The Empowerment Outfitter Network (EON) is a non-denominational, Christian-based organization whose mission is to provide positive and meaningful outdoor and hunting opportunities for disabled and terminally-ill children and youth. In this episode, Jerald Kopp, the Founder of EON walks us through what his organization is all about. He notes that empowering these young individuals through outdoor activities helps them create hope and self-esteem. Jerald also talks about his personal hunting adventures and some of his techniques and shares his First Light Hunting Journal. Know more about EON’s advocacy in the world of hunting on today’s show.
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Listen to the podcast here:
Empowerment Outfitter Network & 1st Light Hunting Journal with Jerald Kopp
I’m heading down to South Texas and we’re going to meet up with Jerald Kopp. Jerald is the Founder of EON, Empowerment Outfitter Network, and the Founder of 1st Light Hunting Journal. Jerald, welcome to the show.
Bruce, thank you much. I’m glad to be here.
It’s always nice to talk to a gentleman from Texas. Let’s get right into it. Let’s talk about how back in 2005 you started EON, and basically what that’s turned into.
Back in 2005, I was running a small outdoor business on the side. It got in my mind and I started thinking that maybe we might want to donate a portion of our proceeds from our sales to a hunting industry, an outdoor-related cause. We started looking into the Make a Wish Hunt and so many people have found out over the years. As it turned out, at least back in that time, the major wish-granting top organizations weren’t allowing hunting as an alternative for the wishes. That got me to research into it further and it wasn’t anti-hunting. A lot of it was fear over liability and all kinds of issues. The more researching we got to do, I started reaching out to people that were at that time, doing such a thing. Luckily there are a lot more people in organizations doing that thing now, but back then there were not.
Ultimately, I reached out to David Sullivan with Buckmasters. Buckmasters is a pretty big hunting and outdoor organization and they’re non-profit arms called Buckmasters American Deer Foundation. They provide such hunts for disabled and terminally ill kids. Prior to officially forming a non-profit, what we would do is raise funds for hunts and that we would simply fill Buckmasters’ applications that came in or at least help them fill them out in this region of the country. Shortly after that, we formed our own non-profit, the Empowerment Outfitter Network, EON. Here we are now. In a nutshell it’s an organization that provides Make A Wish type of hunts for terminally ill, disabled kids. We’re faith-based and it’s needless to say an extremely rewarding exercise and so much fun that I almost feel guilty sometimes.
If somebody is interested in finding out more information about EON, how would they do that?
The easiest, quickest thing would be to get in our website EmpowermentOutfitterNetwork.org. You can reach out there and you can get an idea of what our mission and goals are, and some of our initiatives, how we typically go about hunts. For example, we do one child and family at a time, which is our sweet spot. That’s a good place to start. You can make donations there. You can fill out hunting applications, either yourself or on behalf of another young hunter. It’s a good launching point and we’re very hands-on. We’re always available through our contact information to answer as many questions as we can.
What’s the age limit on anybody that wanted to apply?
EON hunts were specifically designed for children and youth. What we had in mind was elementary age all the way through high school. We do stretch the rules sometimes. We’ve got some guys and gals that are already embarking on college, and we will stretch the rules a little bit. The sweet spot that we see on our applications and seek out are elementary age through high school. We’ve had it all over the board in that regard.
What type of hunt would they expect to be a part of?
Share your life with someone less fortunate and become a new person. Share on XEON hunts are typically but not exclusively for whitetails here in Texas. There are going to be hunts that take place anywhere from October through February. I’m not sure how things work here, but in Texas it’s not that all uncommon to operate under a managed land program here that gives you the ability to hunt starting in October. That is, even with a rifle and all the way through February. Our hunts take place within that large chunk of time and it’s mainly whitetails. Usually a two and a half to three-day hunt. We would pick up the child and their family at the airport or meet them somewhere if they’re driving and escort them to the ranch and off we go.
If somebody says, “I’d like to check that out and apply,” how would they do that?
I would really encourage going to EmpowermentOutfitterNetwork.org. We’ve got all kinds of media links and things like that. There’s a very easy to find link on the application process. It’s got all the necessary application information, waivers, all that stuff inherent with this endeavor. Another way to do it, the wish grant hunting arena, in and of itself and my experience, is extremely fraternal. We help each other out a lot. There are going to be cases where we can’t always fill a particular person at the right time and we will network in that regard. I don’t shy away at all from having people calling other organizations. We work with a lot of them and the end goal is the same. Not to be too wordy about it but another one to recommend would be to get on the Buckmasters.com and look for their program. They’ve got a similar deal. They’ve got a similar application process. We accomplish the same thing either way. Start with the EON page and certainly don’t be bashful about giving me a call.
