From Caribou Hunts to Freeze-Dried Dreams With Don Goode (Kentucky)
The late November wind wound through the Kentucky hills, brushing across ridges thick with blowdowns from past tornadoes. Somewhere beyond the ridge, nestled between thermals and fading light, a lone buck cruised—palms for antlers, body like a bulldozer. Don Goode had been in that saddle all afternoon, feeling everything line up. That hunt didn’t just end with a deer. It ended with a defining moment—a veteran, entrepreneur, and bowhunter stacking grit on top of instinct, out on the kind of public ground that makes most turn back.
From Texas to Tundra
Don’s journey into hunting didn’t begin in a tree stand—it started in Panama, where his Colombian mother met his Texan father. Raised mostly in Florida by a single immigrant mother, Don didn’t grow up around whitetails and camo. Hunting was a curiosity—something hinted at in stories from his grandfather and whispers from deep inside.
“I didn’t know what it was,” he said, “but it was in me.”
It wasn’t until 2013, while stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia, that an email about an archery season flipped the switch. A year later, back from Afghanistan, he found himself talking to a stranger at the lake—a stranger who turned out to be a bowhunter named Todd. Within weeks, Don had his first bow: a Bowtech Destroyer 350. Within a year, he’d arrowed his first deer.
A Soldier’s Path
Don spent a decade in the Army, rising through the ranks, commanding over a hundred soldiers, and running logistics in combat zones like Iraq. Along the way, he lived in Texas, Alaska, and Virginia—each station another backdrop for a hunter slowly finding his way.
In Alaska, he met his wife, a fellow soldier and Army nurse. They deployed together to Iraq in 2020. “We’ve got a photo of us in full kit in front of the Camp Taji sign,” he said. “One day, that’s going on the wall for our grandkids.”
But even after the deployments and leadership roles, it was a Kentucky tornado—five days after his daughter was born—that shook him the most. That experience, he said, was the only one that ever rattled his headspace. “I felt helpless. Couldn’t protect my family. That one… that one messed with me.”
Hunting With Purpose
After getting out of the Army in 2023, Don didn’t slow down. He dove into family, school, and entrepreneurship—but the woods still called. When he got to Kentucky, he made a promise to himself: no leases, no feeders, no excuses. Just public land, hard lessons, and freezer meat.
The first year, he hunted 45 days, logged 500 miles, and learned everything the hard way. “I was seeing deer every sit. But it was always five yards too far or just thick enough. I knew they were there, but I couldn’t seal the deal.”
That changed the following fall. Armed with saddle gear, sharpened thermals knowledge, and relentless drive, he killed a big-bodied, palmated buck on election day. Seven hours of dragging later, he collapsed in his truck with a smile on his face.
DIY in the Arctic
Don’s proudest hunt didn’t come in the Midwest. It came north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, where he and a buddy set out on a DIY caribou hunt. No guide. No rifle. Just two bows, a Walmart raft, and guts.
They patched that leaky raft with gorilla tape. Floated across glacial rivers. Got busted. Got winded. Blew shots. Tracked injured bulls. But nine hours later, Don stood 10 yards from a bedded caribou with one arrow left. His shot was off-center—but it was enough.
They packed over 100 pounds of meat each and hiked six tundra miles back. “That hunt advanced me. I realized there wasn’t anything I wasn’t capable of. We hunted like our ancestors did. That’s what it’s all about.”
Labradors and Frizzy’s
After leaving the military, Don built not one but three businesses: an RV rental company, a freeze-dried fruit line called Frizzy’s (named after his daughter Izzy), and a guide service called Labrador Outfitters.
His goal? To live a life where work and passion intertwine. “I’m not making a ton of money yet. But I get to be home with my girls, I get to build this with them. I figured out the cheat code.”
Trad Bow Dreams
Four months ago, Don traded in his compound for a traditional longbow made by a Texas bowyer. He’s got one goal for this season: kill a public land buck, on the ground, with that longbow.
He’s already logged time in thickets and blowdowns, gotten within 40 yards of bucks in the rain, and says the switch just feels right. “It’s slower. It’s harder. But it’s honest. And I like honest.”
What Comes Next
Don’s future includes Idaho elk with his Army buddy, a YouTube launch, and expanding Frizzy’s and Backcountry Bistro nationwide. But more than anything, he wants to pass it on. To kids. To veterans. To anyone trying to find their way in the woods.
“I didn’t have this growing up. So now I want to teach. Mentor. Share what I’ve learned. One of these days I’ll have a farm of my own, but I’ll never forget the hard-earned hunts. That’s where you grow.”