Steve Metzger

Burnsville, MN

Hi, I’m Steve Metzger, I began hunting as a little boy on my grandpa’s farm in Bertha, Minnesota. I was given a single shot .22 with instructions to be safe (no shooting up and no shooting in the direction of the neighbors houses) and only shoot the varmints that were damaging the crops or the garden. Trust me when I say that I was diligent with this new responsibility. I instantly became aware of a passion I had within me; unfortunately, my living in the city didn’t allow for much hunting.

You can imagine my excitement when my dad offered to take me deer hunting for the first time (I was a senior in hight school). That was a year of learning how to hunt. I did get a spike buck after 4 misses (I emptied all 5 slugs trying to hit this fast moving target) the final slug hit him in the hind quarter. I had to reload to put him out of his misery. I was hooked on hunting, no question, but obviously needed to improve so that this wouldn’t happen again. I practiced shooting when I was able (which wasn’t very often). The next year I shot a 160 class 12 point on a full out run. The first slug hit the front shoulder and the second missed in front, but with the third he went down with a clean kill. I couldn’t wipe that ridiculous grin off my face even if I wanted to. Since then, I have gone hunting whenever the opportunity came up. Still living in the city, I had to rely on friends or family for those opportunities. I am truly thankful for them.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in my early 20’s. After that I began to notice a peace while spending time in nature. I wasn’t as driven by just the hunt anymore, but rather by just being out in the woods, or on the lake, or a field edge, basically just away from all the noise and distractions of the city. If anything, this has helped me with patience for those times when I don’t see any game, or hear any gobbles, quacks, honks, grunts, barks, ect. Every year now, I seem to enjoy the hunting experience more and more even if I go home empty. Don’t get me wrong, I still go out as prepared as I can be for a successful hunt. Another difference is that the victories are much sweeter now that my soul is also involved in the hunt. The Lord has matured me from those days as a single man and now I have a wonderful wife Christy, five terrific kids Chase, Micah, Eli, Annelise, and Adeline, I own my own business, and yes I still live in the city, but whenever I am able I still get out to where the animals roam and where the people don’t.

Happy Hunting! Steve