My name is Matt Farris and I live here in Holts Summit, a small town just outside of Jefferson City. I live here with my wife, Tiffany and my two daughters, Abby and Emma. I’ve been fortunate to have been born and raised in this area and to be surrounded by so many close friends and family members.

Some of my earliest memories are of my family and me camping and fishing on the Osage River. I can remember getting up early and running trotlines in the early morning fog, with the smell of breakfast at our camp greeting us when we returned. Those early morning trotline runs are still some of my fondest memories.

Later, I learned to love the small ponds and creeks around my hometown, as I caught my fair share of bass, bluegill, and catfish. Any late Saturday night in the summer would find me sitting in the glow of a Coleman lantern with good friends waiting for the fish to bite.

Being the grandson of a gunsmith, I grew up to love and respect firearms. I had my first BB gun at age 5 and spent many days plinking in the back yard. I also grew up in a family of bowhunters. I can still remember my first bow. It was a red fiberglass youth model. I would spend many hours shooting with the “grown-ups”, flinging arrows at a paper plate attached to a straw bale in the back yard. At age 14, I was finally able to hunt with a bow. That happened to be the first year I hunted with a firearm as well. I can still remember my first deer and my first turkey. The exhilaration and sense of accomplishment that I felt were beyond words. I can remember the pride I felt of having put food on my family’s table.

I’ve been fortunate to have taken several deer and turkeys over the years. Bowhunting deer is my true passion, but I still enjoy the excitement of “opening day” of firearms season and spending that time with friends and family. Come spring time, the loud gobble of a nearby tom turkey at daybreak is music to my ears and still makes my heart race. I still love to fish and I also love to try to capture the beauty of the outdoors in the artwork that I do.

The experiences and memories that I have of my time outdoors are priceless. They have formed and shaped the person that I am now. My biggest fear is that similar memories and experiences won’t be enjoyed by future generations. My hope is that I can play a small part in passing these traditions down and creating lasting memories for another generation of sportsmen and sportswomen.