Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
How many friends have you made through the outdoors? Aside from my church family, nearly every friend I have came through my love of the outdoors.
I just got home from one of the best hunting trips of my life with NPFL pro Lendell Martin Jr. I was aware of Mr. Lendell for years before the NPFL ever existed, mainly because his boat wrap has a giant whitetail deer on the side of it. Anything with giant deer catches my eye!
While we were in DeLand, Florida for the NPFL event on the St. Johns River that was ultimately canceled because of a hurricane, Mr. Lendell motioned me over while I was idling. I had spoken to him in passing a couple times but that was it. He introduced himself and invited me to go hunting on his ranch in South Texas. What blossomed from that short conversation was a hunting trip unlike anything I had ever experienced and a friendship with a great family.
That’s not an anomaly though. Back in 2019 a young man named Nicholas Boggs messaged me on social media asking me some questions about an upcoming high school national championship being held on the Arkansas River. I ended up spending a few hours in the boat with he and his partner and both of their dads on the river. We hit it off and the rest is history. Since that fall, I have spent a week at the Boggs house in Southern Ohio deer hunting every year. At this point I feel like I’m just part of the extended family when I get in town.
These two instances are just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve made many friends that way through the years from all over the country. Some were my co-anglers, some were my competitors, and some were competitors that ended up being team partners.
The bulk of the friendships developed by people without a passion for the outdoors are local—the same general area. Not so with fishermen! If you’re hundreds of miles away from home in a town where you know no one, it can be tough. That’s where these friendships shine. I can name several NPFL guys that I am 100% positive if I need something on the road, they’ve got my back. And I’m sure there’s dozens more that would help if called.
While at the tournaments we talk to each other daily, eat meals with each other and our families, and share housing with each other occasionally. Even though it’s only a few days at a time, it builds friendships that last.
The next time you’re fishing and see one of your competitors, be a Lendell. You never know where the friendship may go.
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
