Editor’s Note: Mossy Oak Pro Staffer 45-year-old Doug Koenig of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, has a tremendous platform to give tips on hunting and shooting anywhere he goes and on his TV show, “Doug Koenig’s Championship Season” because he’s one of the most-well-recognized competitive handgun shooters in the world. “Most of my competition is handgun shooting, but I also shoot 3-gun tournaments (shotgun, handgun and rifle) and the Sportsman’s Team Challenge 3-gun tournaments,” Koenig explains. “My sponsors are Mossy Oak, Smith & Wesson, Leupold, Hornady, Safariland, Gamo, TenPoint Crossbow Technologies, Starline Brass, Otis Technology and Bass Pro Shop. I’ve been competitive shooting for 26 years.” Koenig has won the NRA’s Bianchi Cup 15 times, which is one of the most-prestigious handgun championships in the world, the NRA World Action Pistol Championship six times, the World Speed Shooting Championship three times, the Sportsman's Team Challenge Championships 16 times and the Masters International 20 times. “When I’m hunting and shooting, I’ll wear some type of Mossy Oak clothing in both sports,” Koenig says. “On my competition shooting uniform, I also have some Mossy Oak camo incorporated into my competition shooting uniform.”
I have competed a lot in sporting clays, as well as handgun shoots. I compete in 3-gun competitions, which is shotgun, rifle and pistol, and I compete in team 3-gun matches. I have never officially competed with a bow or a crossbow, but I do shoot 3D archery in local tournaments, and I love doing that. When I am hunting, and when I am shooting, I wear some type of Mossy Oak clothing in both sports.
I am encouraged about the number of youngsters coming into the shooting sports. I am seeing more young people at handgun competitions and in team matches. We are seeing a lot of youngsters come in through the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. I think the TV shows that show and promote shooting and hunting are doing a great job of showing young people that shooting and hunting is cool.
One of the advantages we have in the shooting sports is if a guy’s not 250 pounds and 6’4” tall and can’t play defensive end, he still can be highly competitive and highly successful in the shooting sports. If a young lady isn’t tall enough to compete in volleyball, fast enough to compete in basketball and athletic enough to be a cheerleader, she too can compete in the shooting sports and be highly successful. Here is the good thing about the hunting and shooting sports. These sports are lifelong sports. These athletes can compete and hunt for a lifetime.
Each year, I will shoot 10-national competitions and probably another 10 regional and state competitions. So, I get to practice and participate in hunting and shooting all year round, and these young people can too. The good news is: I have three boys, and they can participate with me in much of my hunting and shooting activities. In my spare time, I am an assistant high school football coach at Fleetwood High School.
My wife and friends often ask me, “What are you going to do when you grow up?” To be honest, I don’t really know. I can’t believe I have been fortunate enough to do all the things that I have done for the last 26 years. Time has gone by so fast, and I have enjoyed my work and my recreation so much that I feel like I have only been doing it for 5 years. I just want to stay a part of the outdoor industry for the rest of my life. I feel like I am one of the luckiest people in the world, because I get to hunt, shoot, travel and help raise my boys, and I just don’t want all this to stop. The only negative is: I do have to travel quite a bit, but here is the good side of the travel. When I am at home, I am off. I can spend time with my family, and spending time with my family is very important to me. Being involved with my wife and sons is one of my favorite things to do.
Doug Koenig – My Dream Job Is the Best of Both Worlds - Competitive Shooting and Hunting
