Editor’s Note: Twenty-eight-year-old Brent Metcalf from Iowa City, Iowa, is ranked number one in the nation in freestyle wrestling, the type that takes place in the Olympic Games and in the World Games. Metcalf is eyeing a third national title with hopes of competing on the USA Olympic Team in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Metcalf, who’s passionate about wrestling, hunting and the outdoors, is a member of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff and has been wrestling during and since elementary school. According to Metcalf, “I want to try and harvest as many different species of animals as I can with my bow and arrow. Specifically I dream of one day having the opportunity to harvest a moose and a grizzly bear with a bow and arrow. I am so passionate about archery because that’s mostly all I know. My father introduced me to archery a long time before I ever sat in a tree stand – at age 8. I would spend my summer and fall shooting targets in my backyard. I would set up different challenge shots such as through trees, to make the sport more fun. So, naturally when I had the first opportunity to hunt at age 16, I started with my bow and arrow. I have challenged myself since to try and continue to use archery equipment on almost all species I hunt.”
I've hunted all my life. If I wasn’t wrestling and spending so much time as a wrestler, I would want to spend my time doing nothing but hunting. My favorite hunting is turkey hunting, with white-tailed deer hunting following close behind as well as a growing interest in elk hunting. If I couldn’t wrestle tomorrow, I’d be out hunting the next day.
Dan Gable, who won a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics in the 68 kilo class – 149-pounds, 14.630-ounces - also coached at the University of Iowa and was my coach for awhile. Someone in his family is related to Tim Anderson who’s in charge of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff. A big wrestling tournament that was coming up was going to be televised on pay per view. We were given the option of wearing any type of singlet (wrestling uniform) that we wanted to wear. I knew that Dan Gable and another friend of mine had a relationship with Mossy Oak. So, I had the idea of wearing a singlet with Mossy Oak camouflage on it, because I loved to hunt. Also the State of Iowa was known for it’s great hunting, so I wore Mossy Oak camouflage. I wanted Mossy Oak on my singlet to identify myself with the Mossy Oak pattern and hunting. I talked to Tim Anderson, who said Mossy Oak would be fine with me using the pattern on my singlet. He also asked me to join the Mossy Oak National Pro Staff, because he knew I was very passionate about my hunting. Fortunately, my down time away from wrestling is during hunting season. So, when I'm not competing, I get to spend a good amount of time hunting. When Tim Anderson gave me the opportunity to be a part of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff, I was really excited.
In Iowa, I love to hunt turkeys and deer. I've been elk hunting several times, and I enjoy bear hunting too. Over the last 3 - 4 years, I've been able to go on three elk hunts, and 2 years ago I took an elk with my bow. Although I love to hunt many different types of animals, I guess I'm most passionate about turkey hunting. Because of my schedule, I usually don’t have all day to hunt turkeys. But if I get up at 4:00 am, I usually can spend 2 hours turkey hunting before I have to go back home and start training. I'm also passionate about deer hunting, but there's just something very special about hearing a turkey gobble before first light. There's nothing more exciting than watching a wild turkey come into the call - spitting, strutting and drumming. Like turkey hunting, when hunting elk you get to talk to the animal and see and hear him respond to your calling. For me, this is just a great thrill.
