This Is How I Hunt – No. 25 Ryan Lampers

Hunting is hard.  Flat out. It takes patience, courage, and grit.  More often than not you are left with an unfilled tag in your pocket and a long walk back to the truck.  So why do it? Why put in so much time, money and effort if percentages do not go in your favor? I know why I do it.  I do it because the effort it takes to successfully harvest an animal is unlike any other feeling in life. Because with no risk there can be no reward.  It is what makes hunting and harvesting your own meat so special.Being new to hunting, I constantly second guess myself and have doubt about if I am doing the right thing, especially since I never had a mentor to bounce questions off of.  It is my weakness. It is the internal battle that I struggle with when hunting. Have you ever had questions about what others would do in certain situations? Maybe you catch yourself not staying in the game mentally. I know I often do.  I find myself double guessing a move or a plan of attack when I hunt. Whether you are new  or experienced, hunting can be frustrating and defeating.

This series is meant to be a way to inspire, educate and motivate you when it comes to hunting.  Hopefully the advice and insight shared by our guests can help you feel like you are not alone in your struggle against the wild, while you build confidence in your chase.

WBC: What is your name?

Ryan: Ryan Lampers

WBC: Where are you from and where do you currently live?

Ryan: Washington State native for 45 years of my life. Spent the last 21 years in the small town of Granite falls.  Currently residing in the great state of Montana in the small town of Three Forks.

WBC: What is your day job?

Ryan: My wife and I currently run a small online business called Hunt Harvest Health.

WBC: Do you have any family or pets?

Ryan: I am lucky to have an incredible wife that I somehow found at an Alaska fishing camp 24 years ago. She grew up in Bozeman MT. She’s a naturopathic Doctor and amazing mother to our two girls. Pailey is 10 and loves dancing, Tanna is four and loves to walk outside. I have four English setters, yeah four! Not really sure how that happened but Lady, Boone, Hootie and Cassie are the names and we love every one of them.

WBC: How and why did you get started into hunting?

Ryan: Always been blessed with great role models so hunting and fishing came at an early age. Caught my first steelhead at 6 and killed my first four point muley buck at 14. I fell in love with being outdoors from spending time with my father and hearing the stories from hunts and mini adventures he’d done. Being in the mountains just felt right at a young age, always learning, always exploring and finding adventures in some of the best places.

WBC: Did you have a hunting mentor?  What did you learn from them and or what did you want or wished to learn from them?

Ryan: First and foremost my father Ray Lampers was my biggest mentor in all things hunting and fishing. He taught me how to be tough in the mountains, be smart when pursuing and pay attention to everything that will give opportunity.  He also stressed how important and crucial perseverance and patience is with hunting. I had an uncle Ron that inspired me as well while teaching me late season elk in Idaho with a muzzleloader in harsh conditions. At the ripe ole age of 20 I met a fella named Dallas Blood from North Idaho that taught me so much in the ways of archery hunting elk during the rut. Tips, tricks, and technique were taught which shortened my learning curve a ton with the help of these mentors.

WBC: What has been your favorite hunt?  Why?

Ryan: High country mule deer hunting is what I dream of during the off season. Something about mule deer up high on their turf gets me more excited than anything. Whether it’s archery in September or catching a big ole late season buck chasing does during the rut. I love mule deer. They take me to the most amazing country and present the challenges I’m looking for.

WBC: What has been your biggest struggle when it comes to hunting?

Ryan: I think my struggle in the early years was patience. I’d run all over the mountains being completely inefficient and probably spooking most critters. Later in life it’s finding the time to be able to be patient and find the mature animal I’m hoping for.

WBC: Our strengths can also be our weaknesses.  What are your weaknesses that can inhibit you on your hunts?

Ryan: One of my weaknesses may be that I sometimes push too far and go well beyond where I could possibly find success closer. Wanting to “earn” it probably isn’t the most effective approach on some hunts.

WBC: What piece of gear can you not hunt without?

Ryan: If quality food can be classified as gear then yes food. Nutrition from quality food keeps me pushing and feeling strong when many hunts take crud tons of time while figuring out how to kill that old aged animal. If food doesn’t qualify then my answer is a high quality set of optics, boots and a backpack that carries weight very well.

WBC:  What is your favorite place to hunt and or species?

Ryan: Washington high country mule deer hunting has always been my favorite. Hunting the country where tamarack’s are abundant and mule deer have the ability to simply grow old and die without being bugged by humans has and probably always will be my favorite type hunt.

WBC:  What is one piece of advice you would have liked to have or known when you first started hunting?

Ryan: Slow down, don’t rush an area that most likely will produce if not buggered up too fast. Also prepare year round for those precious weeks in the fall that inevitably require every ounce of hustle you can muster. Enjoy the hunt, the prep, the planning, the work that goes into everything it takes to find success. At the end of of long tough hunt, even the ones with little to no success I can all but guarantee you’ll look back and wish you could do it again or at least be back in those mountains challenging yourself.

WBC:  What is your social media account handles or website?

Ryan: You can find me on Instagram as the @sthealthyhunter,  or under @huntharvesthealth.  You can also go to Huntharvesthealth.com.

We want to thank Ryan for sharing his insight and thoughts.  If you want to know more about Ryan and what he does, be sure to follow along on his journey by checking out his Instagram account. While you are at it, go subscribe to the Hunt Harvest Health Podcast that he co-hosts with his wife.

One special thing that I would like to note is the Western Hunting Summit that Ryan is putting on.  It is a weekend course Ryan is hosting along with Cody Rich to provide mentorship to hunters regardless of experience.  Their goal and mission is to shorten your learning curve by 2 years in 2 days.  There are two options for the summit.  The Weekend Warrior option which is Saturday and Sunday June 29th and 30th, and the Adventurer VIP which starts on Thursday June 27th.  For more information on pricing along with who the speakers are and itinerary go to westernhuntingsummit.com.  You can also save yourself $100 off the cost by using the code STEALTHY100.

If you enjoyed reading the article or can think of anyone that could benefit from the insight given, please share it with others.  It is “OUR” job to continue the growth of the hunting and outdoor community.  Be sure to invite someone to start hunting with you.  You never know what type of impact it may have for them and their life.  Remember, mentorship is conservation and you cannot out give good. 

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