Zink Calls Field Staff

Chris Hancock

I was born June 6, 1985 and raised in Riverton Utah, where I learned the love of hunting and fishing. At a very young age I can remember times of spending hours in the woods chasing what ever I could with my old red rider. When I got a little older I remember hunting deer and elk with my parents. I fell in love, but found my true passion at around the age of ten on a duck hunt on a refuge off the shore of the Great Salt Lake. I can still remember the smell of the marsh and the anticipation waiting for it to get light, the sound of the first flock coming in, and the way they cupped and worked. I was hooked.

When I finally reached the age of twelve and was able to actually shoot, we went to the same area of my first duck hunt with my Dad. The hunt here didn't start till eight and I can remember setting there and waiting, just watching flock after flock landing in the decoys; talk about being excited. When it was finally time, I shot and I shot and I shot with no birds yet. I hit my first bird after about an hour of shooting; it was a green wing teal. The look on my Dad's face was amazing; we were both as happy as we could be. Time went on and we bagged a few more. I shot so many shells I didn't even want to pull the trigger again, but I couldn't help not to.

My favorite hunting memory was when I was 15. I never had the chance to hunt with my grandpa, but when he was diagnosed with cancer we had the privilege of one more hunt with him: a dove hunt in southern Utah. We dusted off his old shotgun, got a license and we were off. We sat up off a dairy farm where the doves were feeding off the grain. It started off kind of slow, but as soon as we heard the tractor start we knew it was feed time and they were on their way. Here they came by the hundreds. I was set up across a large drainage from him with my back to the dairy, I watched the excitement in my dogs eyes grow and knew the were on top of us I let the first few flock pass to watch my grandpa shoot. He pulled up on the first flock and with so many birds he swung from bird to bird to bird and as 70-80 birds passed and not a shot fired; he got so excited with so many bird he didn't even pull the trigger. With the smile from ear to ear I realized what hunting was all about: friends and family.

I got my first lab at the age of 13. I spent hours in the yard or around the canals by my house training for the upcoming season. Since then I have had three others that I have enjoyed watching learn and grow in the field and in the marsh. I get the biggest feeling of gratification watching my dog work and get better from season to season.

As I grew more into the sport I have also learned to really enjoy the conservation part whether is volunteering building nest or cleaning up the marsh. In the off-season if I'm not working as a pipe fitter or volunteering in the marsh, I'm training my two labs and getting ready for the next season. I also enjoy practicing my calls. I have been working a lot trying to get ready for my first calling contest this summer. I remember buying my first Zink call at an expo in town, which was a pc-1. I loved the way I was able to blow it right of the bat. Since then I have bought the majority of the Zink line and have really enjoyed them; that's all that's around my neck any more. During the season I can usually be found in the marsh scouting or in the blind what ever the conditions - no matter how much work it takes, because there is nothing to me that feels better than a limit of bird that I know I deserve.

Year around I enjoy meeting new people with the same hunting passion as myself, whether its at shows, banquets, or volunteering. I am enrolled at Salt Lake Community Collage as an apprentice plumber/pipe fitter and planning on returning to school to get my engineering degree and to pursue my dream of being a part of the hunting industries.

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