Some hunters grow up in it. Jonathan McCormick grew into it by accident. A simple favor for a neighbor, a garage full of euro mounts, and one big question changed everything. That moment pushed a North Carolina kid into the heart of the Rockies, and years later he is still chasing the lessons hidden in those mountains.

In this episode, Jonathan sits down from Bountiful, Utah and talks with the honesty of a man who never pretends to be more than he is. Early thirties. Five kids. Nine to five job. A whole lot of grit. No one in his family hunted. He learned by tagging along, carrying cheap gear, and making every mistake a new hunter can make. From gutting his first mule deer the wrong way to figuring out the gutless method on the side of a mountain, his education came the hard way and he would not trade it for anything.The two dive into Western hunting, altitude sickness, elk heartbreak, and the grind of packing out meat that feels heavier with every step. Jonathan talks about faith in a grounded, real world way. Missing church during the season. Sharing scripture on Sundays. Balancing a relationship with God and a pull toward the mountains that never seems to fade. He opens up about raising young hunters, teaching his boys discipline with a bow, and watching them come into their own on the mountain.

It is the kind of conversation that feels like last light in deer camp. Honest. Humble. A reminder that every hunter starts somewhere and the mountains always finish the teaching.

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