunt exists to capture that comfort and to dress hunters in humour so their personality shines. 

How they got here:

Dan & Kyle have been friends almost their entire lives but not always hunting companions - that started 15 years ago. It was Dan who was the life-long hunter; he comes from a long line of hunters and homesteaders. In fact, Dan's family were original frontier seekers as some of the first to lead settler expeditions to Western Canada.

Kyle was introduced to hunting in the fall of 2010 when he took Dan up on an invitation for a day hunt. Kyle is a nutrition "nut" and Dan had convincingly said "what’s more organic than wild game?". So armed with a video camera, Kyle jumped into Dan's truck in central BC to hit the bush and caddie a hunt. 

In just a few minutes they were up a hillside. They got high up and pulled to the side of a narrow road. Dan stepped out, Kyle started rolling video; Dan surveyed, stretched, took in the air then it happened. With a big grin and a fist pump he turned to Kyle and the camera and said, "ready to hunt". Little did they know this would be more than a fleeting moment but the start of a tradition. 

It was hot, dry and mid-day already, the deer were tucked away in shade. Dan had a plan, start small, so a grouse hunt commenced. In a short time, down went some upland game and to Kyle's surprise, there was a real sense of excitement and achievement.  But Dan was not done with the initiation. Quickly the two collected the cache in the back of the truck and jumped in to hit the road. Dan drove them up high to a clearing, looking out over the hills. The plan was to dress the birds and dine. They got a small fire started, Dan placed a pan near the flames, heating up a little butter, salt and lemon pepper. They got to work, Dan took Kyle through a step-by-step class in dressing a grouse and in less than 30 minutes from the first shot, there were 4 breasts sizzling in a pan. 

It was that first bite. That’s what did it, that is when Kyle knew he'd become a hunter. The experience was holistic, circle of life, ancestral, bonding all those things that make hunting so fulfilling. Dan had guided a friend into the hunting; he converted a city slicker into a dedicated hunter. 

In the years since, each year, be it a stay or day hunt, when camp is set, or their boots step onto the trail Dan, true to tradition proclaims, "ready to hunt". Hunting is full of tradition and ritual; this is just one of those quirky traditions.