Every week, we feature a different one of our Legendary Whitetails Ambassadors. Each has their own unique experiences and they want to share it with you. Today, we talked to Greg Clements, one of the founders of The Hunting Public. Their relatable experiences hunting on public land have gone viral over the last year! Check them out on YouTube and Instagram for some of the most entertaining hunting content on the Internet. If you’re as crazy about THP as we are, check out some of their gear, too!
“We want to grow and strengthen the hunting community.”
Legendary Whitetails: Tell us about what you did before The Hunting Public got going.
Greg Clements: Well, going back about 10 years I was just finishing up with grad school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I was doing deer research. I worked for the University for a couple years and then in 2010 my wife and I moved to Albia, Iowa where I worked as a field producer and editor for Midwest Whitetail for 7 years.
LW: What motivated you guys to start THP?
GC: It felt like deer hunting culture and media in general had been shifting towards something that no longer resonated with us. That coupled with the fact that hunter numbers have been declining in recent years really motivated us to start THP.
LW: What is the primary mission of The Hunting Public? Hunter education? Awareness? Just plain fun?
GC: All of the above! THP’s core mission is to grow and strengthen the hunting community by creating a platform where we can learn, interact, and encourage as a group. Our goal is to serve the viewer. They are our top priority. So we do our best to create content that is relatable, educational, and hopefully entertaining! We primarily hunt public land and make it a point to educate hunters about those opportunities that exist all across the United States. Additionally, our best hunting memories revolve around the social aspect of hunting, so that’s something we want to share with our viewers as well!
“We wanted to create a hunting community”
LW: You guys do so many different things now. From videos, to podcasts, to workshops. What is your favorite part about what you guys do currently?
GC: As far as creating content goes, my favorite part is cranking out videos and posting them to our YouTube channel while we’re on a hunting trip. It’s a lot of hard work but I think it’s the most exciting content for viewers to watch. However, my favorite part about what we do is getting to interact with viewers. One of our goals was to create a community and it’s rewarding to see that happening. Whether it’s communicating on our social platforms or meeting people at trade shows, workshops, or in the field while hunting. It’s really cool to meet new people and hear their stories and learn from them as well.
Greg’s sporting a favorite Legendary hoodie. Click the photo above to get yours!
LW: People have really embraced what you guys do. What’s the coolest, or weirdest thing that’s happened now that you’re all easily recognized in the hunting community?
GC: We’ve definitely had a couple weird encounters, but that would take way too long to explain! However, the coolest thing has been talking with people who say that we’ve helped motivate them to get into hunting for the first time. Or even to get back into hunting because they now realize there are public land opportunities where they can have fun and experience success, whether it’s by themselves or with a group of friends.
LW: What do you do when you have some time away from the THP grind?
GC: Spend time with my very supportive and patient wife, Myndi! We enjoy traveling, hiking, kayaking, gardening, and spending time with our families. It’s a challenge balancing our work and personal lives because we are both workaholics, you could say. Myndi also spends a lot of her “free time” helping with the business, so it’s important that we make time for each other outside of THP.
“There is no off season for us”
LW: What has been your all-time favorite hunt?
GC: That’s hard to choose, but I would have to say it was my first deer (pictured above), simply because it was something I had been anticipating for years. I was waiting to be of legal age to bowhunt in Nebraska for what seemed like forever (it was 14 at the time). It was September 22, 1995. My dad and I were hunting on public land near my home town and we were set up about 70 yards apart. Early in the hunt I had a mature doe walk by at 8 yards and as soon as she turned broadside I made a double lung shot and watched her disappear into the thick cover. I can still picture it all so clearly in my mind! Of course it was very exciting tracking and recovering the deer after dark with my dad. But the other really cool thing was that there was another hunter at the parking lot who’d found out I shot a deer. He waited over an hour for my dad and I to get back with the deer, just so he could congratulate me. Now he’s become a good friend of ours. So it was a very memorable hunt for a lot of reasons.
Don’t miss the 2019 Turkey Tour!
Like the all camo Outfitter Hoodie? Click on the photo above to get yours!
LW: What do you like to do in the offseason?
GC: Well, we’ve come to find that there is no off-season or down time as far as the work goes. We stay really busy in the field and in the office all year long. So when we’re not traveling for hunting season, I like to spend as much time with my wife as I can. But, if I have a little free time in the winter I like to ice fish. During the summer I’ll do some kayak fishing for bass, or go hiking and take photos.
LW; What’s next for THP?
GC: We have several scouting workshops coming up soon, so we’re excited about that. Then in mid-March we’ll kick off the 2019 Turkey Tour!
LW: And finally, we have to ask, what’s your favorite piece of Legendary clothing that you own?
GC: Now that’s hard to choose as well! Favorite casual clothing is the Navigator Fleece. My favorite camo clothing is the Huntguard bibs and jacket. It’s kept me warm and comfortable while hunting in sub-zero temperatures!
