PFest: Rooster Beer, Rooster Wear

[A little lighter post today….]

Any Serious bird hunter knows that chasing birds is all about beer and T-shirts.

Seriously, though, sometimes it really is about, shall we say, taking the chill off and advertising the fact that you are among the hunting elite, a bird-chaser extraordinaire. And for those such times, the pheasant-loving brethren among us have Rooster beer and Rooster Wear.

Rooster Wear (aka Roosterwear)

If you open up the Pheasants Forever magazine, eventually you’ll get to their section of luscious pheasant-related offerings. In there you’ll see T-shirts, hats and other cool stuff branded “Rooster Wear.” Until Pheasant Fest I’d always assumed those items were designed and built by Pheasants Forever. Not so.

Rooster Wear is the brainchild of an artist and Serious hunter named Kenny Fields. I cornered him at the show and asked him 10 questions, which are:

1.  How did this whole Rooster Wear thing start?

Rooster Wear actually started in ’01, but I didn’t actually start taking the company seriously until the fall of ’09. I’ve always wanted my own clothing line since I was a young kid, and I’m an avid bird hunter and artist and feel the market doesn’t cater enough to the upland bird hunter.

Kenny Fields, the man behind Rooster Wear.

I want to produce clothing that hunters can relate to. Pheasants Forever is a great organization and has been very instrumental in  what I’ve done. I actually met one of their national board members at the Ringneck Festival in Huron. He really liked my clothing line and mentioned it to the national board and invited me to Pheasant Fest.

Now I’m working with several of the chapters, and in the near future will sign Rooster Wear up as a lifetime member.

Bird hunters should have clothing that we can wear to the movies, meetings, dinners, all year round. Golf, basketball, football, all have clothing and now so does the upland bird hunter. That was my vision, to start a company for after the hunt.

2.  How long have you been at this?

This will be our second year, and we’re growing at a faster rate than last year.

3.  What do you hope to achieve with it?

I hope within 3 years we’re working with more lodges, outfitters and stores. I want hunters to know who we are and what Rooster Wear stands for – pheasant fashion for the upland bird hunter.

4.  Your designs are great! Where do they come from?

My designs come from images from the field. Every hunter who owns a dog or has ever chased a pheasant has kept special moments in their mind. I want to capture those moments. I want to put that image on clothing – the wild flush of a rooster bursting from brush or a rock-solid point…there’s so much we can do.

5.  Do you hunt any other birds besides pheasants?

I love quail, dove, turkey and prairie-chicken hunting [c’mon Kenny, no grouse?!]. I will be introducing Gobbler Wear and Hen Wear this year.

6.  Where do you hunt birds the most?

I mainly hunt in Kansas with my brother Brent. We use to hunt 3 to 5 days a week. Even if it was no more than a couple hours, it was worth it.

In Kansas we use to have huge numbers of quail. We could limit out in a couple hours. Even if we only shot a couple birds it was worth being out in the field, seeing birds.

7.  Do you have a dog, and if so what breed?

Do I have a dog? I have something more than a dog: I have 4 setters, the superb, ultimate hunting dog.

No, there are a lot of great hunting dogs – second to setters! I’m partial to my setters [laughs].

8.  What’s your favorite shotgun?

I have many shotguns in different gauges. I shoot O/Us, all Browning. What type of bird and where I am hunting has a lot to do with what I choose to shoot, but if I had to choose my favorite gun, it would have to be my Browning 28ga. That is just a sweetheart of a gun – lightweight and easy to swing.

I have so many guys tell me I cant kill pheasants with a 28. And then at the end of the hunt, I ask them what did they say about me and my 28 when I’m walking to the truck to unload my gamebag full of birds [laughs]. Man, that’s a sweet gun.

9.  What will we see from Rooster Wear in the future – what’s on the drawing board?

In the future hunters can expect some amazing, unique designs and clothing from Rooster Wear. I have so many ideas – I could draw 10 prints a day every day and still not get all the ideas in my mind out on paper.

Hunters can expect some fun stuff as well. And eventually I’d like to open up store fronts. I won’t let the cat out of the bag too early, but coming this fall I will be releasing several new ideas.

10.  So how are you feeling about this Rooster Wear at this point?

I started Rooster Wear as a means to express what I love to do. It gives me a great chance to work with my brother and introduce fresh  ideas to the market. I absolutely love what I do. I get a chance to meet so many hunters – I’m blessed to have such a great opportunity.

Rooster Beer

Scenario: You’re walking around an outdoor show with birds on your mind. Maybe all that walking is making you thirsty. And then you see it: something that looks suspiciously like stacked 6-packs with the words “Rooster Lager” on them.

Could it be?

Yes it is!

Not beer made from pheasants, but beer made by a Serious pheasant nut, in this case a guy named Jason Markkula who started a company called Beer for Wildlife. Here are 10 Qs with Jason:

Jason Markkula, brewing and giving....

1. How did this whole Beer for Wildlife thing start?

I’d been going to PF banquets for 20 years and have enough prints and pump shotguns. I wanted to give back to wildlife habitat without thinking about it. Thus buy some beer, give back to wildlife. Simple.

2. How long have you been at this?

I started the company 1 1/2 years ago, have given 25 cents a case and raised thousands more through beer donations. A grand total well over $10K.

3. What do you hope to achieve with this effort?

I want a revenue source for wildlife habitat that is forever, not temporary like CRP.

4. You have Rooster beer – any plans for a grouse or quail beer?

I’ve had many requests for fund-raising bottled liquid. Right now I’m going to concentrate on the brands I have.

5. Do you hunt any other birds besides pheasants?

I own some duck and goose decoys, but have run out of time to hunt other birds.

6. Where do you hunt birds the most?

I hunt at my lodge in Hendricks, MN, The Bank Inn. I Started a PF chapter there that I am president of, and also own land and have many friends there.

7. Do you have a dog, and if so what breed?

Yes, a 9-year-old chocolate lab named Riley. Best dog of my life. I said the same thing about my last dog, a yellow lab named Bailey. I hope they keep getting better!

8. What’s your favorite shotgun?

I shoot a 12ga o/u. I have an autoloader that I bought to shoot ducks and have not shot it more than a handful times. I need a duck-hunting buddy. I do however have a 20ga o/u I bought for my son 3 years ago that I would shoot at some grouse if asked to go. My son is 3 years old so he doesn’t need it anytime soon.

9. What will we see from you in the future – what’s on the drawing board?

More beer, a brewery, and more friends.

[Jason said in a newspaper interview last year that his friends helped him get his company off the ground. “It’s amazing what people will help you with for a case of beer,” he said. I believe it!]

10. Anything else you’d like to say to the folks out there in Serious bird-land?

Please take a kid hunting, yours or someone else’s. I love my dad but he was not a bird hunter. So I hunt deer with my dad.

2 Cents

What’s not to like about these guys and what they’re doing? Not only are they passionate, their stuff is good! Gotta love Serious bid hunters….

Category: Clothing, Pheasant Fest, Pheasants Forever, Rooster Lager/Beer for Wildlife, Rooster Wear