Utley most enjoys hunting with friends and family , and exposing them to conservation .
Utley started his hunting career with small-game hunting with his family , including his father , uncle , cousins and close friends . He fondly remembers games they would play , scores they would keep and the overall sense of camaraderie .
As it does for a lot of sportsmen , Utley ’ s growth continued into pure enjoyment of the overall hunting experience and sharing that with the ones he loves . Utley and his family have a cabin in the Adirondacks that is part of a conservation program for the land it stands on . They spend much of their time there and continue to teach the newest members of their family outdoor skills and traditions .
“ It is so important to expose youth to this way of life , whether they take to it or not ,” said Utley , explaining that at least they will have an understanding of the outdoors , hunting and shooting . He believes it is very important for them to have an answer when someone asks why their dad hunts or why they eat wild animals , even if they do not participate in hunting . “ I think that ’ s the key to conservation and hunting , to make sure we are exposing the youth to it .”
Utley walks his talk when it comes to this topic . He sent all three of his daughters on a seven-week wilderness adventure !
While the outdoors is just a way of life for the entire family , one of his daughters , Hannah , made hunting a major piece of her life and , as it tends to do , it has strengthened the father-daughter connection over time .
Utley and his family have hunted throughout North America and in Africa . Caribou hunting in Quebec has been Utley ’ s favorite hunt to date . Unfortunately , the specific herd of caribou has suffered a dramatic population decline in recent years , forcing conservation efforts to focus on strengthening the herd instead of
managing the population for hunting .
Elk hunting in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana is a close second . The memory of Hannah killing an elk in “ The Bob ” stands out the most . “ One of the best experiences of my life was being with her when she shot her elk ,” he said . They have a few more backcountry , horseback trips planned in the upcoming years to relive this adventure .
After 21 years , Utley can ’ t quite remember what made him become a member of Sportsmen ’ s Alliance in the first place . After all these years , it has become less important where the partnership started , and more about the consistency and dedication of Sportsmen ’ s Alliance .
Utley said that the work of Sportsmen ’ s Alliance is “ important to the survival of our crafts ” as sportsmen , and how important it is that we fight on all fronts . “ You ’ re fighting for us and trying to eliminate organizations that are trying to tear down what we love doing . It is an incredibly important task .”
Of course , the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance ’ s focus on education , first with our Trailblazer Adventure Program and now through our high-school Conservation Science curriculum , resounds with Utley ’ s belief in passing on the proper ideas to our youth .
“ Reading through the Conservation Science syllabus was just great , it ’ s the right message ,” he said . “ The more that can be disseminated to kids and schools , even at a younger age , is incredibly great . If people have that message , even if they ’ re not interested in doing it , they ’ re passing along the right message in what it is all about .”
Utley ’ s hunting adventures have taken him overseas to Africa , north to Canada , horseback into the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and up to sheep country in Alaska . So , we had to ask him : What hunt remains on the bucket list ? Although he was quick to answer that hunting has become more about the overall experience , Utley still has one hunt he ’ d like to try — a moose hunt in Alaska .
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