What's This Thing All About?

Welcome to Relentless Outdoors!

You may be asking yourself, what's this thing all about? 

The mission of the blog is simple enough, share my thoughts on following Jesus, and catch some fish, explore the woods and rivers of Iowa, and hopefully harvest a few pheasants and deer along the way. In the process, I hope to move closer to Jesus, and become a better outdoorsman and share those experiences with anyone willing to follow along.

And as I think about it, that isn't too different than what I see as the mission of life. A communion with Jesus, and sharing his gospel, salvation, and grace with my fellow man, while stopping to enjoy and marvel at God's amazing creation he blessed us with.

My name is Kyle, I've called Iowa my home and hunted and fished all my life. Here in adulthood, God's glorious creation offers me a refuge away from technology, and it is really where I find my happy place. Chasing fish, pheasants, and deer regardless of luck, always puts me in a better frame of mind. I don't think I'm alone in believing that if everyone made a habit of routinely unplugging from their computer, smart phone, and television, and more often immersed themselves in the prairie, woods, and waters that God blessed us with, it would make the world a better, more peaceful place. 

For years I've felt the urge to do more writing and share my more in-depth thoughts on hot conservation topics that have impacted hunting and fishing (like Livescope, Public Land Access, Iowa Prairie/Native Habitat loss, water quality issues, etc). And while I'm a proud modern technology luddite, when I've occasionally dabbled in making brief videos highlighting my outdoor exploits, they've always been well received. So why not cast a wider net, put out more content, and use the few views I get to also be a trumpet for the Lord, and share the message, of the amazing Grace of God with the few eyes and ears that my meager channel can reach. Like many ideas I get, this was something I mulled over and drug my feet executing on, but I kept hearing or feeling God calling on me to use my passion for the outdoors and the urge to share that passion with others as a means to also testify that Jesus is LORD, and his death and resurrection for our sins guarantees salvation for all who follow him.

While I want to weekly dedicate my reflections on the word of God, I also plan to share what techniques are working for me catching fish, my thoughts on hot conservation topics that are impacting Iowa, and I'll probably fall down some hunting and fishing history rabbit holes along the way (like what exactly were Popular Mechanic's "Dirty Dozen" lures? Or how did a 25 year old lure from a small village in Finland take America by storm?). And I'll likely share some recommendations or highlight a few older outdoor books and magazine articles as well. 

Please join me on my journey into God's beautiful wilderness, being a fisher of men just like Jesus called Simon and Peter in Matthew 4:18-20:

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

I hope you'll stick around and check in on the blog occasionally, see my thoughts on God (and I hope you're willing to share your own back with me in the comments section), and hopefully we can share some techniques on fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation as well.