David Burdette was raised on a rural farm in West Virginia and grew up milking cows and running the hills and creekbanks. He started hunting at the age of 5 with his first .177 caliber pellet gun and had progressed to a shotgun by the age of 7. David ran traplines and dug for ginseng, earning money to be able to continue hunting through Junior and Senior High School. He also spent 14 years professionally handling coondogs, making champions out of several hounds and qualifying for the world hunt on several occasions.
David's first bow came while he was a freshman in college and in 1990 he came out west for his first elk hunt . He was instantly hooked on elk hunting and returned as an archery elk guide for the next 8 years. During that time he honed his elk calling skills and was the RMEF Eastern Elk Calling Champion the first year he competed. Since that time David has placed in the top 5 at the RMEF World Elk Calling Championships several times. As a guide, he was afforded the priceless opportunity of calling in several bulls in just a short period of time, boosting his confidence and experience level.
David still spends 4-6 weeks in the elk woods every fall, and enjoys a "good fighter" no matter where they are. In addition to pursuing his adrenaline rush in the mountains, David has a passion for getting kids in the woods and is working on promoting programs that cater to kids and physically challenged hunters. He has killed whitetail deer, sitka blacktail deer, mule deer, Alaskan brown bear, black bear, bison, elk, antelope, turkey, cougar, bobcat and much more. He currently lives in Sevierville, Tennessee with his wife Teresa and their 3 children, Levi, Luke, and Lilly.
