About OtterBee Outdoors and Steve Hood
Hello Friends! I’m honored that you’re visiting OtterBee Outdoors! I, Steve Hood, am truly blessed that you’re spending time here and I’ll do my best to make it worthwhile.
My desire is to help you learn more about the outdoors and answer questions you may have. If you have questions I’ve not answered in the articles, message me through the contact page. I’d love to hear from you.
Why Start OtterBee Outdoors?
I love the outdoors, writing, teaching, and tech stuff! My father and my maternal grandfather had me hiking with them in the woods by the age of four. Yep, I was carried a lot. I’ve, also, worked in web development since 1995. The creation of OtterBee Outdoors is a natural progression of my talents and interests.
Oh, making a little money would be great too. Why not? We live in a rapidly changing world from tech to pandemics. Supporting my family is of growing importance.
I say growing importance because my wife and I had a girl in 2020! And another in 2021! I’m so excited to watch the two of them experience nature over the years to come and I’ll share a little of that with you where appropriate.
Outdoor Expertise and History
I’m not going to claim I’m an expert on all things outdoors. I’m not. I love learning about nature and I’ll be sharing many of my interests with you. I’ll also have some experts join in on the conversation too!
My main areas of interest and outdoor experience are hiking, camping, kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. Do you share any of these interests? I hope so! I’d love to meet you out there one day.
I grew up on the outskirts of Memphis in a subdivision with two nice-sized lakes. Three houses down from mine were a levy, woods, and fields. I fished regularly and explored extensively with my neighbor and best friend, Warren. I could never imagine a better place to grow up.
My father started a blueberry farm when I was seven, so I spent a lot of time on the farm. Farming is a great way to learn about nature but my favorite was on family-owned land in the middle of a game reserve down in Choctaw County, Mississippi.
My Mentors
When you can, learn from people older and more experienced than you. You can learn things the hard way, but why?
My maternal grandfather worked for the Game and Fish Commission both in Mississippi and in the Land Between The Lakes in Kentucky. My paternal grandfather was an avid fisherman. Both came from a farming background in rural areas of Mississippi. My father loves the land. His interests fell into blueberry and timber farming. These three men have been my greatest mentors.
Kayaking Brought Me A Family!
I met my wife on a kayaking/canoeing trip through a Meetup.com group. I’m blessed beyond measure to be with Ashley. If you’re single and love the outdoors, I highly suggest you meet your outdoor partner-in-crime through outdoor events.
I wouldn’t have my wife or my daughters if I weren’t fond of kayaking on the Harpeth River outside Nashville, TN.
Outdoor groups are great for making friends too! Many of my greatest friendships were forged through the love of the outdoors.