1st Light Hunting Journal, what’s that all about?
I worked for the state of Texas for 32 years in the healthcare finance area and I retired. Not the EF Hutton laying in a hammock retired. I’ve got plenty of work left to do in my life and I want to even if I didn’t need to. I retired from that grind, from going to a desk every day and I’ve always had a creative streak in me. It’s not to say I’m any good at it or I’m not any good at it. I’ve just always enjoyed writing and outdoor writing was one of my passions. I took that opportunity to dive in and start writing. I’ve done some writing in the past for some other outfits here and there, but 1st Light was a good match for me to fill that creative void and dive in a little bit. That’s how it started. We’ve got all kinds of hunting and outdoor-related content. It’s very heavy on whitetail hunting but we’ve got a lot of other content as well. I’m enjoying building a community around that.
Are you on social media? Do you have a website or blog? Tell me how people can take a look at you.
We’ve got a website. Even at this day and time, I get a little confused about what’s considered a blog and what’s considered a publication. We consider ourselves a blog, but we’re an online publication. You can go to 1stLightHuntingJournal.com and you can see a variety of content around hunting and the outdoors. That would be anything from hunting tactics and tips. We’re also very heavy on the hunting lifestyle, celebrating the hunting and outdoor lifestyle. When I say that I mean our outdoor traditions and conservation. We even like to have a little fun sometimes, but there are so many things to cover in the outdoors and there are so many people that do such a good job at it.
We take a little bit of different attack when we do it. We do a lot of the same things like hunting strategies, but when we go after the hunting lifestyle, that could be anything from highlighting some of the cast of characters out there. There are so many things inherent in the outdoors that sometimes, in my mind, don’t get their due. There are all kinds of characters. They’re a big part of it. An example of it would be a taxidermist. We like to try and highlight it all. There’s a lot of light-hearted stuff in there all the way up to the more hardcore whitetail tactics that whitetail nuts like me enjoy and can’t get enough of.
I’m assuming you’re on social media? What sites can people find you on social media?
We’re on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I would say our bell cow is probably Instagram, and that’s not to say we have just a monumental following, but we’re certainly working towards it. We’re pretty heavy users of social media. Years ago, I would have never thought I would’ve embraced it. I’ve got two adult daughters and I went through that whole culture. It’s strange to me but to run a business like this, it’s absolutely imperative. We use those three channels heavily. I’m heavy on Instagram at this point. The blog itself, we encourage participation, we welcome contributing writers, all that good stuff. I write a lot of the content but we have some very talented writers that have been doing it longer than I have for other publications that contribute.
There are so many things inherent in the outdoors that sometimes don’t get their due. Share on XThat makes for a good variety and different writing styles. I provide content to some other organizations. We work with Final Descent Outdoors TV and an outfit called N1 Outdoors. I’ve written some content for Buckmasters in the past. In terms of contributions, that’s something that we also acknowledge on our platform. In my mind, I’ve always found that whether they know it or not, hunters and outdoorsmen are creative. It’s nice to get different types of experiences from people. It’s far from the “deer hunting expert” mentality. We all have so much to share from our hunting experiences out there. Even though writing is not quite as big as it used to be, writing and reading content still has a valuable place. I’m a little old school in that regard.
We believe exactly what you said. There are a lot of ways to get the message out. I know video is huge and people are filming, but digital words still play an important part so thanks for what you’re doing there. You talk about hunting whitetails and of course, this is Whitetail Rendezvous where people gather and talk about whitetail hunting. Share some of your stories and your go-to tips and techniques. Let’s talk about whitetails.
There are so many topics regarding whitetails, the deer hunting tradition and strategies and whatnot. They’re all dear to my heart. It’s always hard for me to narrow them down. Some of the things that I’m probably passionate about would be revolving around, and it’s a mixed bag, our need these days for hunter recruitment. We’re losing numbers all the time. Sometimes that fall on deaf ears with a lot of people. Not to say that people don’t care but it’s one of those messages we need to keep out there. That’s important to me.
The same would go for quality deer management practices. I’ve always said, “What can you do for conservation?” As hunters, most of us truly believe in it but sometimes getting out there and doing it is a whole other deal in our busy daily lives. I feel strongly about the quality of deer management, whether it’s through local co-ops and organizations or QDMA itself. I understand you’ve got an organization that you’re looking into forming. From another standpoint, I’m a diehard bowhunter. I love it. I got into it a little later in life than some did. I’ve been hunting for 45 years or so and just absolutely bitten by the bug. I’m extremely passionate about that. I’ve spent a lot of time not only thinking about doing it but trying to improve my game a little bit. I found that to be incredibly intoxicating. It’s so much fun.
What makes it so much fun?
