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About Billy
NWTF Involvement: Served on the Kentucky State Chapter board three times and was Kentucky’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen coordinator for six years Hometown: Shepherdsville, Ky. Family: Wife Janelle and two granddaughters, Jessica, 11, and Gracie, 6 NWTF member since: 1992 Home chapter: Bernheim Chapter |
Q&A with Billy Mudd
For this Kentucky volunteer, the NWTF mission
is right on target, and the Wheelin’ Sportsmen
program plays into the overall effort.
NWTF: How did you get started with the NWTF?
Billy Mudd: Back in 1992, the NWTF Convention and Sport Show came to Louisville, Ky. I wasn’t even a turkey hunter back then, but I went to the convention just to see what it was like. And after hearing about the NWTF and what it stood for, I joined. In 1994, I helped start the Bernheim Chapter.
NWTF: What’s your favorite turkey hunting memory?
BM: My favorite memory is when my nephew, Rob Russell, and I partnered for the Wheelin’ Sportsmen Kentucky Governor’s Hunt. Rob was paralyzed after a car accident and thought he’d never be able to hunt again, and that hunt reintroduced him to hunting. Now, he’s an avid hunter that doesn’t have to wait for someone to take him.
NWTF: What’s it like helping people get in the woods again?
BM: I can tell you this, it’s better than any feeling you get when take your own deer or turkey.
NWTF: What’s something you want people to know if they are thinking about volunteering for a Wheelin’ event but haven’t done so yet?
BM: I’d tell them not to wait around. You just don’t realize how much appreciation you will get for volunteering for a Wheelin’ Sportsmen event.
The Bernheim Chapter hosts three Wheelin’ Sportsmen events a year — a trap shoot, a dove hunt and a deer hunt. We host the largest Wheelin’ Sportsmen deer hunt in Kentucky. It’s a lot of work, but these people are like family. We get as much or more from hosting the events than they get from attending them.
NWTF: What’s the secret to hosting a Wheelin’ event that is fun and keeps people coming back?
BM: It all starts with having a good committee. If you have a good committee to solicit donations for everything, you can make the event better for everyone. It’s also helpful to host your event at a central location that is easy for participants to access. And allowing as much group time as possible makes a good event even better. Everyone gets to know one another and shares their stories, struggles and solutions with each other.
The participants develop lifelong friendships that keep them coming back year after year. Our event fills up quickly every year, because the participants know they’ll have a great time.
We couldn’t do any of this without the help we get from our outstanding partner, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, which is a private park in Bullitt County that has donated the use of their 17,000-acre facility every year since the NWTF’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen program began in 2000.
NWTF: When you think back on your time spent involved in the Wheelin’ Sportsmen program, what stands out for you?
BM: The great friendships I have made with the participants… — Melanie Swearingen