Adventure Outdoors Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 105

Study your destination .
Go online and research where you are going ahead of time . You may stumble on a local gem that you wouldn ’ t otherwise know about ....
What is a day of filming like for Nick ’ s Wild Ride ? Do you go off-script , or do you usually have the trip planned out , regarding locations and key visiting points ?
We always know where we are going to hunt . Sometimes we will set up a location to visit if it takes some planning , such as a brewery or restaurant , so that they can accommodate us , but we usually just explore and look for something interesting . You never know what you ’ ll find off the beaten path . It sounds cliché , but it ’ s so true ! No script , we just fly by the seat of our pants !
Before the show , you toured for over 10 years with Kenney Chesney and worked with several other big names in country music . What was that experience like ? What did you take away from it ?
I literally am a guy who has lived his wildest dreams . When I was a kid , I dreamed of being on the “ Big Stage ” and I feel so blessed to have worked with some of the biggest names in music . I still have to pinch myself sometimes .
THE FARM is an important part of you as well . How did the band start ? Can we expect anything new from you in your music career ?
THE FARM brought about the first time that I was not a " sideguy ” and instead , up front and center . It was the final piece of my musical bucket list , to write a song and have it be a hit on the radio . There is definitely new music on the way , including a brand new solo album in 2017 .
Growing up in Minnesota , were the outdoors a big part of your childhood ? When did you first learn to hunt and fish ?
I grew up in the country and the outdoors were all around me . My dad loved to fish and we camped and fished almost every weekend in the summer . He taught me patience and that if you waited long enough , the “ big one ” would eventually come ; but no one in my family hunted . Even so , I was always called to the woods . The guy who lived across the road from us took me deer hunting for the first time when I was 12 and I was hooked . He died several years ago , but I bet he
would get a big kick out of seeing what he started !
Out of all the places you ’ ve traveled to while filming Nick ’ s Wild Ride , what was your most memorable trip ? Why ?
Going to Argentina will always be one of my favorite trips for a lot of reasons . First , I got to travel with my wife , Natalie . I don ’ t usually get to do that . We explored Buenos Aires , which is one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse places I ’ ve ever been to . And the FOOD ! AMAZ- ING ! Then , we traveled south to Patagonia where we stayed at an incredible place called Tipiluke , which is a working cattle ranch . I hunted red stag from horse back and shot an amazing stag . Then , Natalie took a little flycasting lesson and we fished some of the most famous trout waters in the world . She caught her first fish on the fly and I checked several things off my bucket list .
You ’ re described as a historian . Why is the history of a location so important to your trip ? Is there always a learning experience behind every adventure ?
What ’ s cool to me about our world is that EVERY place has a story . No matter where you are , there is some common thread that binds it all together , and there is always something to learn from it . It might be about the building you ’ re in , the people who live there and their ancestry , the wars fought , or the lives saved . There might be a story behind the food being served or the plate it ’ s served on . It ’ s exciting to me to step onto new territory . You never know what you might find if you just scratch the surface a little bit . Even the dirtiest stuff can shine if you rub off the dirt !
Is there anything you will not try ? Name an adventure or and outdoor activity that you have not done but would like to .
I HATE SNAKES ! I can ’ t explain why and I know it ’ s silly , but I scream like a little girl when I see a snake . You will not find me doing anything related to snakes anytime soon ! I have never gone skydiving , but I will and can ’ t wait . I ’ m sure you ’ ll see that on an episode very soon !