I think for me, largely it has a lot to do with decades of rifle hunting, which by the way I still enjoy. On a side note, I’m not a big fan of contention around the weapon of choice and all these things. It’s all fantastic in its own right. After doing that for so long and finally picking up the bow, learning how to do it and embracing it, it takes on whole other level of preparation. For example, I really enjoy hunting from the ground, which is not particularly typical of most people. It’s been so attractive to me. I want to get that close to the animals and be able to study deer behavior. It’s obviously offset sometimes by shots gone awry and making mistakes in the stand occasionally. The challenge of it, the excitement of it, it’s hard to beat. I like the challenge and I like the fact that you have to step up your game in terms of preparation and following through with that preparation.
Thanks for a little shout out for Deer Hunting Institute. That’s an ongoing and growing process. I want to share my 50 plus years of whitetail hunting with as many people that want to come along the journey. I appreciate that. You talked about hunting from the ground. Let’s unpack that and camp out a little bit because we all know about treestands and we all know they can have slings, hang-ons, double treestands and even ground blinds. Are you hunting right on the ground with no ground blind or are you in a ground blind?
What I typically do is I will hunt a pop-up blind from time to time. I like those. It’s nothing else for that and it’s in control. I like putting together native ground blinds which is an area of brush. I might combine that with some man-made materials too sometimes. I call it my creative side. I find that part gratifying as well. A lot of that comes down to a couple of things. One, I like looking the deer in the eye. It’s not that I’m such an accomplished hunter because I’ve got more follies than your average person, I’m sure. There is something about being that close to them and the challenge of even being able to draw back and being able to study the behavior in a lot greater detail. I enjoy it.
I will have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of bare extreme heights. I do hunt treestands and I do hunt tripod stands. In other parts of the country, there are guys getting up there, 25 feet, 30 feet in the air and that’s not for me. Even if it was, that’s an extremely tough thing to do here in Texas. We don’t have a lot of trees like that, except for the Piney Wood region in East Texas. We’re heavy on the live oaks and such that typically have more twisted and more angled trunks. You’ve got to get a lot more creative to hunt elevated here in Texas. You’ve got to use more tripods. You’ve got to go old school sometimes and maybe build a perch up there with boards. I do both. It turned out that I like ground height. I like the challenge. There have been a few times out there when things didn’t go so well that I’m kicking myself for it, but at the end of the day, that’s my bread and butter.
Talk to me about going into a place that you know. How are you going to setup? Are you going to set up in the same place? Walk us through it from the ground.
Stepping up your game in terms of preparation and following that through makes hunting more challenging. Share on XI don’t claim to do it perfect but I am a stickler about it. I am very serious about exit and entry points. There’s only a smidge in the public land of hunting here, and honestly people like me are very blessed to have places to hunt. I understand that there are other tactics that are needed in some of those other forms of hunting. In Texas, it’s very common to have some go-to stands. That’s not to say that you don’t move them around sometimes. You brought up a good point. You have a lot of go-to stands, you’ve done your homework and you know they’re in a good area. That’s something that needs to be evaluated on an ongoing basis like, “Am I hunting this spot too much?” I’m also a firm believer that it doesn’t take the deer very long to pattern us.
I do have my go-to stands that are in particular areas but I will be somewhat a mobile hunter on private land to combat that as well. The deer patterns change, food sources change and bedding areas change. I will move them around. I do a little bit of both. I’m about how I enter my setup as I do leaving it and my behavior in the stand. I believe that hunts can be destroyed before you even get started if you’re not paying attention to the wind, where you’re entering from and sometimes that means having to retool and go to another spot, which can be hard. I typically stick with that. It’s something that’s paid dividends for me.
You mentioned something a couple of times, exits and access points. Let’s define that in a couple of places that you have because you mentioned something really important. If it isn’t right, you don’t hunt that area or that stand site. You go someplace else. Talk to me about that and share with my audience what specifically you do and how you do it.
The best way for me to do that would be to describe one of my main setups on our family property which is a really good setup. It faces North-South so you’ve got to be careful but it’s an extremely good setup because it’s old school. It’s literally right smack dab between agriculture, main bedding area and a creek that serves as a good draw. Back in the old days when we hunted that area as more means to an end, we’re going to walk down that creek. It’s the easiest way to get there. These days, if the wind is right, I’ll do that but if it’s not, I’ll come in literally and clip a neighbor’s property to get where I’m going. I’ve vetted that with them as well to come in from the backside when the prevailing wind is not right. I will change all that up. If it’s not going to work, as painful as it is, when there’s been a lot of deer sightings there and a lot of movement there, I’ll forfeit hunting there. When I do it, I take it seriously. I won’t enter any of my setups if it’s blowing my scent where I know the deer typically travel to and from based on the evening and morning hunts. I’ll bend over backward. We all know that there are setups where it’s just a lot of times not possible. I try to set up spots where that’s going to give me a possibility of doing that and give me an out if I can if that makes sense.
