As I grew older all I could think about was getting out of the concrete jungle. What once was a place I thought I could never leave became the place I wanted no part of. I just became passionate about the outdoors, hunting and fishing to the point of being obsessed. Every moment of spare time I find myself thinking of the next hunt, fishing trip or watching T.V. programs about hunting and fishing.

I am definitely a city boy turned country. I love blue jeans, country music, Johnny Cash, southern rock, sweet tea, baseball hats and my cowboy boots. Cooking game that I have been fortunate enough to harvest is something I look forward to. I am definitely at ease when I am chasing deer, waterfowling, gunning for turkeys, hunting for trout and just having a line in the water. I enjoy taking someone out for their first time hunting or fishing and see the look on their face when they realize their dream. I am just fortunate to be able to do this as much as I do and good Lord willing I will be able to do it for many more.

I am honored to be part of the following Pro Staff’s:
Mossy Oak
Lynch Mob Calls
Up North Journal

It’s great to be able to support such great organizations who are advocates for the outdoors.

I am also thankful for my sponsors with Up North Journal:
PSE
Mossy Oak
America’s Best Bowstrings
Dragonfire ThermoGrip
Dead Down Wind
G5
Leupold
Mike’s Magic
Talk Hunting

I would also like to thank Scott at Mid Atlantic Archery for the Tri Van Multi Adjust Pro rest as well as Dave at Quaker Boy for the Vesta-Blind turkey vest as well as Jim Beasly of Spot Shooter Archery of Holly Michigan for all of my bow work.

Hunting Gear
Bow: PSE X Force Super Short
Poundage: 72lbs
Draw: 28 inches
Bowstrings: Americas Best
Arrows: Carbon Express Maximas
Fletchings: Bohning Blazers
Game Attractant: Mikes Magic
Scent Killer: Dead Down Wind
Arrow Rest: Trivan Multi Adjust Pro
Sight: G5 XR
Broadheads: G5 T3
Quiver: Bohning Lynx
Camo: Mossy Oak
Optics: Leupold
Boots: Lacrosse
Stabilizer: Dragon Fire ThermoGrip
Release: Tru Fire Hurricane
Game Calls: Lynch Mob- duck and goose calls, Quaker Boy-predator and turkey calls
Treestand: Gorilla
Bow Case: Plano

To find out more about Chris “Chico” Lopez check out the links below!

Chico’s Blog
http://upnorthjournalfieldstaffchico.blogspot.com

Up North Journal Website
http://www.upnorthjournal.com/UNJ_Blog_Page.htm

Chico’s Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1733108564&ref=ts

An Interview with Chris “Chico” Lopez

HORN Outdoors: Could you tell us a little bit about the Up North Journal?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: Up North Journal is the brainchild of Mike Adams and his son Mike Jr. Up North Journal www.upnorthjournal.com is now a popular website built around a weekly podcast and a monthly vidcast. It has been extremely successful in building the brand in over a period of three years. The vision is “To get people involved one adventure at a time.”

HORN Outdoors: What kind of projects are you currently working on?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: Currently I am working on finalizing my hunting and fishing trips for the rest of the year. The worst part about it is you realize you are not going to be able to fit them all in. Here in my home state of Michigan I am working with a landowner who is gracious to let me hunt his property on doing some improvements and getting food plots planted. As for the business side of Up North Journal working on many interviews with top people in the industry for out podcast.

HORN Outdoors: Tell us when you knew you caught the “Hunting Bug”. When did you know you were hooked?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: I grew up with my mom because my parents were divorced. My father didn’t really hunt and lived out of state. My stepfather introduced me to it but that was about it. He didn’t really take me out more than a handful of times. So when I turned 18 I had my own vehicle and decided I was going to do it. I went out and wasn’t successful at all. I ended up reading all I could about deer hunting and hunting in general, sometimes reading while sitting on a river bank fishing. The reality was I don’t think I was hooked until I decided to go early goose hunting by myself with a cheap call and a half dozen decoys. The first flight of geese got my heart going and then I started to call. The geese bugged out and I had a group of guys hunting a section close to me start yelling and telling me to put my call away. It got pretty scary cuz I was by myself. At that point I knew I loved hunting and became determined to learn how to hunt waterfowl and game in general and never be in that situation again. So it was that day that I knew I loved to hunt and nobody was going to stop me.

