Editor’s Note: If there ever was a total outdoorsman, Mossy Oak Pro Hank Parker is one. A Bassmaster Classic champion twice, a master deer hunter who has taken 19 bucks that scored 170 or more, a race car driver and a TV host, Hank Parker has done it all. This week we’ll take a deeper look at the man who produces three TV shows, “Hank Parker 3D” and “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine” on the Pursuit Channel and “Hank Parker’s Flesh and Blood” on the Outdoor Channel. “I started wearing Mossy Oak as soon as it came to the market, and I’ve been wearing it for close to 30 years,” Parker explains. “For the last 6 years, I've adopted the Mossy Oak family as my family.” Hank is a staunch member of the Mossy Oak fraternity. We’ve watched as his life has changed courses throughout the years. Parker also is key to the success of C’Mere Deer (http://www.cmeredeer.com) and Swhacker Broadheads (http://www.hankparker.com/swhacker-products).
Mossy Oak: Hank, with the success of “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine” (fishing show) and “Hank Parker 3D” (hunting show), you added a third show, “Hank Parker Flesh and Blood,” another hunting show. Why?
Parker: To be honest, I don’t know - other than I keep chasing the success bus. I realized this year I'm doing the same thing I was doing when I was in tournament bass fishing. By producing and hosting three television shows, I'm now on the road almost as much as I was when I was tournament bass fishing. So unless something changes drastically, next year we’ll probably only do “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine” and “Hank Parker Flesh and Blood.” “Flesh and Blood” is hosted by Billy, Hank Jr. and me. We try to show the viewer how to go into a new area, find a mature buck, set up a stand, and harvest that buck in many different areas of the country. We show the hunting public how they can take trail cameras and C’Mere Deer, put them out in new places to census the deer herd in that area to find the most-mature buck there, and then, set-up a game plan to take that buck. We’ve found that often hunters scout and put up stands without knowing if a buck or doe is coming there. They don’t know when the deer are moving or the quality of the bucks they may have an option to take. On our TV show “Flesh and Blood,” we try to demonstrate the most-efficient ways to locate and take mature bucks. Ninety percent of the mature bucks we find are where we’ve put out C’Mere Deer and trail cameras, rather than depending on our own scouting ability.
Mossy Oak: Hank, how and when did you become a member of the Mossy Oak family?
Parker: In the beginning, I didn’t know Toxey Haas, the founder of Mossy Oak, very well. I knew Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland the vice president very well. Six or 7 years ago, we were wearing a different brand of camo. Our business philosophy wasn’t really compatible with the business philosophy of the camo we were wearing at that time. So, I started talking to “Cuz” and he said. “Hank, why don’t you have a meeting with Toxey? You can sit down, talk and let him explain our company and our company’s philosophy to you. You really need to get to know Toxey.” Cuz set-up a meeting between Toxey and me. As I listened, Toxey started talking about his dad, his kids, his business, what was important to him, and what he saw as the picture of Mossy Oak. I didn’t sit in that room very long before I realized that Toxey was talking about the same things I believe in, and I was completely blown away by the man Toxey Haas, who started Mossy Oak, and what he was really all about. Toxey is very, very family oriented. He has a deep abiding respect for conservation and the future of hunting. He’s more about helping other people and growing the sport of hunting than he is about his own business. Toxey reminded me a lot of Forrest Woods who started Ranger boats. Toxey has the same passion for the sport of hunting that Mr. Woods had for the sport of bass fishing. After getting to know Toxey, I joined the Mossy Oak family, and Mossy Oak became a sponsor of our shows.
Go to http://www.hankparker.com/ to learn more about Hank Parker.
Day 3: Hank Parker Explains How He Started Producing Hunting Shows
Tomorrow: Hank Parker Explains Why He Partners with Mossy Oak