What month of the year is the rut the hottest?
In Texas, the rut in majority of the state is in early to mid-November like much of the country. Texas is a very big place. It’s literally five states in one and not just based on land area but based on terrain and whatnot. In most of the states, it’s mid-November. In South Texas which is a famous hunting venue, there’s a lot of more quality deer for a variety of reasons and it’s closer to Mexico and to the Gulf. For whatever reason, their rut is typically mid-December. There’s a little staggering going on there. A long-winded answer to your question, it does vary but the large majority of it is going to be like a lot of parts of the country where it’s early to mid-November.
What’s your favorite hunting strategy during the rut?
Especially since I started bow hunting years ago, I don’t know if some of the things I do are boneheaded cutting edge or downright weird. I have no idea because I came up with them on my own and I’ve since read a lot about people that do the same thing. A lot of people are big fans of mineral sites, mineral stations, I am as well. I’ve heard you use the term multiple times. I’m definitely a 365 hunter. I spend a lot of time in the offseason. I’m blessed to have a wife that puts up with me. In terms of hunting the rut, I mix things up a little bit.
I’m not a big person on pressuring beds. I’m a little more aggressive than I used to be but I would say the tactics that I find myself using more and more these days than in the past is I will hunt mock scrapes, which I’m also a big fan of, and I will use them for lack of a better term for distraction. I will set them up within shooting range, put them with obstacles between me and the deer, and have them come in and work those scrapes if I’m lucky. It creates a situation for me that when they exit that brush area, I can plan for a shot. In other words, they’re out of sight for me but I can see their movement a little bit. I can prepare a shot and draw as I know they’re going to exit that little area there. I call that hunting mocks for distraction. I said the same thing for mineral sites. By the time you get to the rut, the mineral sites are still valuable but it’s not the optimal time of the year for them. I’ve had the deer come in for that protein and come in for that salt that they need during that time too. In my experience, if you set things up right in certain areas where you can have them come in and create a little distraction and give you that edge on getting a draw, those are two areas and one main strategy that I like to use as a bowhunter.
How does somebody get a hold of 1st Light Journal? Tell me where on social media and then your website.
Our social media handles are @1stLightHuntingJournal. 1stLightHuntingJournal.com is our website. It’s going to have the top post and contributors. The main part of the content on there is going to be in what we simply call a lifestyle section and a tactics or strategies section. We’re also big on a lot of the other things that are dear to our hearts like the culinary. We like wild game and wild game recipes and ideas about venison preparation. All this stuff is so related that can have a lot to do with hunter recruitment too. We have content around that. That’s how you do that. It’s simply to get to our website. We encourage people to reach out to us, to collaborate with us or communicate with us. We like all hunters and we really like what other people have to say.
Jerald Kopp, thank you so much for being a guest on Whitetail Rendezvous. To summarize, during the rut, use mock scrapes. If you’re going to be a 365 hunter, take care of your deer 365 days a year wherever it’s legal. Food plots, mineral plots and my friends, Kip Adams and the crew over at QDMA. They’ve got some of the best information about whitetails. It’s scientific-based information. I’d give a shout out to them. Jerald, I’d love to have you after the season and next winter, I’d love to have you come back. I look forward to maybe putting our butts on the ground and seeing what happens rattling some bucks. That’s a whole different story.
I would absolutely love that. Thank you so much.
Important Links:
- Empowerment Outfitter Network
- 1st Light Hunting Journal
- Buckmasters
- Buckmasters American Deer Foundation
- Buckmasters.com
- Facebook – 1st Light Hunting Journal
- Twitter – 1st Light Hunting Journal
- Deer Hunting Institute
- @1stLightHuntingJournal on Instagram
- QDMA
- https://1stLightHuntingJournal.com
- https://www.EmpowermentOutfitterNetwork.org/
About Jerald kopp
Jerald Kopp, 1st Light Hunting Journal/Empowerment Outfitter Network Based in Texas, Jerald Kopp is President of 1st Light Hunting Journal.
His content is largely about whitetail hunting strategies and the outdoor lifestyle. Jerald is an avid outdoorsman with deer hunting and whitetails being by far his greatest passion. He was introduced to hunting and fishing at an early age and has been enjoying it for 40+ years.
In 2005, he established the Empowerment Outfitter Network (EON) – a faith-based non-profit organization that provides hunting opportunities for disabled and terminally-ill children and youth. When not hunting, he spends his time traveling and enjoying life with Amy, his wife of over 30 years. Jerald and Amy have two adult daughters and a son-in-law.