My name is Rachel Grayless, and I am from west central Indiana. I was blessed to be able to grow up along the Sugar Creek corridor and all of its gorgeous scenery. As a kid, if I wasn’t playing sports or caring for my livestock, I was in the woods. My dad started taking me hunting when I was about 4 years old. One of my earliest childhood memories was sitting out in the November cold, huddled against my dad at the base of a tree during the Indiana firearms season. My legs had gone numb, and the sun had just set. We were getting ready to leave when a wide framed ten-point buck walked right past us at 20 yards. That was my first experience with buck fever, and since then I’ve been hooked!

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I earned my hunter safety certification at 6 years old, and harvested my first squirrels, rabbits, and white-tail later that year. Now, I continue to hunt squirrels, rabbits, and deer, but I’ve also broadened my horizons by taking up turkey hunting, shed hunting, coyote hunting, and bowfishing. In the near future, I hope to be able to give dove and duck hunting a shot as well.

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For me, hunting has provided me with a lifelong passion. Because of my experiences in hunting, I attend Purdue University with a double major in Wildlife and Forestry. In the future, I plan to work in research and field work relating to game species, specifically white-tailed deer. Without the memories I’ve made with family and friends in the outdoors, I most definitely wouldn’t be the woman I am today.

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While at college, I spend my free-time participating in various clubs, including the QDMA. I also spend my time exposing others to the outdoors as well. I believe that this is where my true passion lies. It is my goal to be able to spread that passion for the outdoors to as many people as possible because everyone should have the opportunity to connect with nature and their family and friends in the ways that are only possible though hunting, fishing, and shooting!