It turns out Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri has some plans outside the gridiron. Namely, his Record Breaking Ranch in Missouri.
The Safari Club International Convention is the place to be if you're looking for interesting, unique, and one-of-a-kind hunting opportunities for places all over the globe. One booth among the thousands caught our eye while we attended the 2020 SCI Convention, but it was a lot closer to home than most.
The reason the Fulton, Missouri, deer and elk ranch stuck out was the owner and spokesman, Adam Vinatieri, who brought his affinity for the outdoors and promotion for his emerging hunting business (not to mention his title as multiple Super Bowl winner) to Reno for the biggest event SCI holds each year.
As part of his objectives for business ventures outside of the gridiron, the former New England Patriot and Indianapolis Colt has decided to enter the world of hunting outfitters.
It was a bit of a surprise, even though the NFL kicker is a known sportsman who spends plenty of time deer hunting in the woods. Why did he decided the SCI Show was an event he should be involved in for his Fulton, Missouri ranch?
"Just trying to get the name out for the ranch, and let people know it's out there," he replied. "They walk by and go 'Holy cow! I didn't know that!'" Vinatieri also mentioned that he'd been to the Dallas Safari Club Convention and a few others over the last couple years.
It was important, he said, for him to be there and network, learn about, and support the efforts of others working to protect hunting's heritage and future.
"As a football player, everybody sees us with a helmet on and stuff, but my passion in life is family, football, and hunting and fishing, and doing all that stuff," Vinatieri said. "So, I'm getting close to the transition from football into more of this stuff. I think this is going to be kind of my next chapter in life."
Why choose this, of all the things athletes can do during and after their pro careers, and try to run a hunting lodge?
"I just love hunting, I love being out there," he said. "I kind of bought [the ranch] for me and my family to enjoy, then I sat there and thought, there's a lot of people who love this stuff too, and the more time changes the average guy doesn't have access to hundreds of acres, and they don't have time to put in food plots and hang treestands and all that."
That line of thinking led to the idea of sharing it, and turning it into a profitable business.
"So we offer a service," the future Hall of Famer said. "If I say it that way it's kind of weird, but we offer hunts at our place. We've obviously got very nice, big deer and elk, we've got a few exotics and stuff, but we've got great guides, and it's really a turn-key thing. You stay in a 10,000-square-foot lodge, it's awesome, and then you go out and hunt. If you shoot something, you can take your trophy pictures, but then our guys will cape it out, skin it out, and prepare the meat if you want it."
Vinatieri spoke about the fellowship and quality time that he's hoping to help people find with the Record Breaking Ranch.
"I love it, it's been a dream come true and a lot of fun so far," Vinatieri said. "I was born and raised in South Dakota, and hunted and fished for my entire life. We really are an outdoor type of family. On the opening of pheasant season, we would have 20 relatives walking the cornfields and shooting pheasants. So to say hunting is in my blood is probably an understatement."
Vinatieri says big game, particularly whitetail, is his game animal of choice, but he's been to Africa a half a dozen times, as well as the Arctic, Argentina, and "just all over the place," he said.
Most of all, he knew that being at the SCI Convention, surrounded by so many likeminded folks, was where he needed to be as a hunting business owner.
"It's really about conserving our heritage to continue to hunt," Vinatieri said. "As time goes on, there's so many anti-hunters, or anti-whatever, that are trying to take our God-given rights away. I hate to say we've got to fight for it, but we've got to continue to make sure we preserve our right to do that. And there's no better way to do that than to support SCI."
Vinatieri's whitetail deer hunting destination is booking hunts for a variety of prices, based on the size of the deer you harvest. And though he wouldn't make promises, and admitted his athletic schedule keeps him away quite a bit, Vinatieri did hint at doing his share of personal guiding. He wants to play more of that role going forward, in the offseason, and when he finally calls it quits.
So who knows? You could stand the chance at hunting with, and maybe even being guided by, a Super Bowl-winning kicker.
For more information on Adam Vinatieri's Record Breaking Ranch, you can check out RecordBreakingRanch.com.
NEXT: 3-YEAR-OLD SAYS HE 'HUNG OUT WITH A BEAR' WHILE STRANDED FOR 2 DAYS IN THE WOODS
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