HORN Outdoors: Do you have a specific hunt that really stands out in your memory?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: I don’t know if I could pick one. I have two that really stand out in my mind so I am going to cheat and give two. The first one would be a end of the season duck hunt with a friend of mine. We went out in sub freezing weather and it was raining sleeting and then we got set up and it became a white out. We could hear the ducks but couldn’t see anything until they were within 10 yards. After the first volley my gun had a shell jam in it and all I could do is watch my buddy shoot his limit in a half an hour. He was kind enough to let me use his gun after and I shot my limit and we were done in an hour and a half. The second one would be my turkey hunt where nothing went right. High wind gusts, blind breaking, having to use a back up gun it was a mess. We ended up only hunting for 20 minutes and I bagged a nice tom. He ran in full strut for 30 yards only slowing down when the wind almost blew him over. Then he got a bad head ache.

HORN Outdoors: Do you prefer hunting from a Treestand or a Ground Blind?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: I like to use both but there is nothing better than being on the ground with a deer up close and personal where you can see the moisture on his nose and his whiskers. That get’s my blood going for sure.

HORN Outdoors: How much time do you generally spend in the woods each hunting season?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: Last year I spent roughly 80+ days hunting then add in the fishing and I was over 150 days. I don’t even wanna know how many days were spent scouting and preparing for those trips.

HORN Outdoors: What is the most important thing to do when you are preparing for a hunt?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: For me the most important thing is making sure I have all the gear I need for the trip I am going on. Then make sure it is all ready for use. Otherwise it could be a long trip and not in a good way.

HORN Outdoors: What is your Top 3 Species of animal to hunt and where?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: My top three would be Waterfowl, Deer and Turkey. My favorite place to hunt them is where ever they’re at. It doesn’t really matter as long as I am seeing them and getting the opportunity. Ideally I would love to not have to travel to hunt them so I can spend more time with my son Drake.

HORN Outdoors: What would you consider a dream hunt?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: My dream hunt would be for a Yukon moose and grizzly. That is definitely my dream hunt without a doubt.

HORN Outdoors: If you could hunt with any one person, alive or deceased, who would it be?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: If I could hunt with anybody it would without question be my son Drake. I can’t wait to be able to share the experience with him. It doesn’t matter where we go and what we are after. I never was able to enjoy that, so it’s important for me to do it with him

HORN Outdoors: Who in the hunting industry inspires you most?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: Man that is a tough question. I don’t think I can say just one. I know it sounds like I’m dodging the question but I’m sorry. I guess the one’s that inspire me the most are the people that keep it real and aren’t afraid to be who they are no matter what others may think about them. They are the ones that inspire me and they know who they are.

HORN Outdoors: What Trade Shows do you currently attend and which ones would you like to attend in the future?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: I attend the ATA show and this year if schedule permits I will be also attending the SHOT show and hopefully the NWTF convention.

HORN Outdoors: How do you see yourself contributing to the Outdoor/Hunting Industry?

Chris “Chico” Lopez: I see myself contributing to the industry by staying true to myself and being accessible to talk and help someone or organization when needed. It doesn’t take much to answer an email about a question or listen to someone tell you a story that is dear to them. I want to be an advocate for the outdoors and introduce as many people as I can to the outdoors I love so much. I look forward to becoming more involved with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl and the big one NRA. These organizations do so much to help our hunting and wildlife and can really use our help.

I want to bring some awareness to the Benefit 4 Kids organization because they do so much for terminally ill children. Once you go to one of their events you just can’t help yourself to give to this great group.