NCPA Outdoors

Kris is one of the founders of North Central PA Outdoors. He has been an avid hunter, fish, sports and outdoorsman his entire life. As a kid growing up, every weekend was spent at camp; hunting, scouting, hiking and getting dirty - the full spectrum of being an outdoorsman if there ever was one.

“I remember every Friday at school, anxiously waiting for that bell to sound. We’d pile into the truck and off to camp we’d go! Weekends were filled with cutting firewood, hiking the mountain, hunting, fishing, planting food plots when nobody else was, shoveling corn or apple plumings, working on tree stands, shooting, we did it all and loved every minute of it!”

Employed at one of the leading seed corn producers on the east coast, his years of experience in the planting, harvesting, as well as research and development side of the business proved beneficial in learning the farming aspect which is so critically important when it comes to managing for Whitetails. Growing something isn’t as simple as just throwing a handful of seeds in the ground. There's quite a bit playing to your disadvantage if you don't take the time to do things right.

Joel, one of the founders of North Central Pennsylvania Outdoors is an ardent outdoorsmen, hunter and homesteader. He spends the majority of his time in the outdoors enjoying what the Creator has provided through Mother Nature.

“As a young adult, I had an interest in the Boy Scouts of America and the life skills that were taught. After 5 years as an active scout I attained the status of Eagle Scout, the highest rank within the organization. I maintained membership for several years as a leader to the younger scouts. Much of my free time was spent outside with my family and friends hiking, fishing, hunting, gardening and farming. Being exposed to constructive outdoor activities has played an important role in building a strong ethic and character.”

Being blessed to call the mountains of Pennsylvania home is the perfect environment to enjoy a way of life not familiar to the modern American home. Growing fruits and vegetables is something that he has a passion for. Maintaining several orchards with more than 260 various fruit trees as well as harvesting many favorites from the home garden is an enjoyable chore.

Starting NCPA Outdoors is the product of many years of successes and failures. The goal is to provide a quality source of information related to outdoor activities in the mountains of North Central Pennsylvania. It was our desire to share our stories with likeminded people in hopes that they too can learn, grow and succeed.

“We are truly blessed to have the freedom to enjoy our way of life. I am thankful to my family and the countless men and women that have fought for that right. I thank God every day for entrusting me as a steward of the land, trees, water and wildlife that brings such joy to my family”

“I really owe NCPA Outdoors to my brother, Joel. He had this wonderful idea in the back of his head and after pursuing countless dead ends, it became clear to us that there was a real void when it came to online resources for property owners who face the same challenges as we do; Small deer herds, small deer, small racks and even smaller success stories – the very by-product of property consisting of 99% mature woods, short growing seasons, mountain fed deer and overall poor conditions. The strategies we've implemented on our property over the last several years though, have made a significant impact in the success we're having! The difference has been remarkable and anyone can do it!

I'll never forget the day our mantra was coined. We were busy cutting and clearing trees surrounding one of our apple orchards during the dead of winter. There was two feet of snow on the ground and we had a heck of a time dragging tops through the drifts and into the forest. After several exhausting hours, we joked something along the lines of, 'this is nuts!' to which I proclaimed, 'it very well might be, but here at NCPA Outdoors... WE DO IT FOR THE DEER™!' because it truly is part of the NCPA Outdoors culture."

"Modernized homesteading is a way of living off the land while utilizing current technology and tools to maintain your desired level of self sufficiency. Cutting firewood to heat your home or producing your own food from the backyard garden is something that should be familiar to everyone, as it used to be common knowledge in every household.”

A railroader later in life, Kris now manages contracts for a Fortune 50 company and when not busy in the office, can be found in the woods actively managing roughly 250 acres of his property across the northern tier of PA. He is also an outdoor writer, editor for The Whitetail Institute of North America, and works with others to execute proven strategies that will improve habitat and hunting success on their own property.

The History Behind NCPA Outdoors

Some have asked, what got you started? How did you guys get to this point? To help answer that question, we worked tirelessly the past few weeks to put together the following video.

Join us as we travel back through time and share some timeless images from the 1950's to current in order to tell the history behind how NCPA Outdoors came to be. Tons of footage of deer, turkeys, coyotes, bear and more will capture the attention and compliment some of the humorous stories.

April is NCPA Outdoors’ in-house marketing, community outreach, and social media extraordinaire. While the videos and episodes are a collaborative effort of everyone at NCPA Outdoors, April is the face behind 99% of our social media content. She does a fantastic job maintaining our online presence on sites like Facebook, You Tube and Instagram. Following us on any of these channels, you can rest assured not to miss any of the photo’s, videos, or other information that’s trending online thanks to the hard work of our MCO&SM team.