Chip was born in Birmingham, AL and raised as a hunter. His father was an avid rabbit hunter that raised/trained beagles most of his life. Rabbit hunting is what motivated Chip to become a predator hunter and he bought his first caller (a Johnny Stewart cassette tape model) in 1993 while living in northern Nevada. He moved back to Alabama in 2005 and didn't get "serious" about coyotes until 2010 but only day-hunted as his schedule allowed. He retired at the end of 2018 and has spent more time outdoors. He has been a night hunter since 2017 and progressed through ownership of lights, night vision and now thermal. 'Thermal is the way to go', says Chip. 'It's more efficient and productive, and thermal has become more affordable in the past few years'. 2023 has been his best year yet, recovering 237 coyotes, 8 bobcats and a dozen feral hogs. 'If you want to learn how to do it, invite an experienced predator hunter to join you at one of your properties and learn from him/her.' Chip coyote hunts mostly in central Alabama but has hunted in several other states and Canada. 'I really enjoy helping calves and fawns, and managing coyote populations is critical in that effort'.

Tj Hagan grew up Coyote, Deer,Duck,Quail and Turkey hunting all over Alabama. After graduating from Auburn University he narrowed it down to concentrating on Turkey and Deer and used coyote hunting as a form of management for increasing the population of young on the property that he managed as a Forester. Tj was introduced to Matt Lawrence close to 5 years ago and started and friendship and was introduced to thermal optics, with a background in reloading and long range shooting. The equipment and process became and an obsession that became a nightly occurrence 3-5 days and week for most of the year starting in 2019. He uses 6mm and 6.5 Creedmoor in ARs and bolt action rifles using Hornady eldM and v-max bullets. He also enjoys custom short action magnums handloaded with Hornady V-max bullets for hunting large areas. Pulsar and IRay thermals with LRF are his favorite optics and Daniel Defense and Tikka and defiance/proof/manners combo are his favorite rifle manufacturers. His favorite times of year to coyote hunt are November,July, January. His Top 3 favorites for information on coyotes are Les Johnson, AL Morris and Dan Flores author of Coyote America. Thermal most important part to becoming a successful hunter for coyote is understanding the coyote’s habitat and  its daily and monthly life cycle.

We are proud to announce the NEWEST member of our Pro Staff team, Chris Gonzales! Chris has a huge passion for the outdoors, whether it’s in the woods, on a mountain, or in a tree stand! He lives in Lubbock, TX with his beautiful wife Cami. He has traveled the western states chasing down numerous species, and finding some awesome success! His most recent top awards include:

-2023 West Texas Big Bobcat (Jan) 1st Place - $42,040

-2023 Tuff Luck Contest  (5 Heaviest Gray Stringer) 1st Place - $5520

-2024 Rough Country Big Gray Contest 3rd Place - $10,624 (Feb)

-2024 Garza County Shooting Sports Big Coyote Contest 1st Place - $2475

With more tournaments in 2024, we’re super excited to see him represent Thermal Hunting and score some more trophies.