The Hunter Spotlight Series | Joe Jones | The Outdoors In Color

This week's Hunter Spotlight Series takes us south...to North Carolina. Where, we get some help seeing The Outdoors In Color, with Joe.

By Cliff Cadet | Equalized Outdoors Newsroom

Joe, bow slung over his shoulder, at an archery shoot.

Name: Joe Jones

Hometown: Siler City, NY

Currently Residing: Central, NC

Hunting Weapon of Choice?

"Compound bow."

How long have you been hunting?

"I've been hunting for 33 years...small game hunting dove and squirrels as a kid...progressing to deer hunting as teenager...and bow hunting out of college in my early twenties."

Joe, with shotgun aimed high...during a dove hunt.

How did you get started?

"My dad started taking my brothers and I dove hunting when I was 5. I didn’t get to shoot doves until I was older, but I was the bird dog...finding all of the doves that my brothers and dad shot. I believe this helped shape me to be the hunter that I am today.

"We still dove hunt every year. It's a family tradition."

What's your favorite wild game to hunt and why?

"Elk. Now that I’ve caught the elk hunting bug...shooting my first one with a gun, back in 2024. But I want to get one with my bow next.

"They are tough to hunt in mountainous terrain...they're ghosts when they want to be silent...can move across ridges with crazy speed...and can move miles away when spooked. Calling in elk, and having a bull respond with such emotion, and getting a bull to commit to your calling within bow range is addicting."

Joe with his bull elk.

You mentioned shooting an elk back in 2024. Could you share the story of that hunt?

"I always wanted to hunt elk as lifelong goal/bucket list hunt. One of my best friends from kindergarten moved out in Idaho and kept telling me I should try to come elk hunting. We had talked about it for years...but back in 2022, I had decided to save up and plan for a hunt in 2024. Add to that...I knew I needed to be fit. So, I started pushing hard in the gym...getting my weight down and building back my cardio/endurance.

"We finally made plans to get tags and decided I’d hunt the October rifle opener, that fell on a Tuesday. I flew in on a Saturday and was able to do some fishing and scouting. Fast forward to Monday...we hiked in 5 miles to camp a half a mile down the mountain. Woke up Tuesday with barely 2 hours of sleep but ready to get after some elk.

"We got into elk about 2 hours into the day. I heard my first bugle and it was magical. Hearing that was so surreal! We made a play on the herd bull and got within a few hundred yards. But he never committed and left with his cows. Jump to Wednesday...we decided to have a similar game plan...but let the herd of elk from the day prior get past us and then we would make a play on them before thermals started to shift back up. I was very discouraged because I didn’t think I’d have it in me to get close enough to the elk because I was dealing with severe cramps and the steep terrain was hard on my body. Nonetheless, we got close to the herd bull again. He was bugling a lot but moving fast up the mountain. We saw a rag horn, but I couldn’t get a shot off before he busted. Not getting that shot off sent me into a negative spiral until a few moments later...my hunting buddy slaps his leg to get my attention to look up.

"I look up and see a huge body looking down on us. I pull up with the rifle and heard my friend say, "Make sure it’s a bull". I said, yes, it’s a bull and then he "yell whispered" to get to a tree for a rest! I was watching the bull through the scope and noticed he was about to whirl and leave so I sent a prayer up to God and let it rip! BOOM! The bull disappeared and I wasn’t sure if I hit him or not.

"My buddy stayed down where I shot and I hiked up to where we last see him. I got up to where he was and started to panic because there was no blood. I looked over to my right, and the bull was piled up 30 yards away! I completely lost it...crying like a baby and thanking God for what had just happened. We got the bull quartered up in about 4 hours and it started pouring rain the minute we got our packs on. We had a mile hike to camp and my buddy said download OnX (the hunting GPS app) because I am going to book it back to camp. My buddy had a hind quarter on his sock, and I had a shoulder and backstrap in my pack. 

"We were traveling at a good pace...heading back to camp. But every so often, I would check OnX to make sure I was paying attention to where the camp pin was. After about 30 minutes of hiking, I stopped to mess with my phone because I couldn’t get it unlocked due to the pouring rain. Then when I looked up...my buddy was gone! I got lost twice, on the way back to camp...prayed to God to get me back alive because the temps were dropping to 25 degrees that night. Add to that...snow was coming, I had 20% battery, no power bank and I had left my emergency bag back at camp!

"Needless to say, I made it back to camp just before dark. We were both mildly hypothermic. So, we decided to hike out the first pack of meat and head home because of the freezing temps and possibility of 3 inches of snow or more. We made it home safe and returned the next day to get the rest of the meat and camp. In total, it was 11 miles round trip. This was the toughest experience and hunt I had ever experienced. It brought me closer to God and made addicted to elk hunting."

Joe with a rainbow trout in hand.

Take us on your dream hunt...

" My dream hunt would be hunting Moose, Caribou, Roosevelt Elk and Kodiak Brown Bears with my bow in Alaska...all in one season. It's so remote...dropped off, via plane, on a lake...hunting with 3 to 4 of my best hunting friends."

Looking at your social media content, you don’t only hunt…but you’re an avid angler as well. How long have you been fishing?

"I've been fishing for about 35 years. I started at 3 years old and have been hooked ever since!"

Joe and son celebrating over a great trout catch.

Do you have an awesome fishing memory you could share?

"One of my favorite fishing memories was when my youngest son caught a huge 19-inch brook trout. It weighed close to 4lbs. He caught it on his own and his older brother helped net it for him. Also...my kids catching their first trout on a fly rod."

Joe's son, Parker, with his first archery deer.

Your son recently shot a deer. What was that like?

"Parker’s first archery deer!

"My son Parker set a goal, this year, to shoot a deer with a bow. All summer long, he put in the work to get dialed in... shooting 20 yards consistently. Opening day, we had two does come into 20 yards...very cautious. Parker showed great composure and waited until both deer were distracted and he drew his bow back. When he drew back, I noticed he is arrow was close to hitting the blind window, so I had him let down and the deer busted.

"On the next hunt, we set up the blind...barely brushed in. That morning, we had a small buck come in, but it spooked shortly after. Around 8am, we had a lone doe feeding on acorns and it took forever for her to come in. Parker said he was shaking so much, and I could hear my own heart beating out of my chest. Parker showed great composure and waited for the doe to give a broadside shot. She started to turn quartering away, I gave her the ol' "mehhh", and Parker sent a perfect shot! The doe ran about 80 yards out of sight. We waited 30 minutes to start tracking her and we found her down exactly where we last saw her run.

"I’m so proud of him and the hard work he’s put in the last two years. It all led up to shooting his first deer with a compound bow!"

Joe with his own archery deer.

And that is this week's Hunter Spotlight Series with The Outdoors in Color folks!

To follow Joe, and his family, on their outdoor/hunting/fishing adventures...and even some wild game cooking content, follow him...

on Instagram: @outdoorsincolor_

on YouTube: The Outdoors In Color