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A letter from the Owners ~ 

Epic West Outfitters has been a dream of mine since I was just a little fella. I never thought I could turn my dream into a reality but along with Great Friends & Family we have finally done it.

 

My Dad is a lifelong avid outdoorsman along with my late Grandpa & Uncle. My Family has always been involved in the Outdoors.

My Grandpa was a Game Warden in the Texas Hill Country & the Brush Country of South Texas in the 50's & 60's after his service in the war. Being in the Outdoors was a way of life since I learned to walk. My Dad put me on my first Buck at age 7 & my first Duck at age 8. Countless birds in the back yard & on the ranch prior to that.

Growing up at an early age we hunted all over every landscape in the vast terrain of Texas & had the privilege of seeing the Waterfowl in Oklahoma before I could even drive myself there.

My Roots are in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where I perfected my craft on Woodie Holes, Duck Weed Ponds, River Bottoms, & Sloughs.

From Montana to the Gulf of Mexico & every state in between it has been a Goal & Passion to do everything I could to stay on the “X”.

 

I have always had a great group of Family & Friends behind me & without them I would never be where I’m at today.

My Parents, my wife and I have been involved in Rodeo our whole lives. My Dad has been involved in Rodeo since 1964 & was selected to Fight Bulls at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). My Mom had Specialty Horse Acts as well to help pay the bills. This took them all over the United States & Canada throughout the 70’s & 80’s.

I have been involved in the Bucking Bull Industry since the inception of the Registry & Competition System. Me & my Wife have traveled all over the USA with our Bulls & sent Bulls to the NFR, PBR Finals, & ABBI World Finals for 3 Decades.

My wife has been involved with Rodeo her whole life as well, this is how we met. She has been in the Performance Horse side of the Industry from her start. She is a PRCA Barrel Racer & a Performance Horse Breeder / Trainer. Her & her Family have has had their hands on some of the best bred equine athletes in the sport.

She has an eye & a gift to see things in animals most people never notice.

These Travels through Rodeo have created lifelong friends all through the USA & Canada. With that came the opportunity to hunt different Locations in many great States. From all Big Game to Upland to Waterfowl everything has come through relationships we have made in the Rodeo World.

 

When things got too busy over the years with all the Major Finals being in the Months of Oct, Nov, Dec & taking away from my hunting. I decided it was time to make a move. If we were going to take a different path in life there was no other choice than the Outdoor World to chase my true Passion 24/7/365.

Since July of 2021 it has been a daily goal to bring Epic West Outfitters into existence & be able to offer numerous hunts in the best places in the Lower 48 that fit my style of hunting.

 

I have Harvested Waterfowl in MT, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, IL, MO, AR, & LA. I have been very blessed & fortunate to travel & hunt all of these locations.

But one state has always held a special place in my heart & that is South Dakota. At 13yrs Old I made my first WINTER trip to SD with my Family. It was to deliver some cattle & hunt if the opportunity presented itself.

We stayed with our great Family Friends Randy & Jennie Shippy.

This trip struck a fire in me that still burns til this day & will stay with me til I reach the Promiseland. I had never experienced anything like December in South Dakota. It was a true Sportsmans Paradise.

I made numerous trips back to the Shippy’s over the years. Then through them I met our great friends that are now closer than Family Brett & Emily Romkema.

Brett told me if I wanted to shoot Ducks that he had them & boy he wasn’t lying. This lead into many years of being Partners in the Cattle Business & spending hundreds of nights in their basement with my crew. Needless to say it was a home away from home at both the Romkema’s & Shippy’s.

 

•The 1,000mi Journey, South Dakota•

Me & my Wife made the move from East Texas to South Dakota in the Spring of 2023 to begin our Outfitter Business based out of our hometown of Springfield, SD. 

I have spent 30+ Days a year Hunting South Dakota for 13 Seasons. With our great friendships we have created this has opened the doors for more growth in the state.

There are very few states that offer the vast amount of game that SD boasts. It’s strict Non-Resident Licensing, Game Management Laws, & Unprecedented Conservation Efforts make it one of the most Game Rich Environments in the Country.

 

We hope you will come & join us in

“One of the Last Great Places”

South Dakota.

Thanks & God Bless!

~ Hayden & Kylan Shaw 

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Epic West LLC

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