Jake's Testimonial
Jake Battenfield of Fort Worth, Texas, was my 1st official customer. I introduced Jake to western states big game hunting and taught him a few skills along the way. As I discovered early on in the process, he’s a helluva marksman and the results are impressive.
Here’s Jake’s story:
“I grew up hunting as a kid but had really moved away from it as other responsibilities in life had taken priority. I had turned basically into a back pasture hunter with an off the shelf rifle who could confidently hit the side of a barn at 200 yards. I have known JD for many years dating back to our time at Texas A&M University in the mid 90’s. John kept encouraging me over a number of years to get back involved in hunting and shooting but at a much higher level. He was sure I’d enjoy it if I gave it a shot.
I finally took the plunge in 2014 and have never looked back. JD’s expertise was instrumental in my immediate and continued success with big game hunting/shooting. John explained what it would take to improve my rifle and my shooting abilities in order to be successful on a big game hunt. He’s essentially done a total rifle rebuild and I now have a weapon that is extremely accurate out to 1,000 yards. Through one-on-one instruction at the rifle range, he’s taught me how to confidently go out and repeatedly execute a shot at that distance with accuracy. The confidence you have as a hunter that not only is your equipment up to the challenge, but you are as well, is immeasurable. JD has given me both.
The results I have had on my big game hunts are a direct reflection of John’s influence. I have harvested an animal on 3 of my 4 hunts in New Mexico. Of course I’ve been blessed that the animals appeared in the first place. But when the opportunity presented itself, there was never a question in my mind that I wasn’t prepared with a great rifle and the ability to execute the shot. I have killed a mule deer at 462 yards, an elk at 385 yards, and most recently the mule deer pictured above at 620 yards.
The mule deer above was spotted across a canyon over 1000 yards away. There was a 25 MPH crosswind so we maneuvered to a position where the wind was in my face. I readied myself in a prone shooting position and waited 45 minutes to an hour for the animal to show himself. He finally stepped out far enough for me to see half of his body, luckily the shooting half. I dropped him in his tracks with one shot. It was an absolute thrill to be presented with a shot under those circumstances and to confidently execute it with such a great result. The mule deer was officially scored at 194 1/8" and put me in Boone and Crockett's All Time Record Book.
When that once in a lifetime animal steps out that can get you into the record book, you need to know that you and your equipment are up to the task. John can get you there, the proof is pictured above."
Thanks for the kind words Jake!!
