Today we’d like to introduce you to Keng Yang.
Hi Keng, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story starts back in 2017 when I got my first hunting dog Kaiya. Now before Kaiya, I had never hunted nor had intentions on hunting. I was planning on moving out west and exploring the U.S. Beyond that you could say I was a little lost, not really sure what the future looked like for myself.
In drops this 8 week old german wirehair pointer, “Kaiya” on my lap and my life has changed. She has shown me passion and purpose, I am where I am today because of her. So how did I end up hunting? I’ve always had a compassion for animals, and loved being outside in the natural world. I wanted to make sure Kaiya had an enriching life. The simplest way to do this was to let her do what she was born to do, and that is to hunt.
I am blessed that my dad is already an avid hunter and he has taught me so much in the field. Even though I had his help, I still went out and did my own research on hunting. What are the rules, where to go, what to look for, I read everything I could, with the goal of having a successful hunt for Kaiya and myself.
In our first year of hunting, we focused solely on pheasant hunting. Our first hunt was nothing like I imagined. It was the complete opposite. The weather was cold, the terrain was tough, and I kept missing birds, Kaiya and I didn’t know how to work together. Hunting is not as easy and fancy as they make it seems to be on TV and Youtube.
After a couple of hunts, we finally managed to get our first bird together. At that moment, I was in a state of euphoria. Everything we had worked so hard for has finally come together. This feeling of happiness, pride, humility, and understanding made me fall deeply in love with hunting. It also made me want to share it with everyone I know.
So the next year, I start taking my non-hunting friends out, showing them how beautiful and enriching hunting is. After that, I started my own little programs to mentor new hunters. At the same time, recruiting and mentoring new hunters was the big buzz words in the hunting community, and many organizations were voicing their concerns about the dwindling hunter numbers, as hunters are the biggest contributors to conservation.
I woke up one day and said to myself, how can I make a bigger impact? I still do 1 on 1 mentoring today, but why not put my knowledge and skills online so that I can reach so many more people. That question is what started Minnesota-Hunter. First and foremost Minnesota-Hunter.com is a lifestyle blog where new hunters can come to learn and ask questions without any judgment. The hunting community itself can be uninviting at times with everyone having different opinions on how to hunt and pushing one’s ethics on to others. I remember when I asked a question on a forum and instead of helping me, people were joking and mocking my question when I really needed help. When people come to Minnesota-Hunter, all questions no matter how silly will be answered honestly by me.
In addition to helping new hunters, I simply wanted a way to journal my hunts. So that whenever I want to, or when I’m no longer able to walk the fields hunting, I can read back and smile at my struggles and triumphs.
As of today, I am just trying to put out as much content as I can through all my social media and Minnesota-Hunter.com. Recently I have gotten into designing and putting out merch for my brand to try and offset web maintenance costs. The end goal and vision for Minnesota-Hunter is to simply be a safe space for people to come learn how to hunt.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Overall the journey to get where I am today was pretty smooth. As I mentioned before, having my dad as a mentor really helped with the hunting part of things. I’ve always had a knack for technology, so setting up the website and pushing out content on my social media channels were quite natural as well.
The biggest challenge I had to overcome when I started my journey was my own self-doubt, asking myself If my content is good or not. Eventually, I realized that even though someone may not like it or find it useful, someone else will. There are times to this day when I get imposter syndrome, but I just tell myself that the experiences I have are my own and that I should share them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently work in IT as an IO Engineer for a Fortune 500 company. I specialize in process improvement.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was moving into a new home that had a creek in the backyard. I was thrilled because there were ducks and geese everywhere. Mallard nest in our bushes, goslings following their parents from yard to yard looking for handouts. I sat out in the yard as much as I could just watching and observing the natural world around me.
Their spring arrival was probably my most favorite time of year, as the creek was brought back to life with the constant honking of Canada geese. Their arrival meant that spring was here.
Contact Info:
- Website: minnesota-hunter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kengyang1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Minnesotahunters/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcclcE12UD94-s8VPdCN6aw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@minnesotahunter
