FIRST ON FOX — BirdDog, which aims to make hunting more accessible to Americans with an AirBnB-like system, has partnered with Field & Stream to help more people find accessible outdoor excursions.
“We partner with landowners that have lodges, guides, game and food, and we take photos of those ranches and then offer those spots for hunters to come and book, just like you would for Airbnb, but for hunting and fishing,” BirdDog Adventures CEO & co-founder Jonathan Lusk told Fox News Digital.
BirdDog’s goal is to “open up access to folks who don’t have access to hunting,” according to Lusk.
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Lusk, who launched the company in Texas, realized that 95% of land in the Lonestar State is privately owned, so if anyone wanted to go hunting in the state, they either had to own a ranch or get invited to somebody else’s property.
“We thought that, you know, this was very antiquated. So, we started partnering with 10 ranches in Texas, went and took photos of the ranches, got pricing, understood what game was available, and then created a beautiful website, BirdDogIt.com and put it out in the market,” Lusk said.
“We’ve grown to 60 ranches now… all over the U.S., really all over the world,” he continued. “And our goal is to get more people in the outdoors.”
Lusk wants hunting to be as easy as booking a reservation at a restaurant or purchasing tickets to a sporting event, and he doesn’t want youngsters to shy away from the sport simply because they don’t have access to land.
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On Tuesday, BirdDog announced a partnership with Field & Stream, an iconic lifestyle brand for hunters and anglers.
“We are really excited… We’re just honored that they wanted to work with us,” Lusk said.
“They’ve got a magazine that really tells great stories about the outdoors and… they came to us and said, ‘Hey, could you create a site co-branded where our readers could then go out and participate in the outdoors on hunting and fishing excursions?’ So that’s what we did,” he continued. “That’s what we’re launching today.”
Field & Stream president Doug McNamee believes the partnership “perfectly aligns” with the brand’s commitment to fostering a deep connection to the outdoors.
“Together, we’re not just offering new adventures; we’re creating lasting memories that will be cherished and shared around campfires and the dinner table for generations to come. By merging BirdDog’s innovative spirit with Field & Stream’s 150 years of experience teaching America how to hunt, fish, and camp, we aim to inspire storytelling and strengthen community bonds for years to come,” McNamee said.
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Since launching BirdDog, Lusk has noticed that many users are novice hunters, or teenagers whose parents don’t have much experience. Because of this, BirdDog now spends a lot of time educating users and helping them become more comfortable shooting rifles and shotguns. BirdDog also offers various father-son and mother-daughter experiences to help keep the entire family engaged.
“It’s really impacted their lives. I mean, these father-son hunts and mother-daughter hunts. People are saying, ‘Hey, I had something that I got to do with my kiddo that I never could have done myself, and it’s changed our life,’” Lusk said.
“You find them, you know, hunting more and more. And that’s really what we’re doing,” he continued. “We’re providing access to new and existing hunters. We’re providing education and then experiences that are really impacting them.”
Field & Stream Excursions, powered by BirdDog, can be accessed on the Field & Stream website under “Experiences” as well as on BirdDogIt.com.
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