Member of the Month

I have always said that one of the things that makes Whitetailworld.com such a special place is the members that we have.  I think when you surround yourself with good people, good things happen.  There are endless stories of the "good" things that have come about from the Whitetailworld Forums.  From the information that gets shared, the friendships that are made, and everything else, the Forums have become a great gathering place. 

This months Member of the Month is a regular on the forums.  Not only does he have the top post count he provides a lot of valuable information.  Dan Williams, known as Dan8687, has been a member almost from the beginning of WTW.  He found the site by doing an internet search for whitetail deer information.  After a few months of mostly signing up for the Whitetailworld Give Aways, Dan decided to become active in the forums.  Dan said, "Seeing all the great information that was shared on the forums, I decided I wanted to be more active and share in it.  It has helped me develop a deeper passion for whitetail deer." 

Dan was born in Minnesota, but moved to Thompson, North Dakota at the age of 2.  The majority of his hunting is done in ND, but does make a couple trips to MN.  Dan is a family man.  In November Dan and his wife Gail will celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary.  They have 3 children.  Rebecca is 12, Ryan is 10, and Brandon is 8.  Although he has never pushed his kids to start hunting all 3 have developed an interest in it.

Dan started hunting with a rifle at the age of 20 and a bow at 25.  When Dan moved to ND his dad quit hunting.  On a trip back to MN as a teenager Dan's unlce shot a deer and Dan got to help track it.  This would get his interest back in the woods.  That first year of hunting Dan would shoot his first deer with a 30-30 lever action.  Hunting with his dad and brother Dan was a stander on a deer drive.  Dan took his first deer with a bow, a 6 pointer, a few years later.  

Each year Dan tries to shoot as many does as possible.  "My family eats venison and I typically donate 1 or 2 deer to the local food shelf", Dan stated.  It's hard to say how many families get meals from the deer, but donating the deer definitely has a positive impact on helping feed those in need.  

Dan has found himself trying to do as much as he can to improve the deer habitat.  By putting food plots in, planting trees, and whatever else it takes to improve the overall herd quality, the work paid off this year.  On the second day of the season Dan shot the #1 buck he was after.  Not only did he get the velvet buck he was able to capture it all on film.  Dan accomplished something this year that is not easy to do.  I should add that Dan was able to shoot this buck with a Quest bow that he had won right here on WTW!  How cool is that!  Here's a short clip that Dan put together of the hunt.  The full hunt and more of Dan's story will be on the first Whitetailworld DVD set to be released early 2010. 

In July of this year Whitetailworld put on our first video school.  Dan made the trip from ND to WI.  This was not his first trip to attend one of WTW get togethers.  Dan made the 7 hour drive earlier that spring for a weekend shed hunt.  It's a pretty good bet that if Dan is able to make the WTW get togethers in 2010 he will be there!

Dan was chosen as the Member of the Month not because he made these trips or he's the leading poster or he's a heck of a nice guy or he shot and videotaped a really nice buck, but a combination of these things and the fact that his dedication to help make Whitetailworld.com the best place it can be is evident in every conversation we have ever had.  I would like to thank Dan for all his hard work and dedication and look forward to having him be a part of Whitetailworld for a long time.