FA Brand - Final Approach

Ted's Grandpa and Uncle took him afield into the river bottoms and marshes of southeastern Iowa when he was 10 years old. Waterfowl, namely mallards, were the focus and Ted quickly learned that all parts of the hunt - placing decoys, calling birds, handling dogs and spending time in a duck boat, were more than just an activity to do one or two weekends a season. Hunting became his passion.

In his mid-teens, Ted received a Labrador puppy as a birthday gift. "Suzie" became the center of his world and she sparked a lifetime dedication to training and working retrievers. Since then, Ted has been very fortunate to have had many excellent dogs and has been successful in competing them in NAHRA sanctioned hunt tests.

The competitive shooting sports are another of Ted's interests and activities born from his exposure to hunting. What began as busting a few clay birds with a hand thrower turned into becoming a member of the Iowa State University trap and skeet team and representing the college at meets throughout the Midwest. After college Ted continued shooting competitively focusing on registered skeet and sporting clays shooting at NSSA and NSCA events becoming a class A shooter in both. Wanting to give something back to the sport, Ted has become a state certified shotgun shooting coach and certified hunters safety instructor and has been teaching classes for over 20 years.

In the spring of 1998, he began contest duck calling. The calling part of hunting had always been his favorite - sweet talking the birds down into the decoys was the ultimate rush. Contest calling forced him to become better at call operation which has paid off not only in the field, but on the stage as well earning him entry into the World Championship contest in Stuttgart. He continues to compete in sanctioned contests, but also now conducts calling seminars and entry level calling classes.

What began 35 years ago still burns bright today. Ted remains firmly committed to the "pursuit" spending as many days afield each season as possible, but now focuses more of his efforts at helping to expand hunting and the outdoor lifestyle. He joined the Final Approach team with this in mind. FA is committed to providing the best possible gear for the dedicated waterfowl hunter. Their continued focus on new product development and innovation demonstrates their commitment to the sport of waterfowl hunting. It is truly exciting to be part of Final Approach.

• 2002, 2008 Northstar Regional
• 2003, 2005 Cornhusker Regional
• 2004 Iowa State Champion